CONNACHT Rugby has paid tribute to former scrum-half, Tom Tierney, who died suddenly at home last week at the age of just 46.

The Limerick native played for Connacht and Galwegians from 2004 to 2008, while he also represented Munster and Garryowen, as well as Richmond and Leicester in England.

He also won eight senior Irish caps, and played in the 1999 World Cup, scoring in the 44-14 win over Romania in a game played in Dublin – Wales were the tournament hosts but games were played in grounds across all of the Five Nations countries at the time (the Six Nations was born in 2000 when Italy joined).

After hanging up his boots, he held head coaching roles with Crescent College Comprehensive, Garryowen, Cork Constitution, and the Ireland Club XV side; and also had coaching roles with Ireland U19 and U20 Men’s, Ireland Women’s 7s and Ireland Women’s 15s sides. He was then appointed IRFU National Talent Coach in 2021, a role he held until he died.

“He was a brilliant man, a brilliant character, he just lit up a room when he was in it, and he was a brilliant coach as well,” Connacht scrum and attack coach, Colm Tucker, said this week when speaking to the media to preview Connacht’s game away to the Dragons in the URC on Saturday (7.35pm).

“I worked with him with the Irish U19s and we went to France a couple of years back, he was the head coach and he was just brilliant with the young men in there.

“He was a great man to be in company with, there were always great chats and great conversations, one of his greatest strengths was bringing people together, he will be sorely missed. We extend all our sympathies to his family,” Tucker said.

It has been a season of change for Connacht, with Andy Friend moving from head coach to director of rugby, before then announcing his departure at the end of the season. Attack and skills coach, Mossy Lawlor, is returning to Munster at the end of the season; while forwards coach, Dewald Seneka, is set for a move to France.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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