Ulster announce McFarland as new head coach

Ulster have finally announced a full-time successor Les Kiss, who was sacked last January.

Dan McFarland will take over as Head Coach next season on a three-year contract.

Jonno Gibbes, who had been in temporary charge had already announced that he was moving home to New Zealand and it led Ulster to a lengthy search.

They’ve plumped for Englishman McFarland, who is currently working with the Scottish national team as Assistant Coach to Gregor Townsend.

He made a seamless transition from playing to coaching at Connacht in 2006, taking up the Forwards Coach role before becoming their Assistant Coach in 2010.

During his time with Connacht he also held Head Coach positions with Emerging Ireland and the Ireland Wolfhounds.

McFarland took over as Assistant Coach at Glasgow Warriors in 2015 and he worked alongside Townsend before the pair took up posts with the national side in May 2017.

Commenting on his move to Belfast, McFarland said:

“I am really excited that I will be taking on the Ulster Head Coach role. I know first-hand from my years visiting with Connacht and Glasgow the passion and fervour that makes playing in front of Ulster fans so special.

“It’s a club with a great history and I welcome the challenge of being a part of their future.”

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Bryn Cunningham, Ulster Rugby’s Operations Director, welcomed the appointment.

“Dan was our number one candidate so we’re obviously very happy to have secured his services for the next three years. Dan’s CV is hugely impressive and he commands great respect within the game.

“He enjoyed successful spells with Connacht and Glasgow, and the fact that Gregor brought him into the Scotland set-up speaks volumes for how highly he rates him.

“Our priority in this process was to identify and recruit the best possible candidate first and foremost. With the confirmation of Dan’s appointment, we will be announcing at least one further addition to the coaching team in the near future to ensure that we have a strong unit in place in advance of pre-season.”

Shane Logan, Ulster’s Chief Executive added:

“I’d like to congratulate Bryn and our Professional Game Board for conducting such a thorough process that has led to this appointment.

“We have worked closely with the IRFU and are very pleased with the outcome.”