David Nucifora confirmed as General Manager (of) Performance on British & Irish Lions tour
01/28/2025 06:19 AM
DAVID NUCIFORA, the recently appointed Director of Performance Rugby for Scottish Rugby, will spend next summer with the British & Irish Lions on tour of his native Australia. The 63-year-old will also spend a significant chunk of time leading up to the expedition planning and organising the logistics and strategy needed for a successful Test series. He has been appointed as ‘General Manager, Performance’ in head coach Andy Farrell’s management team.
Meanwhile, Welshman Aled Walters, who was Head of Athletic Performance for South Africa's Rugby World Cup winning squad in 2019, has been appointed Head of Athletic Performance and joins the tour management team from the Irish Rugby Football Union, and Vinny Hammond, also of the IRFU, returns for his third Tour in the role of Head of Analysis. Farrell will finalise the rest of his backroom team after the 2025 Guinness Six Nations.
Nucifora explained when he met the Scottish rugby press in December that he views his Murrayfield appointment as a full-time role but plans to split his time between Scotland and Australia. He didn’t mention at that point that this would include a six-week block in his homeland with the Lions from late June to early August, which means he won’t be around for Scotland’s summer tour to the Pacific Islands (plus a match against New Zealand Maori on 5th July) and will also miss Scotland Under-20s’ return to the top tier World Rugby Under 20 Championship for the first time since 2019 (assuming that tournament is played in the same time slot as previous years).
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He will also be away during most of the build-up to the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England which kicks-off on 22nd August.
Nucifora was appointed by Scottish Rugby in August last year, eight-month after his predecessor Jim Mallinder‘s departure was announced in December 2023. His first visit to Scotland in this role was for the 2024 November Tests, and he then returned home to Australia for Christmas. While his job with Scottish Rugby is strategic rather than hands-on, there is concern about the amount of time he is dedicating towards observing at close quarters how the performance programme operates in practice.
“Former Wallaby hooker and Brumbies coach Nucifora joins on a consultancy basis and will be with the squad for the duration of the tour,” said a statement issued by the Lions. “He is currently also contracted to Scottish Rugby as their Performance Director and has already started supporting the Lions in their preparations.
A Scottish Rugby statement said: “David travels with Scottish Rugby's full support and his connection to the series will be complementary to his role with Scottish Rugby as it continues into season 2025-26.
“Having David in a senior performance role on the tour will be beneficial to both any Scottish Rugby selections to the touring party and for valuable post-tour learnings and insight.
“David remains as our Performance Director before and after the tour and will continue his work and role with Scottish Rugby, as normal, throughout this period.”
Nucifora said: "Having watched the Lions tour Australia over the years, and then playing against them for a Queensland XV in 1989, never did I expect that one day I would be part of their team – but it is funny how sport works.
"I look forward to drawing on my experiences with Ireland and Scotland in supporting Andy as he goes about building a truly world-class backroom team and squad."
Lions head coach Andy Farrell said: "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,” said L
"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."
Lions CEO Ben Calveley added: "It is my pleasure to welcome David, Aled and Vinny to the Lions.
"The excitement for this year's Tour to Australia is really starting to build across both hemispheres and as Andy shapes his backroom team that will only intensify.
"These roles would also not be possible without the support of our colleagues at Scottish Rugby and the IRFU who have helped facilitate these appointments."
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