RICHIE MURPHY has been officially named as Ulster Rugby’s permanent head coach after agreeing a two-year deal.
The former Ireland Under 20s boss has been at the helm of the province on an interim basis since February.
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Murphy replaced Dan McFarland after he departed Ulster as their longest serving head coach.
He has been a popular interim boss since he joined, with last weekend’s win over Scarlets moving Ulster to sixth in the URC table.
Murphy said: “I’m looking forward to continuing with Ulster after a very enjoyable start to my time with the club.
“I would like to thank all of the support staff, especially Bryn Cunningham, for helping me settle in.
“Bryn has been a big part of this process, and I would like to thank him for all his efforts in getting us to this point.
“It’s no secret that I was keen to stay on in the role of Head Coach with the province, as I can see what is building here at Ulster and how I can contribute to growing that in the coming years.
“We have a very talented group at Ulster and, together with a loyal and dedicated supporter base, I’m relishing the opportunity to see what we can all achieve together.”
Interim CEO of Ulster Rugby, Hugh McCaughey, added: “We are delighted at Ulster Rugby to have Richie committed to the province for the next two seasons.
“Over the past couple of weeks, we have had an insight into what Richie, the coaching staff and squad have the potential to achieve together, with today’s announcement providing the stability needed for this to continue.
“With a young squad, and a pipeline of talent coming through our Player Pathway, it’s an exciting time for the club as we look to build the foundations that will set us up for success in the years ahead.
“Richie has vast experience in developing young players and is ambitious to achieve success, so he is a perfect fit for what we need.”
Following the decision to make Murphy Ulster’s permanent boss, Willie Faloon will become the Ireland U20 new head coach.
Faloon has been the side’s defence coach under Murphy and will now take the reigns for the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa.
The tournament will be played over five match days between June 29 and July 19.
Faloon played a big role in the last two U20 Six Nations campaigns as well as last year’s U20 Championship.