The IRFU hope to be able to announce a new head coach for the women's national team in a couple of months and stressed that former head coach Greg McWilliams' departure was a mutual decision.
McWilliams, who had been in charge since late 2021, left the role at the start of this month following Ireland’s TikTok Six Nations wooden spoon campaign.
Ireland finished bottom of the table with no points after five games in which they were without the services of the Sevens players, who are hoping to qualify for the Olympic Games via a World Series event in Toulouse this weekend.
The union released a statement last week to say that McWilliams had left the position "by mutual consent".
"As soon as the tournament was over we met with Greg and we both agreed that it was time to bring in a new voice for the team," IRFU CEO Kevin Potts told RTÉ Sport when asked why McWilliams departed.
"We thank Greg for everything he has done, but collectively it was felt it was time for a new voice and we just made that collective decision.
"So, we thank him for everything he has done, but it’s the right decision at this point, we believe."
Gillian McDarby, the IRFU’s head of women’s performance and pathways, in response to the suggestion that McWilliams was fired, added: "First of all, it was a mutual decision with Greg. He wasn’t fired.
"I just want to put that out there. It was a mutual decision with both of us.
"In terms of his replacement, John McKee is currently head coach at the moment, and we’ve actually started the process so it will take us a couple of months to get the right person in place."
Potts and McDarby were speaking at the IRFU’s Women in Rugby briefing at the Sport Ireland campus in Dublin, where it was announced that the union had appointed eight women’s national talent squad pathway staff based at five provincial centre of excellence hubs.
The Six Nations campaign was overshadowed by controversy, with the IRFU accused of having a sexist culture and an unnamed squad player highlighting issues in a damning newspaper article.
Asked how damaging the off-field controversies were to attracting young girls to the sport, Potts said: "They certainly haven’t helped and we’d like to put them behind us.
"As you’ve heard today and you’ll hear on an ongoing basis the excellent work that is now going on to turn things around.
"But it hasn’t helped and to be honest it has impacted on staff and volunteers quite a bit and I’d be concerned.
"But I think there’s an enthusiasm and a commitment to the plan that we’ve put in pace, and we can’t keep looking backwards, we have to move forward, and I’m confident that what we are putting in place should be successful.
"It's certainly not a case that Cliodhna Moloney is being silenced by the IRFU for speaking out. That’s the not the case, certainly..." pic.twitter.com/DUhnZvyAom
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) May 10, 2023
"[Sexism and bias are] societal issues.
"Certainly, in the organisation that I’m leading, sexism isn’t a problem.
"We have processes and procedures in place to deal with any allegations of that in the organisation, so I don’t think it is a problem with the IRFU.
"But on a widespread basis across Irish rugby of course, like society, there are cases of it unfortunately. We highlighted in our report last December and we set out a plan to deal with it.
"Anne-Marie [Hughes, IRFU head of equity, diversity and inclusivity's] appointment is a response to that issue which we hope will address it.
"In Irish rugby we want to be welcoming and inclusive for everybody, and that’s certainly the commitment I’m leading and Irish Rugby is leading."
On the field, Ireland’s poor lineout return was a constant area for concern, and the absence of experienced and in-form Exeter hooker Cliodhna Moloney (above), the 2020 players’ player of the year, who spoke out strongly against former head of women’s rugby Anthony Eddy, was questioned by many.
Asked if her omission was a message to players who spoke out, Potts said: "No, it’s not. I’m not going to comment, and I don’t get involved, in selection.
"That’s a matter for high performance and the coaches, but it’s certainly not a case that Cliodhna Moloney is being silenced by the IRFU for speaking out. That’s the not the case, certainly.
"That’s a question for the high performance and the coaching staff. I don’t get involved in selection issues."
David Nucifora, the IRFU performance director, was not at the press conference.
The Telegraph article referenced a comment made by someone during a speech by IRFU president John Robinson at a rugby club dinner. The man allegedly said: "Who gives a f*** about women's rugby?"
He said: "I guess my response to the article, obviously nobody likes criticism but the alleged statement by somebody at the dinner certainly doesn’t represent the views or the position of anybody involved in the IRFU that I am working with or in the wider union committee.
"I accept for sure that we need to communicate better. I think we need to communicate what our organisation is truly like which is far more diverse and inclusive than is portrayed by some.
"So, I was disappointed by the article and I was disappointed that it gives an impression in relation to the IRFU that simply isn’t the case. But the comments are not reflective of what we stand for, for sure."
The eight full-time WNTS (women’s national talent squad) pathways staff will operate out of five new women's centre of excellence hubs at Dublin City University and SETU Carlow (Leinster), NUI Galway (Connacht), University of Limerick (Munster) and Queen's University (Ulster).
Additionally, the IRFU is in discussions with ATU Sligo and University College Cork with a view to setting up two further women’s centre of excellence hubs in those locations.
Working under McDarby, talent ID manager Katie Fitzhenry, and IRFU head of athletic performance, women’s pathway and WXV national team Ed Slattery, the eight new staff are: Leinster: Matt Gill (talent coach) and Greg Hollins (athletic performance coach) in Leinster; Ireland assistant coach Niamh Briggs (talent coach) and Lorna Barry (athletic performance coach) in Munster; Neil Alcorn (talent coach) and Paul Heasley (athletic performance coach) in Ulster and Larissa Muldoon (talent coach) and Ann Caffrey (athletic performance coach) in Connacht.
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