Dan McFarland: Ulster Rugby head coach leaves after nearly six years in charge
- Published
McFarland has been in charge of Ulster since August 2018
Ulster head coach Dan McFarland has stepped down from his position after nearly six years in charge.
Current Ireland Under-20 head coach Richie Murphy will take over on an interim basis until the end of this season.
Murphy will take up the post after the conclusion of the Under-20s Six Nations on 15 March.
Ulster's assistant coach Dan Soper will be in charge for their next game against Dragons on 2 March.
"We would like to thank Dan for his determination in driving forward the professional squad over the past six seasons," said Ulster CEO Jonny Petrie.
"I would like to wish him and his family the best for the future on behalf of all at Ulster Rugby."
Ulster have lost their past three games in all competitions and are eighth in the United Rugby Championship table.
They were knocked out of the Investec Champions Cup in the group stages after three defeats in four games.
McFarland signed a contract extension two years ago to stay in the post until 2025.
However, a string of poor results recently have spelled the end of his reign and he leaves as the club's longest-serving coach in the professional era.
The 51-year-old Englishman was appointed by Ulster to replace Jono Gibbes in 2018, initially on a three-year contract, following a spell as Scotland forwards coach.
Under him, Ulster reached the Pro14 final in 2020 and twice progressed to the Champions Cup quarter-finals as well as the Challenge Cup semi-finals in 2021.
Petrie confirmed that Murphy, who has guided Ireland to back-to-back U20 Grand Slams, will be in charge for Ulster's trip to South Africa to face the Sharks and Stormers at the end of March.
"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."
Ulster also face a trip to Montpellier in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup on 7 April.
While last season concluded on a disappointing note with defeats by Leinster and Connacht ending their respective European and URC campaigns, Ulster were optimistic the installation of the new 3G pitch at Kingspan Stadium for the 2023-24 season would facilitate an exciting attacking brand of rugby.
The squad was also boosted by the acquisition of South Africa's two-time World Cup-winning prop Steven Kitshoff, who linked up with Ulster after his country's triumph in France.
But while Ulster began the season with four wins in their first five games, they then suffered three defeats in a row - against Glasgow and Edinburgh in the URC in late November and Bath in their European opener on 9 December.
Needing a lift, Ulster completed a hat-trick of wins over the festive period against Racing, Connacht and Leinster.
But after shipping a combined 95 points in heavy losses to Toulouse and Harlequins that ended their Champions Cup campaign, Ulster endured further misery on their return from a four-week break with a late URC defeat at the Ospreys in McFarland's last game in charge.