Scottish Rugby has brought on board esteemed former IRFU Performance Director David Nucifora in an advisory role to chart a course for the next decade of player development in Scotland.
Nucifora served as the Performance Director for the IRFU from June 2014 to 2024, a period marked by remarkable achievements for Irish rugby. Under his guidance, Ireland’s men’s team rose to the top of the World Rugby rankings and claimed four Six Nations Championships, including two Grand Slams. The Ireland Women’s team also captured the Six Nations title in 2015 – although the IRFU’s support for the women’s game was a slower start. His tenure culminated with both the men’s and women’s 7s teams qualifying for and competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In his new role in Scotland, David will be tasked with driving transformation across all areas of Scotland’s development structure, with a focus on nurturing the country’s top male and female rugby talent. He will serve for two years, during which he will also advise the Scottish Rugby Limited board on the selection of a permanent Performance Director, the role left vacant by Jim Mallinder.
“I’m really looking forward to joining the team at Scottish Rugby. I’m well aware of the ambition Scotland has as a rugby nation and the desire to nurture talent to ensure we can compete at the highest level over the long term. To ensure this ambition can be realised we will design and implement a structure which supports high performance outcomes.”
David Nucifora
David’s rugby journey began as a hooker for the Queensland Reds, and he earned two caps for the Wallabies, including being part of the 1991 Rugby World Cup-winning team.
After retiring from playing, Nucifora transitioned to coaching, leading the ACT Brumbies from 2002 and becoming the first Australian coach to reach three consecutive Super 12 finals, winning the championship in 2004. He was named Australian Coach of the Year in 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2005, he joined the Auckland Blues as a technical advisor and performance manager before taking on the role of head coach until 2009.
David then took on the role of General Manager of the Australian Rugby Union High Performance Unit in 2009 and also coached the Junior Wallabies at the Junior World Championships that year.
He joined the IRFU as High-Performance Director in June 2014 and held the position until he announced his decision to pursue new opportunities in late 2023.
