Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has confirmed that Girvan Dempsey, Felix Jones and Ronan O’Gara will join his coaching team for their Tests against USA and Japan in June.
Speaking to RTE’s Sunday Sport programme, the Ireland head coach revealed the trio would join up with the squad at different stages.
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“I have had a lot of conversations with Ronan over the years really and especially with him being in France and my experiences over there. We have conversed often on what’s happening over there and a little bit about what’s happening here,” he said ahead of the three-week tour.
“He’s indicated that he’d be keen to get into the environment and just have a bit of a look. So we are going to put him to work and he is going to do some skills coach work for us.
“As is Girvan Dempsey who is I think growing in confidence all the time in his role in Leinster and the same with Felix Jones who I think has made a really positive impression under Rassie Erasmus in Munster.”
He added: “I think they are three outstanding young men who have fantastic potential to be coaching in this country. We want to try to get the best out of them on tour albeit wanting to give them all an opportunity so they are kind of overlapping with each other for the best part of 8-10 days the first one and then 7-9 days for the other two.
“I am really looking forward to working with them. I have obviously worked with Girv before and I have worked with Felix in a coach/player relationship and he was superb to coach as a player and I have known Ronan for a long time so I think they will add a bit of a spark to the coaching group.”