David Humphreys: Former Ireland and Ulster fly-half appointed new IRFU performance director
Former Ireland and Ulster fly-half David Humphreys has been appointed as the Irish Rugby Football Union’s new performance director.
Humphreys, 52, will succeed Australian David Nucifora, who will leave the role at the end of the season.
Nucifora has held the post since 2014.
Humphreys stated, “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to play a part in another chapter of Irish Rugby’s history. I was fortunate to have a wonderful playing career with Ireland.”
“This position is the realization of a lifelong dream, and I am excited to expand on the effective framework David Nucifora established, who has been the driving force behind Irish Rugby for a decade.”
In 1999, Humphreys led Ulster to the European Cup and earned 72 caps for Ireland.
After retiring in 2008, he served as Ulster’s director of rugby and spent six years in a similar position at Gloucester.
In addition, he served as a high performance consultant for Georgia. Currently, he works for the England and Wales Cricket Board as director of performance operations.
Humphreys will work with Nucifora to “facilitate a smooth and orderly transition” when he joins the IRFU in March as performance director designate.
Nucifora will be in charge of the last-minute arrangements for the Sevens teams’ summer Olympics campaigns in Paris, while Humphreys begins his new position on June 1.
IRFU CEO Kevin Potts stated, “We know we have found someone in David Humphreys who believes passionately in Irish Rugby and has the expertise, skills, and desire to keep us competitive on the world stage.”
“After a global search, David emerged as the most exceptional candidate.”
Potts went on, “I want to thank David Nucifora for his amazing work over the past almost ten years in developing our high performance unit and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Naturally, there is still a lot of work to be done this season before he leaves, such as getting our Sevens teams ready for the Paris Olympics and getting ready for our men, women, and U20 teams for the upcoming 2024 Six Nations Championship.
“He will leave David Humphreys with a strong platform to build upon, and we appreciate his dedication to working with his successor through the spring of next year to ensure a seamless transition of this important position for Irish Rugby.”
