Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Munster defence coach Denis Leamy and attack coach Mike Prendergast.Ben Brady/INPHO FreeCONFIRMED Munster duo and Cullie Tucker join O'Connell's coaching team for Ireland's summer tour Ireland will travel to play Georgia and Portugal in July. 12.19pm, 2 Apr 2025 Share options MUNSTER DUO MIKE Prendergast and Denis Leamy and Connacht’s Colm ‘Cullie’ Tucker have been confirmed to join Paul O’Connell’s coaching ticket for the summer Tests against Georgia and Portugal. The two-game tour will see Ireland play Georgia in Tbilisi on 5 July before taking on Portugal in Lisbon on 12 July. Simon Easterby had originally been confirmed to continue as Ireland’s interim head coach for the tour but those plans changed when Andy Farrell selected the former Ireland international to be his defence coach for the British & Irish Lions on their summer tour to Australia. Advertisement Ireland forwards coach O’Connell will step up as interim boss and will be joined by former Munster teammates Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy in attack and defence roles respectively, while Connacht’s scrum and contact coach Tucker — who is currently in charge of the province while head coach Pete Wilkins is on sick leave — will complete O’Connell’s technical coaching staff. Connacht coach Cullie Tucker.Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO O’Connell said of his appointment: “I’m honoured to accept the interim position of head coach for the forthcoming summer tour to Georgia and Portugal and it promises to be an important series of matches played against unfamiliar opponents in testing conditions. “With a busy schedule of international rugby this summer, these two Tests will provide us with further opportunities to assess and develop the competition levels within the squad. I’m excited to work with a coaching team who I know well individually and are hugely motivated to deliver success to Ireland and look forward to putting our plans in place over the coming weeks.” IRFU performance director David Humphreys added: “We’re delighted that Paul has accepted this role and believe that his elevation ensures continuity within the men’s coaching team. It will also mark an important step in his coaching career as we look ahead to an exciting summer schedule. “He will be assisted by Denis, Mike and Cullie who have all been in Ireland camp at different points over the last number of months and their selections is another positive progression in their coaching careers and reasserts the IRFU’s commitment to developing a pathway for Irish coaches.” O’Connell will name his squad in mid-June and broadcast details will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Ireland’s summer tour fixtures Saturday, 5 July: Georgia v Ireland, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi (kick-off 6pm Irish time) Saturday, 12 July: Portugal v Ireland, Estádio Nacional do Jamor, Lisbon (kick-off time tbc) Ciarán Kennedy View 3 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Munster duo and Cullie Tucker join O'Connell's coaching team for Ireland's summer tour”. 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