Bradley retained as Ireland A coach

MICHAEL BRADLEY has been reappointed as coach to the Ireland A team for this season’s internationals and onto the Churchill Cup in June.

Connacht coach Bradley took control of the senior side for the games against The Barbarians, New Zealand and Australia in the summer and will now lead the A team in games against Scotland and England Saxons.

Joey Miles, who also toured with Ireland during the summer as part of the interim management team, will renew his role as manager to the A side.

The Ireland Women’s team will be managed by Rachael Reid and coached by Steven Hennessey for the Six Nations Championships this season.

The Ireland Sevens team recently qualified for the 2009 IRB World Cup Sevens tournament in Dubai next March and the management team that guided them to that success has remained intact, with Jon Skurr coaching the side and Hugh McCaughey as manager.

At underage level, there is a change of coach to the U20’s, with former Ireland international and current IRFU High Performance Manager Allen Clarke taking control, with the assistance of Phil Orr as manager.

The Ireland U18 Youth team, which has reached the final of the FIRA-AER European Championship over the last two years, will again be under the guidance of coach Greg Lynch and manager Willie Gribben.

Meanwhile ex-Ireland captain Keith Wood has become a director of Guinness Premiership club London Irish.

Wood, who won 58 caps and played in five Tests for the British and Irish Lions, takes up his role with immediate effect.