It was a great celebration of Irish Rugby sporting success last night down in Dublin, with our very own Ulster legend David Humphreys being inducted into the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Hall of Fame.
An acclaimed player and manager, Humphreys had a stellar career with Ulster and Ireland, winning 72 caps for Ireland and scoring 560 points. He captained Ulster Rugby to the first Irish European Cup success in the 1998/99 season and won the Celtic Cup in 2004 and the Celtic League in 2005/2006.
David served as Director of Rugby for Ulster, and spent six years in a similar role with Gloucester Rugby. David then took on a role as a High Performance Consultant with Georgia Rugby, and is currently the Director of Performance Operations with the England & Wales Cricket Board, which includes responsibility for central contracting.
He is also a renowned rugby analyst doing commentary and writing opinion pieces in the Irish media. A qualified solicitor, he was educated at Ballymena Academy, Queen’s University Belfast, and Oxford University.
David Humphreys will join the IRFU in March as Performance Director Designate, working alongside David Nucifora to facilitate a smooth and orderly transition. From 1st June 2024 David Nucifora will then oversee the Paris Olympic Sevens final preparation programme, while David Humphreys will assume full responsibility as IRFU Performance Director.
There was further success in the night for the Ulster Branch, with Tyrone-based club, Clogher Valley being named Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Club of the Year. This accolade came on the back of their achievements which include promotion to Division 2C of the Men’s All Ireland League last season, a feat that sees the club compete in Senior All-Ireland rugby for the first time ever. The club has also seen success having claimed the Ulster League and the All-Ireland Junior Cup and their second XV winning their respective league and Crawford Cup.
