Ireland make major changes

Jon Skurr, current coach of the national women's sevens side, who won the Dubai Invitational tournament last weekend, is leaving his position in charge of Ireland's first coach of a professional women's outfit.

Players were informed this week that over the past six months the union has been reviewing its men's and women's programmes and that new positions will be required in order to meet "the desired level of performance".

Also leaving the Irish set up is influential Head of Fitness Ross Callaghan, who many players credit as an enormous part of Ireland's success in recent seasons.

Instead Ireland are set to appoint a number of new fulltime roles - alongside a new structure for its newly initiated men's sevens progamme

A Director of Sevens and Women's Rugby will be appointed, while at the same time a fulltime Assistant Women's Sevens coach will also be appointed, with that person, it is understood, also taking on the role of Head Coach of the Women's XV team.

Whoever takes on the latter role faces a tough task to prepare the team for its next competitionwith time running out for any meanginful buildup to the 2015 Six Nations.

Ireland's XV side has been without a head coach since Philip Doyle stepped down having guided the national team to a historic fourth place at the World Cup. The national side has not met as a group since, however they are due to do so in the coming weeks.

The squad has also been hit by the loss through retirement of many senior players including Lynne Cantwell, Fiona Coghlan and Grace Davitt.

We have asked the IRFU to comment on the changes.