Bradley sticking by A team

CONNACHT’S MICHAEL Bradley will continue in his role as coach to the Ireland A team who will play against the full Tonga side in Belfast on November 13th and Argentina Jaguars in Tallaght Stadium, November 27th. The A team will also play fixtures against the England Saxons and Scotland A next year.

The Ireland women’s team have a new head coach in Kevin West as they begin to build upon last season’s groundbreaking RBS Six Nations Championship in which they qualified outright for the Women’s World Cup by finishing third.

Allen Clarke retains the reins of the Ireland under-20 side while also working with the Ireland under-19 side, which will contain both schools and club players, in one of their fixtures against a touring Australian under-19 team.

The Ireland under-19 schools side will also play against the visiting Australians and will be under the guidance of Terry McMaster.

The latter will also be coaching the Ireland under-18 schools team alongside former internationals Kenny Hooks and Gabriel Fulcher.

The Ireland under-18 club side, whl have been runners-up at the FIRA/AER Championships in two out of the last three years, will also see continuity in their management with Greg Lynch coaching the side and Willie Gribben managing.

MATT GITEAU won the John Eales medal yesterday as Australia’s best rugby player for 2009. The 27-year-old outhalf joined former Test fullback Chris Latham (2006) as the only backs to win the annual award, decided by players involved in Test matches over the past 12 months.

“I didn’t expect it. I was actually a little bit surprised to be nominated in the top five,” Giteau said at the presentation.

“To be fair I thought I didn’t have one of my strongest Tri-Nations but lucky the boys gave me some points.”