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.

Nucifora has held the post since 2014.

“I was fortunate to have a wonderful playing career with Ireland and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to play a part in another chapter of Irish Rugby’s history,” said Humphreys.

“This role is the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition and I look forward to building on the successful systems put in place by David Nucifora, who has been a driving force behind Irish Rugby for ten years.”

Humphreys won 72 caps for Ireland and captained Ulster to the European Cup in 1999.

After retiring in 2008, he served as Ulster’s director of rugby and spent six years in a similar position at Gloucester.

He was also a high performance consultant for Georgia and is currently the director of performance operations with the England and Wales Cricket Board.

‘Stand-out candidate’

The IRFU have said Humphreys will join as performance director designate in March, working alongside Nucifora to “facilitate a smooth and orderly transition”.

Nucifora will oversee final preparations for the Sevens teams’ Paris Olympics campaigns next summer while Humphreys takes up his new role on 1 June.

“In David Humphreys we know we have found someone who believes passionately in Irish Rugby and has the expertise, skills, and desire to keep us competitive on the world stage,” said IRFU chief executive Kevin Potts.

“Our search took us globally and ultimately David was the stand-out candidate.”

During Nucifora’s time in the role, Ireland have won three men’s Six Nations titles, one women’s title while both men’s and women’s Sevens teams qualified for the Paris Olympics.

“I would like to thank David Nucifora for the outstanding contribution he has made in building our high performance unit over almost a decade and wish him every success in his future endeavours,” said Potts.

“Of course, before he concludes, there is still much to be done this season, including the upcoming 2024 Six Nations Championship for our men, women and U20s as well as preparing our Sevens teams for the Paris Olympics.

“He will leave a solid foundation for David Humphreys to build upon and we are grateful for his commitment to working with his successor through next spring, ensuring a smooth handover of this key role for Irish Rugby.”