Gender pay gap set to continue for some time in Irish rugby

SUSTAINABLE: IRFU Performance Director David Nucifora says professionalism in the elite women’s game must be sustainable. File pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Irish Rugby’s gender pay gap for players looks set to remain in place for some time as the IRFU looks to make professionalism in the elite women’s game sustainable, David Nucifora has said.

The decision to offer women’s international sevens and 15s players contracts was undertaken by the IRFU in the wake of Ireland’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, which is currently being staged in New Zealand.