David Nucifora: The mastermind tasked with replicating Irish rugby’s success with Scotland

“Some people would say Scotland is way too small to be able to compete on the world stage. That was the same thing that Ireland said to me.”

Those are the words of Scottish Rugby’s new performance director David Nucifora, who has been largely credited with Ireland’s recent success in the sport.

During his 10-year reign as performance director at the IRFU, the men’s team climbed to the top of the world rankings and won four Six Nations Championships, including two Grand Slams. He also presided over the women’s team’s Six Nations victory in 2015.

Now the Australian is hoping to replicate his decade of dominance across the Irish Sea.

“I really didn’t have much intention to take something else on when I finished up in Ireland,” said the 62-year-old.

“But I had multiple conversations with John McGuigan (Scottish Rugby Limited’s Chair) and we had similar thoughts about the game and where it could go.

“I was convinced there was an opportunity here to do something because I’ve had a reasonable amount to do with rugby in this part of the world.

“The temptation of being able to help reshape something that I believe has a very high ceiling was attractive to me. Hence, I took up the opportunity to get involved.”

The former hooker is tasked with providing a “roadmap” for Scottish Rugby’s next decade of player development for the duration of his two-year contract. He will also assist the SRU in the appointment of a permanent successor.

“For the last five weeks, I’ve been here on the ground, and I’ve been really encouraged by what I’ve seen,” added Nucifora.

“I think there’s lots of potential. There are a number of things that can be attacked very early on to try and make some reasonably quick improvements.

“I certainly don’t have a magic wand, but I do see the structures and the raw materials are here to work with. I look at it in a very positive light and believe we can achieve some really good things.”

The men’s national team return to action against Italy in their Six Nations opener in February.

When asked about Scotland’s chances of winning the tournament, Nucifora replied: “Scotland are a difficult team to beat at any time.

“You look back to last year, they had some good wins, and they dropped some games they’d probably be disappointed about. It’s about consistency, and to achieve that, you’ve got to have a cohesive system.

“You can’t just pick out the national team. You’ve got to look at the whole parcel and go: ‘Okay, how do we improve this? How do we support what’s underneath it to make sure that they are at their very best all the time?'”

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