About

CEO of the New Zealand Players Association (NZRPA), Rob Nichol was the first head of the International Players’ body, which was based in Auckland.

Rob has been to the forefront of the players’ dealings with World Rugby and has worked on many major aspects of the game, including the Global season structure 2020-2032.

Rob Kearney, who represents International Rugby Players Association on World Rugby’s Executive Board, was capped 95 times for Ireland where he won two Grand Slams, four 6 Nations Championships as well as four European Cup titles with Leinster. He also toured twice with the British and Irish Lions. Rob holds several directorships and served as Chairman of Rugby Players Ireland. He joined our board in November 2024.

Following a successful career with Harlequins in England and Leinster in Ireland and winning caps with Ireland “A”, Simon Keogh became the Head of Rugby Players Ireland in 2017. 

A graduate of University College Dublin, Simon furthered his education with a Diploma in Legal Studies from Dublin Business School and later trained as a solicitor at the Law Society of Ireland. In 2011, Simon was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors.

Simon was elected to the board of International Rugby Players Association in August 2022.  

Melodie Robinson  is a New Zealand sports journalist and presenter, and former international. She played 18 tests for the New Zealand women’s team, the Black Ferns, from 1996 to 2002, winning two Rugby World Cups in that time. She also represented New Zealand in sevens.

Now TVNZ’s new general manager for sport and events, Mel joined the board of International Rugby Players Association in 2023 bringing a wealth of on-field experience to the role along with years of broadcasting experience. 

Former Tongan international and Pacific Rugby Players founder Hale T-Pole  joined the board of International Rugby Players Association in January 2020.

The back-rower who played club rugby all over the world has great experience helping Pacific players based in the Islands and across the world, with various issues. Hale has lobbied strongly for greater opportunities for all Tier Two teams. 

Former Welsh captain Ken Owens amassed 91 caps for his country and represented the British and Irish Lions before retiring in 2024. Chairman of the Welsh Rugby Players Association, Ken joined the board of International Rugby Players Association in 2025.

Malik Hamadache, who played professionally in France with clubs including Pau and Montpellier, was elected president of Provale in May 2024. His ambition is to strengthen transparency and foster closer ties with the players. Malik joined the board of International Rugby Players Association in 2025

After a career that saw him play club rugby in England, Wales and France as well as internationally for Wales, Ben retired in France where he spent 5 years working for Provale. Joining IRPA in 2024 as Head of Men’s Rugby, Ben deals with player welfare issues, rules and regulations and any other on-field issues facing players. He also works closely with members and potential members to develop the representation of rugby players around the world.

A two-time Rugby World Cup Winner with the New Zealand All Blacks in 2011 and 2015, Conrad joined IRPA in 2018. As Chief of Rugby Operations, he looks after player welfare and safety issues, laws of the game and all the on-field issues that players face.

Dr. Danielle Salmon is the Head of Global Research at IRPA and an Injury Prevention Research Associate with the SHRed Concussion team at the University of Calgary. Previously, Danielle served as the Concussion and Research Manager at World Rugby, where she led the landmark Rugby Return to Play (RREP) Study—a pioneering, multi-system project aimed at optimising players’ recovery and safe return to the game after concussion. She also spearheaded cutting-edge research initiatives including the Instrumented Mouthguard (iMG) and MicroRNA Saliva studies during the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Before joining World Rugby, she worked with New Zealand Rugby as a Concussion Research Scientist.

Dr. Deirdre Lyons is a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with over 25 years’ experience advancing player development and wellbeing. In her role with IRPA, she advises on global strategy and best practice to strengthen support systems for current and former players. In Ireland, Deirdre leads Beyond the Game, a Global Rugby Players Foundation–funded programme that supports former players in their transition beyond rugby, and serves as Ireland’s national administrator for World Rugby’s Brain Health Service.

A former TV and Radio journalist in Ireland, Eoin joined IRPA in 2018 after 5 years with the governing body, World Rugby, where he worked at the Olympic Games, Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups and was media manager of the Sevens Series. With IRPA, Eoin presents the “Players Podcast” with colleagues Conrad Smith and Rachael Burford and deals with the media and all IRPA publications online, as well as digital and social media.

An Australian native, Omar took over as Chief Executive of IRPA in 2017 when the players body moved from New Zealand to Dublin, Ireland. Prior to that he served as Chief Executive of Rugby Players Ireland for 6 years. He worked with Australian player association RUPA after retiring from the game, where as a second row and loose forward, he played for clubs in Australia, Japan, France and Italy.

A Rugby World Cup winner with England in 2014, Rachael represented her country at 15s and 7s before retiring in 2024. Off the field, Rachael has been a trailblazer for women’s rugby, serving on World Rugby’s Rugby Committees across all areas of the game and becoming the first women’s player on the RPA Players’ Board in 2015. She was appointed as IRPA’s Head of Women’s Rugby in March 2021, focusing on improving conditions for professional women’s players across the globe.