Irish Rugby Football Union performance director David Nucifora says Johnny Sexton could have a future coaching role within the Irish system.

However, Nucifora said the IRFU would be "mad" not to use Sexton's services if he wished to take a coaching route.

"We'd absolutely work with him," Nucifora told RTE Sport.

Sexton retired from international duty after the World Cup and has already taken up a job in the commercial sector.

However, there is a widespread belief within Irish rugby that it is a matter of time before Sexton gets involved in coaching.

Sexton has 'a lot of rugby intellect'

"I think for Johnny at the moment it's just taking a bit of time to take a deep breath," added the IRFU performance director, who himself will step down from his role next summer, with David Humphreys having already been announced as his successor.

"It's been a long career to decompress and work out in his own head what he really wants to do.

"There's obviously a lot of rugby intellect in there and you'd like to access it or use it in some way if you had the ability to do it, but he's got to decide what it is that floats his boat over the next period of time.

"But if he ever chose to want to come back into coaching, the Irish system would be mad to say no to him."

Speaking at a media briefing, Nucifora also revealed that four players - one from each Irish province - will be given the chance to earn a place in Ireland's sevens squad for next year's Olympics Games in Paris.

France star Antoine Dupont has committed to his country's sevens side for next year's home Games with ex-Wallabies captain Michael Hooper also targeting a Olympic spot with Australia's team in Paris.

"More than likely that player will be a player that has come through the sevens programme at some stage, so they're familiar with the game," Nucifora said.

"So any players we look to bring in will have to be people that we think can add value significantly to the current squad."

All four provincial squads have players with sevens experience, including Leinster's Ireland trio Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O'Brien and Will Connors plus Ulster's Robert Baloucoune, Nick Timoney, Cormac Izuchukwu and Aaron Sexton.