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5utrr4Christmas is only around the corner and David Humphreys will be enjoying a well-earned breather over the festive period.
Because the IRFU performance director knows things will ramp up in 2025.
Humphreys is now six months into the top job, since he officially succeeded David Nucifora in June, and the former Ulster and Ireland out-half will be acutely aware that his in-tray at IRFU HQ will be stuffed when he arrives back in to work in early January.
IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys
Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady
A Six Nations title defence, a Lions tour of Australia, a Women’s World Cup on English soil and a November series featuring a rematch with the All Blacks at Soldier Field are the headline acts across a packed 12 months.
Add in the fact that Andy Farrell will be away on his Lions sabbatical for most of the year and it’s shaping up to be a huge year for Humphreys.
The 53-year-old has made a promising start in this high-powered, hugely influential role on the top rung of the Irish rugby ladder. He has already briefed the media twice this year (a huge improvement access-wise on his predecessor) and, on both occasions, he came across as someone trying to see the big picture.
Head coach Andy Farrell during an Ireland Rugby media conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
He’s already made some big statements, going on record during a press conference in July that the IRFU will be implementing a moratorium on the signing of overseas hookers and props from next season.
Humphreys stated that intention on the week of Ireland’s second Test against the Springboks in Durban.
Leinster’s Rabah Slimani, it would seem, will be the last foreign front-rower to earn a contract at the province for quite some time.
Long term, Humphreys is implementing this embargo on overseas props to build depth in an area which has been alarmingly shallow for quite some time.
France’s Yacouba Camara, Arthur Iturria and Rabah Slimani tackle Iain Henderson of Ireland
Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
The hope is that homegrown options will be given the guidance and top-level exposure to become Test-level personnel in the future.
As Humphreys remarked during the summer, Farrell can’t outsource overseas props from abroad, so neither should the provinces be able to.
Of course, this is only the top of the pyramid. Big improvements, in terms of talent ID and coaching at grassroots level, need to be made, too.
Coaching appointments are one of Humphreys’ key areas and his early work has been encouraging on that front.
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Hollywoodbets Sharks vs Ulster Ulster Interim Head Coach Richie Murphy. Pic: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Steve Haag
Richie Murphy’s appointment as Ulster head coach following the departure of Dan McFarland midway through last season was a smart move and a deserved promotion for a coach who has done brilliant work in the backroom teams of Leinster and Ireland before thriving as the head of the U20s programme.
Humphreys has brought a degree of calm to what was a turbulent few months in Munster, too. When Graham Rowntree and Andi Kyriacou left their posts after just six URC games and a fairly disastrous start for the province, there were worries that the entire operation had gone into freefall.
But the measured reaction from the IRFU has been notable. Assistant coaches Mike Prendergast, Denis Leamy and Mossy Lawler have all signed contract extensions while head of rugby operations Ian Costello has stepped in as interim head coach.
Alex Codling, who has made a huge impact as lineout coach with the Ireland women’s team, was seconded to the Munster coaching ticket to do a similar job following Kyriacou’s exit. Experienced coach Chris Boyd has arrived at Thomond Park as an advisor to this current coaching group while IRFU head of athletic performance Nick Winkleman has also been prominent around the HPC in Limerick of late.
Munster attack coach Mike Prendergast during a Munster rugby squad training session at the University of Limerick in Limerick. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
All smart, logical moves and Humphreys deserves credit for it. In terms of coaching appointments, there were also smart additions to Scott Bemand’s staff earlier this season with Codling, Hugh Hogan and Gareth Steenson linking up with the women’s squad.
The net result was a shock win against New Zealand in WXV1.
The next big call from Humphreys is who gets the vacant Munster head coach gig. The IRFU always has a direct involvement with these appointments, and it will be interesting to observe how the Belfast native negotiates this tricky recruitment process.
Prendergast, who has been impressive as attack coach, has stated his ambition to move up. The former Munster scrum-half has an impressive CV, is well regarded by the players and looks ready for promotion.
But Humphreys and the IRFU are understood to be keen for a more experienced operator to oversee this latest Reds rebuild. Johann van Graan and Rowntree were both calculated risks in the sense that neither, despite all their experience and glowing references, had head-coach experience prior to the Munster gig. Prendergast would be another gamble on that front. Indeed, he may end up as head coach but with a more experienced director of rugby above him.
In terms of contracts, it has been a busy time for Humphreys with Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong, Bundee Aki and James Ryan all locked down on new deals in recent days. He will now turn to some other big names who have expiring deals before the 2027 World Cup, namely Josh van der Flier, Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose.
And all roads lead towards the big one in Australia now. For the IRFU’s chief strategist, the next few years will be about ensuring that Farrell and his coaching team have as many options as possible. Emerging Ireland tours and the return of some Ireland ‘A’ fixtures are one part of the puzzle, solving some of the bottlenecks around the provinces is another story. Finding avenues to source fresh talent is also a potential legacy project for Humphreys since World Rugby’s amended eligibility laws came on stream a few years ago.
The likes of Aki, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson Park are a vanishing breed on that front. The Irish game may find a Mack Hansen from time to time but project players are no longer a viable avenue to plug holes in the depth chart.
There’s also the small matter of Simon Easterby guiding Ireland through the 2025 Six Nations in Farrell’s absence, an ongoing debate around the validity of the Champions Cup as well as a development tour of Portugal and Georgia in the summer.
Humphreys is also looking to build some bridges with the All-Ireland League, grow the game and ensure that the recent resurgence of the women’s team is maintained.
And breathe… Humphreys should enjoy the festive break. He’s going to be very busy in the New Year.
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