Ireland physio Knox quits

Ireland's physiotherapist, Iain Knox, has quit, citing the team's increased playing schedule as the reason behind his decision. Knox also acted as the squad's strength and conditioning coach, among various other roles, and he said being part of last year's breakthrough World Cup campaign was the highlight of his three years with the team.

"I was blessed to have the World Cup experience," Knox told Sunday Life. "We were all full time, 100% professional in the four months leading up to and during the World Cup.

"It allowed me to experiment with different training techniques and the players did everything that was asked of them. The 15 players gave energy, enthusiasm and determination and to a man they deserved the success they achieved. It's been a part of my life I'll never forget."

Since then Knox has juggled private practice with his Ireland position and the difficulty of keeping up both roles has led to his departure to take up a job with his family's car-parts business. Ireland, currently playing in the Friends Provident Trophy, have trips to Scotland, Netherlands, Kenya and Namibia scheduled this year.