IRFU's Philip Browne: 'No easy answers to issues facing women's game'
Lindsay Peat does a handstand during the Ireland Women's Rugby Captain's Run at the RDS, Dublin, yesterday. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Philip Browne has warned that there are “no easy answers” to the issues affecting the women’s game in Ireland while refusing to comment on whether Anthony Eddy’s position has now become untenable.
The IRFU CEO, whose suggestion that “you can’t conjure something out of nothing” could certainly have been phrased better, has also confirmed that discussions have begun with David Nucifora to extend the latter's contract as performance director.
Both men have been in situ since 2014.
It was comments earlier this week by Eddy, the director of sevens and women’s rugby, that lit the fuse on what has become a blazing issue this last few days: one that has all but knocked the visit of the All Blacks to Dublin off centre stage.
Current player Cliodhna Moloney described Eddy’s take as “slurry” on Twitter and a slew of her teammates subsequently came out to support her on social media ahead of tonight’s game against the USA at the RDS.
Browne made repeated mention today of the fact that the union has initiated two independent reports on the women’s game, to be headed up by Amanda Bennett, a former Welsh international.
“I’m confident that there is a commitment by the IRFU that the women’s game is put on the best possible footing to develop as quickly as is possible or practical,” said Browne. “There is no instant, easy answers.
“You can’t conjure something out of nothing. It takes time to develop the game and to develop players and there has been some great work done and sometimes that’s lost.
“There is great work done by our volunteers and by our staff around the country and in the provinces and it is obviously disheartening for those people in terms of the criticism that’s out there but, at the end of the day, if the criticism is deserved, we have to take it on the chin and move on.”
The wider review into the women’s game will delve into the nitty-gritty - player pathways, access points, participation numbers, AIL and other league structures, etc - but the problems in the women’s game are most obvious to the general public at the top of the pyramid.
The IRFU’s own stated objectives called for the women’s team to finish at least sixth at the next World Cup and for their sevens counterparts to make the Tokyo Olympics. Neither happened.
Eddy is the director of both the sevens and women’s games. He joined the union at the back end of 2014, shortly after the women’s 15s side had reached the semi-final of a World Cup and won a Six Nations, and not long before they would claim another Championship.
It is only to be expected that questions are being asked about his performance given that context, but Browne pointed to the two upcoming reviews again when asked if Eddy’s position had, on the back of this week’s events, now become untenable.
“We are facing into two big matches for the girls in terms of the US and Japan. My own view on this is that it would be totally inappropriate and just plain wrong for me to be making any comments that could distract the team from what they need to do, which is focus and prioritise on what is immediately in front of them.
“We are behind the team and hopefully they will deliver the performances and results for them, and I’m sure they will. I am fully aware that there are issues, I am fully aware of the different views and opinions that are out there. The independent reviews are up and running to actually answer those questions.”
As for Nucifora, Browne insisted that the union is “very happy” with the Australian and that talks to extend his tenure are ongoing.
Why so, he was asked.
“All you have to do is look at the through-put of players coming into the provincial system and the success that we've had in bringing young players through in the provinces and, indeed, the national team.
"The work he has done on the pathways which in many respects is maybe not as visible for people, the support structures in terms of the S&C staff and pathways, the coaching staff and pathways, the talent identification programmes that have been put in place.
“All of those things have really been put in place with initiatives that have been developed by David. The performances of the national team are effectively the endpoint in terms of the success of the pathways.
“Obviously, the players and coaches are critical to that as well. David's job is to find the raw material for the high-performance system and I think he's done a really good job."
All of which relates to the men’s game, incidentally.
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