The most encouraging aspect of David Nucifora’s six years as IRFU performance director has been the clarity this taciturn Australian brought to the professional game.
Nucifora has left nobody in any doubt about who is in charge. His lack of knowledge of parochial bickering was a strength that has evolved into a festering problem. A ruthless contract negotiator is necessary but so is a long-term plan for the game. Last Monday’s refusal – during his annual media appearance – to provide a roadmap for the future can only be interpreted as deeply concerning for people heavily invested in the sport on this island.
The Ireland squad’s over-reliance on private schoolboys needs to be addressed. The 58-year-old former Wallaby hooker did an impressive job recruiting South Africans and New Zealanders into the system but now the residency law has been extended to five years what is the next move?
The response was a vague reference to Sevens seeping into “non-established areas of rugby around the country”. The obvious follow-up: where exactly, perhaps the GAA heartlands or vast populations in multi-cultural areas like west Dublin? “Absolutely,” he responded. “Everywhere that people have the appetite to be able to play the game and the responsibility is on the IRFU and the provinces to be able to create competitions that give people access to the game and that’s certainly our ambition going forward.”
You could have copied and pasted that answer from 2014. The obvious conclusion is that there is no workable plan to launch Sevens trials similar to how Tadhg Kennelly recruits GAA teenagers for Aussie Rules clubs. We know the search for lads with Irish sounding names in the UK has been ramped up. So, forget about converting generational athletes like Kyle Hayes or keeping the next Conor Nash and get used to hand me downs like Billy Burns.
We doubt Nucifora has any clue who Kennelly is despite six years painting his masterpiece. The results are Sevens tournaments behind closed doors that Hugo Keenan has thankfully escaped.
By The Numbers: 42
42 players used by Andy Farrell in 2020.
11 first caps when Eric O’Sullivan came off the bench.
389 minutes played by offloader of the week Andrew Porter out of a possible 480 has included an 80 minute flogging at Twickenham.
17 months since Springbok wing Aphiwe Dyantyi tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and still no outcome.
Over 50 per cent of the professional rugby players in Ireland are out of contract in July 2021 (currently the IRFU refuse to negotiate new deals).
Word Of Mouth
“As we get closer to 2023 I’ll come back to you and let you know what the score will be in the semi -final.” – IRFU performance director David Nucifora responds to questions about Ireland plans for the next World Cup.
“It was distributed to the people who needed to read it.” – Nucifora on the 2019 World Cup review document.
“Incredible year to do what he has done but I am not going to say he is the complete player because there is definitely another level in him.” – Johnny Sexton on Caelan Doris
“Give them some gate money for playing then you tight ******.” – One of hundreds of responses to World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont’s tweet about Fiji finally getting onto the field.
“The Argentine Rugby Union strongly repudiates the discriminatory and xenophobic comments published by members of the Los Pumas team on social networks and meeting urgently, the Board of Directors resolves: In the first place, revoke the captaincy of Pablo Matera and request the staff to propose a new captain to the Board of Directors.” – Argentina strips Pablo Matera of Los Pumas captaincy following racist tweets as a teenager in 2012.
“I am very ashamed. Apologies to all those who were offended by the atrocities I wrote. At that moment I did not imagine who I was going to become. Today I have to own what I said nine years ago.” – Matera apologies before being reinstated as captain within 48 hours.
“Nice morning to go out in the car to run over blacks.” – Matera’s old Tweet.
Matera and rugby’s ugly under belly
How not to honour Diego Maradona: do nothing except tape black armbands on Los Pumas jersey. How to honour the death of a sporting icon? Ireland’s figure of eight for Anthony Foley at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2016.
The power of Pablo Matera’s team doing a figure of 10 before facing New Zealand – who presented a black jersey with Maradona’s name on it before the haka – would have been an unforgettable tribute.
Instead, their paltry gesture for a transcendental Argentinean enraged the entire nation – well, the people that use social media – and prompted the highlighting of racists tweets by three players, including Matera.
The captain was only 17 when he joked about running over South African black people in a car but to strip him of the captaincy only to reinstate him inside 48 hours – seemingly the squad were refusing to play Australia – is just the latest stain on a sport that appears to have no moral compass.
“Rugby doesn’t know how to deal with it, hence why we have seen a U-turn within 48 hour,” said Ugo Moyne on the BBC .”Racism seems to be this outlier forever because no one wants to own up to it. If you’ve got the union saying it’s immature, that’s what they think it is. Just so we are clear, [the Matera comments] are not immature – they are racist and they are vile.”
Women’s sketchy plan
The Ireland women have been provided the sketchiest of plans to reach next year’s World Cup in New Zealand. The Six Nations will double up as qualifier matches. The idea is play Italy and Scotland and squeeze in another fixture. That is what the largely male decision makers have come up with. You wonder would they allow this to happen to the men, even back when the game was amateur?
The lack of profit generated by the women will dictate the final decision. Unless – and this may sound like a wild idea – how about promoting these international fixtures and putting them in a time slot that will entice parents and young girls to attend? Donnybrook on a Friday night perhaps? Or place them on the undercard of a male Test match?
The current plan for Ciara Griffin’s team is to train really hard. Some competitive preparation could be offered to them with a January interprovincial series. Four squads playing proper matches out in the open. IRFU TV could show it. Or even RTÉ.
