Former Ireland rugby player and women’s team head coach Tom Tierney has died, aged 46.
As a player, Tom represented Richmond, Garryowen, Munster, Leicester Tigers, Galwegians and Connacht. The scrumhalf made his debut for Ireland in June, 1999 and went on to earn eight caps including four appearances at the 1999 Rugby World Cup where he scored a try in the Pool E win against Romania.
After transitioning into coaching, the Limerick native held head coaching roles with Crescent College Comprehensive SJ, Garryowen, Cork Constitution and the Ireland Club XV side.
He had been employed by the IRFU since 2014 including coaching roles with Ireland Under-19s, Under-20s, and the Ireland Women’s Sevens team. He was head coach of the Ireland Women’s senior team for three years, winning a Six Nations Championship in 2015.
His role as IRFU national talent coach had seen him based out of Munster’s high performance centre since 2021, working with the province’s academy players.
IRFU chief executive Kevin Potts said on Friday: “Everyone in Irish Rugby is deeply shocked to hear of the sudden loss of Tom Tierney. Our immediate thoughts are with his wife Mary and daughters Isabel and Julia, as well as his many friends, colleagues and former team-mates.
“Tom was an outstanding scrumhalf and his time in the Ireland jersey will always be an immense source of pride for his family and the clubs that supported him on his journey. He also amassed an impressive CV as a coach and we were honoured to have him as a colleague in the IRFU from 2014 to present. He will be sorely missed.”
