Ireland 2022/2023 - moving on

The IRFU have been taking care of business whilst the national team have been taking the plaudits for their successful NZ tour series.

A week after the 3rd test, Leinster announced their new IRFU-approved CEO to take over from the long-serving and very successful Mick Dawson.  As the wags put it, they searched Google and came up with their man - Shane Nolan -  a Google executive who happens to be a longtime Leinster fan with a strong remit to build up the commercial side of the business including delivering the revamped RDS stadium and a lot more corporate backing.  

Only a couple of days later, up popped the new CEO of the IRFU, Kevin Potts, to say they’d already sat down with Andy Farrell before he headed off to NZ and agreed a two-year extension to his contract with options to extend further if certain performance markers were met.  Presumably that includes not just winning a RWC quarterfinal for the first time…

Farrell is being given the resources and budget to develop the best squad possible including a stronger input into provincial selections and development of all of his likely RWC squad players.  

One gets the impression that IRFU supremo Kevin Potts is going for broke at his first attempt in securing greater success in the RWC than his long-term predecessor, Phillip Browne, ever achieved.  

The Autumn Internationals should be about developing the wider core of players outside Farrell’s 20-23 already selected cohort of players.  

O’Toole, Loughman, Baird, McCarthy, Timoney, Carbery, Coombes, Casey, Larmour, Hume, Stockdale, Baloucoune, Frawley will need greater club and country time this coming season, with possibly some being played out of their regular starting positions for province.  

All in all, it should be an interesting season starting September.

I've got to say I didn't think it would happen, series win in NZ etc. Didn't like Nucifora making Ulster get rid of Peinaar, thought he was on the wrong track. But overall, things have worked out. Should it really be that surprising that he knows more about rugby than me, an Internet forum member? Can't be right.