Tierney excited to lead Irish charge

Tierney was belatedly announced last week by the IRFU as the man to take over from long serving Philip Doyle who stepped down at the end of the World Cup.

Tierney takes on a squad somewhat in transition with players like Lynne Cantwell, Fiona Coghlan and Grace Davitt all hanging up their boots.

Tierney, who played eight times for Ireland, is a “level five accredited coach” with experience working with Garryowen and Cork Constitution. He will work under Anthony Eddy, the former general manager of Sevens rugby with the Australian Rugby Union, who has also been confirmed as the IRFU director of both men’s and women’s Sevens and the women’s XV rugby programmes

Tierney said he was excited about the role.

“It is a great honour for myself personally and for my own career going forward. It happened over the last few weeks, when the opportunity was presented to me. Two years ago the team won the Grand Slam and last year, the highlight of beating New Zealand and getting so far in the World Cup, means it’s a huge job with huge expectation but I am looking forward to it. It is a great opportunity for me and hopefully things will go well.”

Tierney has scant time to prepare his team for the Six Nations with Ireland not meeting for camp until the end of the year. Indeed the squad has not met at all since the end of the World Cup

“We have a very short time frame to get prepared for the Six Nations but it is something I am well used to – working within a real tight time frame -  and we are getting started at the end of the year with our first camp and I am looking forward to it immensely.”

Tierney sounds nonplussed when he considers the retirement of a number of key players.

“It is a natural progression in rugby and in any sport that it gives an opportunity to young players coming through to give them their chance. Obviously losing quality players is always going to set you back but the set up here is ahead of where many other countries are and that goes to show the performance levels in the Six Nations and the World Cup.

“We have an extended squad meeting at the end of the year and we are giving everyone from 15s and 7s set up a chance so everyone has a shot at having a real go at it. I can’t wait to get started.”

Ireland’s new set up is unusual in that Tierney has a dual role – coaching the XV side and acting as an assistant coach of the sevens side.

He believes the mish-mash between the two games will benefit Ireland.

“The quality of the game that sevens  and what it forces you to do from a fitness and skill development point of view and a game understanding perspective will marry well into the 15s game and vice versa. They are hand in hand in the benefits we will get from both. The raw materials and qualities are here and it is about building a group of players that can play both at the highest level. That is the reason I have been brought -  to facilitate that and to add as much value as I can to a successful set up.”

Tierney was speaking to Oisin Langan on theNewstalk Rewind podcast