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Ireland confirm coaching team for summer tour
By Neil Fissler
Paul O’Connell will be assisted by Denis Leamy, Mike Prendergast and Colm Tucker on Ireland’s summer tour of Georgia and Portugal.
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Ireland legend O’Connell was confirmed as head coach for the matches in Tbilisi and Lisbon last week. One of the country’s most successful ever players, winning three Six Nations including a Grand Slam in 2009, he has been Ireland’s forwards coach since January 2021, helping guide the current side to a Grand Slam in 2023 and back-to-back Six Nations titles.
Andy Farrell is away on the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, and he is taking Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman, and John Fogarty with him.
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O’Connell admits that he is delighted to step into the unknown for the biggest challenge of his coaching career in what has been seen as a major gamble by the IRFU.
“I am honoured to accept the interim position of Head Coach for the forthcoming summer tour to Georgia and Portugal and it promises to be an important series of matches played against unfamiliar opponents in testing conditions.
“With a busy schedule of international rugby this summer, these two Tests will provide us with further opportunities to assess and develop the competition levels within the squad.
“I am excited to work with a coaching team who I know well individually and are hugely motivated to deliver success to Ireland and look forward to putting our plans in place over the coming weeks,” he said
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Leamy and Prendergast both played with O’Connell for Munster, while the former was an Ireland teammate as well.
Prendergast and Tucker worked together earlier this year, meanwhile, as part of the Ireland A set-up that played England in Bristol.
IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys added: “We’re delighted that Paul has accepted this role and believe that his elevation ensures continuity within the men’s coaching team. It will also mark an important step in his coaching career as we look ahead to an exciting summer schedule.
“He will be assisted by Denis (Leamy), Mike (Prendergast) and Cullie (Tucker) who have all been in Ireland camp at different points over the last number of months and their selections is another positive progression in their coaching careers and reasserts the IRFU’s commitment to developing a pathway for Irish coaches.”
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2 tests, that’s insane. How can you develop the next generation of internationals with 2 tests? 4 would have been more beneficial, and provide a good test for the squad, with an emerging Ireland tour running concurrently to widen the player base at test level, surely. There are to many players in Ireland not getting enough meaningful game time as it is. Scotland did it right last summer, Ireland could have done something similar. Opportunity missed.