IRFU target women's lead appointment by end of the year

The Irish Rugby Football Union hopes to appoint a 'Women's Strategy Implementation Lead' by the end of the year, with chief executive Kevin Potts seeing the women's game as the largest opportunity for growth in Irish rugby.

The IRFU launched their strategic plan for the next four years at the Aviva Stadium, with the women's game being identified as a priority between now and 2028.

Having declined rapidly between 2015 and 2023, Ireland's women's XV's game has seen an upturn in fortunes this season, with Scott Bemand's side securing a third-place finish in the Guinness Six Nations, securing early qualification for next year's World Cup in England, as well as a place in the top tier of the WXV later this year.

"We are going to recruit a senior women's lead that reports directly to me, to bring all of the strands of the women’s game together," Potts said.

"He or she will work alongside Dave [Humphreys, high performance director], Collie [McEntee, IRFU rugby development director] and Padraig [Power, chief commercial officer] and bring all the strands [together] and run it, not like a separate unit because we want to be fully integrated, but to ensure that all the strands are coming together that are set out here and reporting to me that they are on track. It needs that coordinated focus."

The IRFU CEO (below) says he expects to have the new role filled by the end of the year.

"We will be advertising for it at the end of the summer so it will be a Q4 appointment, and we want to get somebody who fits the bill for this position, it is really important to us.

"I have always had in my head a Q4 appointment, which will give a good run in to the Women's Rugby World Cup next year."

The 2024 Women's Six Nations was successful both on and off