Ulster give McFarland contract extension to take care of 'unfinished business'

Ulster have confirmed that their longest-serving coach of the professional era – Dan McFarland – has extended his contract with the province until 2025.

McFarland has reaffirmed his commitment to lead Ulster after a season that included a semi-final appearance in the first United Rugby Championship, a handful of historic away victories, and the chance to compete in the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 for the first time.

Since joining the club in August 2018, McFarland has set the record for most games in charge of the province. According to Ulster, he has demonstrated his ability to identify young talent coming through the Ulster pipeline and combine it with established international talent to create a squad with impressive depth and performance ability.

“I am delighted to have extended my contract with Ulster Rugby, and I would like to thank Jonny Petrie for all his support over the last four years,” says Dan McFarland. “I love my job here, which is only possible because of the good people I get to work with. It is through the growth, competitiveness, and teamwork of the support team and the players that we continue to compete for championships.

Will Skelton on Champions Cup celebrations and playing for the Barbarians | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 38

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Will Skelton on Champions Cup celebrations and playing for the Barbarians | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 38

The big rig Will Skelton joins us from Monaco this week where he’s on tour with the Barbarians and rooming with George Kruis. He fills us in on the tour so far, hanging out at the palace with the Prince and who’s leading the charge off the pitch. We also hear about his man-of-the-match performance for La Rochelle in the Champions Cup Final, that famous open-top bus celebration and what it’s like playing for coaches like O’Gara and Cheika.

“However, the fact remains our ultimate goal is to win championships. I am looking forward to driving the process of finding, guiding, and supporting the people capable of doing that for this province and its passionate supporters, who truly share in our joy and pain.

“The challenge ahead is immense but that is why it is so exciting. For me, it has the feel of unfinished business.”

Ulster Rugby CEO, Jonny Petrie, added: “I couldn’t be more pleased that Dan has chosen to extend his stay with us – I think that it’s really clear the impact that he has had on the club since joining, both on and off the pitch.

“We’ve made some impressive progress as a squad over the past couple of years, with play-off rugby against the best teams in Europe, and beyond, now a regular occurrence.

“Dan and I both see the clear potential here over the next few years and I look forward to continuing to build together on those ambitions for Ulster.”