Former Ireland international and women's rugby head coach Tom Tierney has passed away at the age of 46.
Limerick-born Tierney held the position with the Ireland XVs from 2014 to 2017, when he stood down after the World Cup finals hosted on home soil.
The Limerick man guided Ireland to the 2015 Six Nations Championship. He was also assistant coach to the Ireland under-20s and was a talent identification coach for Munster.
As a scrum-half, Tierney also played for Ireland in eight Test matches between 1999 and 2000 and played in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
He also played with Richmond, Garryowen, Munster, Galwegians, Connacht and Leicester at club level and later coached with AIL clubs Cork Constitution and Galwegians.
In the 2013/14 season, he coached the Ireland Club International squad to victories over their English and Scottish counterparts.
And a number of tributes poured in with IRFU Chief Executive Kevin Potts saying: "Everyone in Irish Rugby is deeply shocked to hear of the sudden loss of Tom Tierney.
"Our immediate thoughts are with his wife Mary and daughters Isabel and Julia, as well as his many friends, colleagues and former team-mates.
"Tom was an outstanding scrum-half and his time in the Ireland jersey will always be an immense source of pride for his family and the clubs that supported him on his journey.
"He also amassed an impressive CV as a coach and we were honoured to have him as a colleague in the IRFU from 2014 to present.
"He will be sorely missed.”
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