The IRFU will have major shoes to fill in the near future, with performance director David Nucifora likely to leave his role at some point next year.
The Australian has been in the position since 2014, overseeing all aspects of Irish rugby at the elite level. Not only did he lead coaching searches and performance programmes, but he also oversaw player contract negotiations.
Nucifora's spell has coincided with Ireland establishing themselves as one of the biggest powers in the men's game, winning a number of Six Nations titles at both senior and U20 level, as well as becoming the top ranked team in world rugby.
The search for his successor has already begun, with one familiar name in the frame.
Joe Schmidt in the frame for return to Irish rugby
The Irish Independent are reporting that Joe Schmidt is one name in the frame to becoming the next performance director at the IRFU.
The Kiwi has not been involved with Irish rugby since stepping down from his role as Ireland head coach after the 2019 World Cup. Since then, he has returned to his native New Zealand and spent time in the All Blacks setup.
IRFU chief executive Kevin Potts has said that the process to find David Nucifora's replacement is underway, with a 'world class' figure preferred.
This means that only a small pool of viable candidates will be available, with Schmidt likely to be among them. The Irish Independent say that Rassie Erasmus is another candidate that could be considered.
Potts has admitted that Nucifora will be a 'hard act to follow' for whoever does get the role.
He’ll be a hard act to follow, I think. David has signalled that next year is probably when he’ll move on. I’m at an advanced stage of looking at transition planning with David. As part of the transition planning, we will obviously need to find a world-class successor.
So, when we’re in a position to bring all of that together, we will publicly announce that. But for now, David’s focus is where we want it to be, which is on supporting our men in particular in their run-up to Rugby World Cup 2023, our sevens programmes are working really hard to try and achieve Olympic qualification, looking at future pathways and pipeline or playing opportunities for our U-20s and academy players.
And what I don’t want them thinking about before Rugby World Cup is transition.
So, it’s at an advanced stage in terms of our planning but, for now, David will get on with the excellent work that he’s doing and we will make announcements when we can later on in the year, I would say.
It is a vitally important position for Irish rugby and it’s something we will and are taking very, very seriously.
It’s finding the right person, someone who is world-class and has an ability to drive and develop, build on the massive success we’ve had.
It will be interesting to see what names are put forward in the months ahead.
Considering the success that the men's team have had in recent years, there is no doubt that it will be an attractive position for potential candidates.
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