Offaly native has major role at Womens' Rugby World Cup

AN Offaly woman has a major role to play in the Womens' Rugby World Cup.

Tullamore native Yvonne Nolan is the competition director for the competition which starts on Friday evening in Sunderland and concludes on September 27 in Twickenham..

A former Leinster and Ireland player, she now works with World Rugby and her role is an important one as she will have to resolve any disputes and issues that may arise.

From Puttaghaun in Tullamore, Nolan has gained vast experience in rugby administration after her own playing career ended.

She played for Ireland in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, at a stage when womens' rugby was beginning to grow. Senior legal counsel with World Rugby, she has worked at all the womens' World Cups since as well as the mens' events in 2019 and 2023.

Having initially worked as a litigation lawyer, Nolan joined World Rugby twelve years ago and she will be overseeing a broad range, including tournament rules, disciplinary issues, doping, corruption and player welfare problems.

She has moved up the ladder in World Rugby in recent years and now heads the legal team there. She was Deputy General Counsel in 2021 and 2022 before becoming General Counsel – she was a senior legal counsel for seven years before that with the organisation.

Prior to joining World Rugby in 2013, she worked for nine years as a litigation and disputes solicitor with a Dublin firm.

She played at hooker and her top level career spanned from 2001 to 2010. She got 24 caps for Ireland and played her club rugby in Dublin with Belvedere RFC. She was assistant coach with Leinster in 2014 and also coached at Belvedere, with whom she is still involved.

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Nolan is a member of a well known Tullamore family and there is another powerful Offaly connection with the World Cup – Clara's Aoife Dalton is an important member of the Irish squad.