RUGBY: McFarland steps down as Ulster Head Coach

Dan McFarland has stepped down as Head Coach of Ulster Rugby after almost six seasons in charge, it has been confirmed.

The 51-year-old leaves the Kingspan with the side currently languishing in 8th place in the URC table following last weekend's defeat to Ospreys in Swansea.

The Welsh side won 19-17 courtesy of a Dan Edwards drop goal at the death - and McFarland criticised match referee Federico Vedovelli for penalising Tom Stewart in a maul leading up to the winning score.

However, the result was the latest in a disappointing season to date for McFarland's side. They were knocked out of the Champions Cup by Harlequins last month and now face a tricky tie away to French side Montpellier in the Challenge Cup in April.

In between then, Ulster are next back in action at home to Dragons in the URC on Saturday March 2nd, before heading to South Africa for a double header against Sharks and the Stormers at the end of next month.

It remains to be seen who will be in charge for those games or whether a permanent replacement will be announced this season.

All of this is against the backdrop of the province posting financial losses of more than £900,000 for 2022/23, with another cull of Senior players expected at the end of the current campaign.

After joining the club in 2018, McFarland has been the longest-serving Head Coach for the province in the professional era, with the club reliably securing play-off rugby in URC and EPCR competitions during his time at the helm, including reaching the PRO14 final in 2020.

Ulster Rugby CEO, Jonny Petrie, said: “We would like to thank Dan for his determination in driving forward the professional squad over the past six seasons, and I would like to wish him and his family the best for the future on behalf of all at Ulster Rugby.”

The change to the Senior Men’s coaching set-up is with immediate effect, with Ireland U20s Head Coach, Richie Murphy, to link-up with the province as interim Head Coach until the end of this season following the Under-20s Six Nations. Bryn Cunningham, Head of Rugby Operations and Recruitment at Ulster Rugby, will also assume greater management responsibilities within the performance function during this time.

Assistant Coach, Dan Soper, will oversee operations next week ahead of Ulster facing Dragons at Kingspan Stadium in Round 11 of the URC.

Petrie continued: “With Richie coming to Ulster in the coming weeks, ahead of the squad travelling to South Africa, our focus will be on consistently performing to the best of our abilities at this crucial time of the year.”