Former Australia international David Nucifora has been formally unveiled as the IRFU's new Performance Director.

The 52-year-old will take-up his newly created role on June 1st after agreeing a 5-year contract with the Union.

The former coach of the ACT Brumbies and the Auckland Blues has also worked as the General Manager of the Australian Rugby Union's High Performance Unit and will be tasked with developing elite players and coaches and succession planning amongst other responsibilities.

Nucifora said that his respect for Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt was one of the things that had attracted him to the job:

Last night on Off The Ball, the Irish Times' Gerry Thornley profiled Nucifora who he describes as having a "strong will" and is seen as "a good bloke".