The British and Irish Lions have confirmed David Nucifora, Aled Walters and Vinny Hammond as the first appointments to Andy Farrell’s backroom staff for this summer’s tour to Australia.
Nucifora, the former IRFU high-performance director, has been seconded from Scottish Rugby and will perform the role of general manager of performance, while head of athletic performance Walters joins from the IRFU.
Completing the trio of recruits for the 10-fixture tour is Hammond, the IRFU’s head of innovation and analytics, who will travel Down Under as head of analysis.
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Australian Nucifora, won two caps in the early 1990s and worked closely with current Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt during his time as Ireland head coach, while Walters helped South Africa win the 2019 World Cup.
“In David, Aled and Vinny we have three of the absolute best joining us for the tour to Australia this summer, culminating in the highly anticipated Test series against the Wallabies,” Farrell said.
“David’s unrivalled experience will help us shape and deliver such a challenging and exciting rugby programme, whilst also bringing essential insight into Australian rugby and the country as a whole.
“Aled is a World Cup winner who has worked with players across England and Ireland and has also coached in Australia and Super Rugby with the Brumbies.
“And Vinny’s Lions pedigree from touring New Zealand and South Africa brings continuity and Lions experience, which will be crucial to success Down Under.”
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