ULSTER HAVE CONFIRMED that Jimmy Duffy will join Richie Murphy’s coaching team on a two-year deal this summer.
Duffy previously worked alongside Ulster head coach Murphy with the Ireland U20s. Duffy was an assistant coach when Murphy’s Ireland team stormed to Grand Slam success in the 2022 U20 Six Nations.
Duffy then moved to Australia to join Perth-based side Western Force as forwards coach.
Before his move to Australia, Duffy spent seven years as an assistant coach at Connacht, and was involved when the province won the Pro12 title in 2016.
Ulster boss Murphy said he’s excited to work with Duffy again.
“We’re really looking forward to Jimmy joining us in Belfast next season,” said Murphy.
“Alongside Roddy, he is set to bring the best out of our forwards, including the younger homegrown guys currently coming through into the senior set-up.
“From my experience of working with Jimmy, I know he is detail-driven and a coach that builds strong relationships with his players – and his knowledge and experience will be very welcome when it comes to coaching our scrum.
“I’m excited about the potential of what we can all achieve working together.”
“I’m looking forward to working alongside Richie again, and to be a part of what he’s building at Ulster,” added Duffy.
“It’s clear that there is a lot of young talent in the squad, as well as some more experienced players, who are all intent on achieving something special together.
“It’s exciting to make the move to Belfast, and I can’t wait to get started this summer.”
There are a lot of columns on this player across every outlet but none ever seem to address what exactly her concerns are and/or what would it take to get her to play for Norway again. It appears it started due to the Norway womens team not getting the same treatment as the mens team so proper order in putting their foot down until they got that, but as far as it was reported the Norwegians addressed that issue fairly comprehensively and yet she still won’t play.
Problem is that it doesn’t bring in as much money as the men’s game. You can expect to play in front of a fraction of the crowd and still expect the same money. That said, previous stories of the FAI expecting women’s teams to hand back gear and be out of pocket for representing their country is crazy. If the women’s game generates as much money, they should be paid accordingly, but as things stand, it doesn’t.
@Rocky: expenses being equal should be a given. The national team is the national team regardless of gender. There was a time the irish women got about €30 a day per diem while on international duty or at training camp etc which might not sound much but when you are taking your annual leave from working in the type of job a 21 or 22 year old might have it was nice to have. Of course the Big Cheese pulled that rug out from under them disgracefully.
@Rocky: But most are not talking about appearance money they’re talking about the basics. Proper kit, proper medical, proper training facilities, showcasing, insurance, and decent expenses. In many cases the latter is way more important as they don’t earn nearly as much as your average Male player…and if they are representing their country, which for most will be the height of media exposure, all of the above is the least they should be getting