IRFU hunt for talent | "I'm trying to keep talent in Ireland!" | Identifying high-potential athletes

About this episode

The episode discusses the IRFU's initiative to identify high-potential athletes from other sports for rugby.

In March of this year the IRFU launched a series of combines to identify high potential athletes from other sports and introduce them to the elite rugby performance pathway. OTB's Susanna Mollen and Rachel Sheehan joined in at the second, Dublin-based combine in DCU where they chatted to a number of IRFU staff about the goals of the combines and potential backlash from other sporting organisations. Back in studio with Eoin, Susanna reports back on what news came out of the St. Pats campus. Want to watch the full piece? Check it out here: https://youtu.be/x18EaBVbGCU #Rugby is on Off The Ball with @BankOfIreland | #NeverStopCompeting -- Listen to live League of Ireland commentary this Friday night as Bohemians do battle with Derry City at Dalymount Park. Phil Egan will be joined in the gantry by Keith Treacy, and you will be able to hear live and exclusive commentary on Off The Ball on Newstalk and the GoLoud App from 7 o'clock. Andy Dunne will be alongside Cuán Ó'Flatharta at the Aviva Stadium for live commentary of Leinster versus Toulon on Saturday May 2nd at 3 o’clock. You will be able to hear live commentary of that game on Off The Ball Saturday from 1pm on the GoLoud App and…

People in this episode

Host: Eoin

Guests: Susanna Mollen, Rachel Sheehan

Topics covered

• talent identification
• rugby
• athlete recruitment
• sports combines
• elite performance pathway

Keywords

• IRFU
• talent
• rugby
• athletes
• combines
• Dublin
• performance pathway

Sponsors

BankOfIreland

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IRFU, Off The Ball, Newstalk, GoLoud App

Places: Dublin, DCU

More episodes of OTB Rugby

• Rugby Daily | Tracy says Lowe axing goes "too far", Doris doubt for URC decider · June 11, 2026 · 10 min
• Rugby Daily | No "fairytale ending" for Lowe at Leinster, LBB switching to Sevens? · June 10, 2026 · 11 min
• Rugby Daily | Why can't Irish fans love the URC? James Lowe Japan-bound, Philip Browne RIP · June 9, 2026 · 11 min
• Rugby Daily | Andy Farrell extends tenure to 2031, RFU rocked by sexism row · June 5, 2026 · 12 min
• Rugby Daily | Fergus Slattery RIP, Dobson on Nienaber: "Appreciate what you've got" · June 5, 2026 · 11 min
• FERGUS SLATTERY RIP: Lions memories and touring Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa · June 4, 2026 · 5 min