Briggs and Muldoon take on provincial lead roles in Irish women's rugby overhaul

Irish Rugby has created four full-time provincial women’s rugby leadership positions, with ex-Ireland fly-half Niamh Briggs and 48-cap international Larissa Muldoon among the appointees tasked with building a connected player pathway from age-grade through to senior level.

Briggs, who has also served as Ireland Under-21 coach, has been named Women’s Pathway Manager with her home province Munster. Muldoon, who was Ireland’s attack and skills coach at last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, takes on the equivalent role at Connacht. Neill Alcorn — who has guided the Wolfhounds to three consecutive Celtic Challenge titles — becomes Ulster’s provincial pathway manager, while Derek Maybury, returning to Irish Rugby after seven years as Director of Sport at The King’s Hospital, will serve as Leinster’s provincial lead.

Three of the four appointees transition directly from roles within the Women’s National Talent Squad and associated pathway programmes. Irish Rugby said the positions “purposely sit at the intersection of domestic rugby, age-grade development, and performance pathways” and are designed to create “a sustainable and aligned system nationwide.” The roles vacated by Briggs, Muldoon and Alcorn within those national programmes will be advertised in the coming weeks.

Lynne Cantwell, Head of Women’s Strategy at Irish Rugby, described the appointments as “a hugely important step forward for the women and girls’ game in Ireland,” adding that the movement of experienced coaches into provincial roles would create a ripple effect that strengthens the entire system — from emerging players to performance support staff.

The ambition is to provide a coherent player journey from teenage rugby all the way through to the senior international game, with each province now having a dedicated, centrally connected lead to oversee that progression.