Hugo MacNeill has been appointed the chairman of the working group on Ireland's bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
MacNeill was the full back on the Irish sides that won the Five Nations Championship in 1982 and 1985, and he played 37 times in all for Ireland between 1981 and 1987 (a decent sum of caps in an era when teams used to play about six games a year), scoring 10 tries. His most famous try was probably the opener in Twickenham in '82, though that was eclipsed in fame terms by Ginger McLoughlin lugging almost every other player on the pitch over the line in the second half. He was selected for the Lions for their tour of New Zealand in 1983.
MacNeill has done even better off the pitch than he did on it. He is the managing director of Goldman Sachs in Ireland and is the Chairman of the Irish chapter of the Ireland funds, the Tony O'Reilly and Dan Rooney founded fundraising network for the Irish diaspora.
A Fine Gael supporter, MacNeill was in attendance at the Alexander Hotel after-party on the night Enda Kenny was elected Taoiseach three years ago.
Leo Varadkar announced that he was delighted that MacNeill had agreed to chair the working group.
Hugo is an ideal appointment and will bring his knowledge of the rugby world, north-south relations, and his experience in business to bear on the work of the group.
