Pathways have to be the priority in Ireland - Coghlan excited by McDarby appointment

Given they had been sought after for so long, it was only natural that the news of professional contracts for Ireland's XV-a-side players grabbed the headlines when they were first announced two weeks ago.

Alongside that announcement was confirmation that the IRFU had appointed Gillian McDarby as their first 'Head of Performance and Pathways' for women's rugby, an appointment that former Ireland captain Fiona Coghlan believes has the potential to be even more crucial long term.

A former program manager with the Irish womens' team, McDarby is a former Irish national cyclist while she has served a number of roles in high-performance sport in Ireland across rugby and cycling.

The appointment didn't come out of the blue, with the role having been created and publicly advertised as one of the recommendations of the independent report into Ireland's failure to qualify for the upcoming World Cup.

The brief is wide-ranging, but on the face of it McDarby appears to be filling the David Nucifora role in women's rugby, overseeing Ireland's performance, and working on the pathways that will link Ireland's underage talent to senior rugby.

"This is a huge role," said former Ireland captain Coghlan.

"I think it's so important for where the game is going to go in Ireland. It's about getting as many numbers playing the game at a higher standard, and how it all links together.

"We've had huge numbers playing, an increase in numbers, and minis and underage level, but there never seems to be a link (to senior ruby)."

Coghlan pointed to the inexperienced squad brought by head coach Greg McWilliams on their tour of Japan as one of McDarby's biggest tasks to address.

"And then there is that step-up from 18's to seniors ,that is huge. Some of these