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Conor O\u2019Shea will join the Rugby Football Union as director of performance rugby next year, the governing body has announced.<\/p>\nConor O\u2019Shea will join the Rugby Football Union as director of performance rugby next year, the governing body has announced.<\/p>\n
Irishman O\u2019Shea resigned as Italy head coach this month and was previously director of rugby at Harlequins.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am privileged and honored and it is an incredible opportunity to join at a really exciting time for English rugby,\u201d said the 49-year-old, who will become the RFU\u2019s director of performance rugby.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an exciting vision at the RFU. It is not just about winning tomorrow, but also about sustaining success and winning long into the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can really look forward to rejuvenating and re-energizing the performance pathway to help, support and push England rugby on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nigel Melville earlier announced he will step down as the RFU\u2019s director of professional rugby in December.<\/p>\n
Melville, who joined the governing body in July 2016, has opted to pursue new opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am proud of all that the organization has achieved over the last three years during some challenging times,\u201d said Melville.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that England Rugby is in a great place and that leaving after the 2019 Rugby World Cup is the right time as the RFU start a new era and prepare for the next Rugby World Cup cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Melville\u2019s tenure, Eddie Jones\u2019 England reached the World Cup final in Japan where they were beaten by South Africa earlier this month.<\/p>\n
The 58-year-old also acted as the RFU\u2019s interim chief executive in the first half of 2019, ahead of Bill Sweeney\u2019s arrival as CEO in May.<\/p>\n
Sweeney said: \u201cOn behalf of everyone at the RFU, I would like to thank Nigel for his valuable contribution to the organisation and to England Rugby.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis professionalism and knowledge of rugby and sport is outstanding and he will be missed. In particular, I am grateful for the support that he has given to me since I joined. He leaves with our very best wishes for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n