Ulster raid PRO14 rivals to tweak coaching team for next season

Ulster Rugby have added to their coaching team next season by raiding their PRO14 rivals Edinburgh Rugby.

The club have made steady progress under Dan McFarland since he took the reigns at the Kingspan, reaching the knockout stage of the Heineken Champions Cup for the first time in five years.

The former Scotland forwards coach has tapped into some of his local knowledge of the coaching scene there to secure the services of Roddy Grant, who will join the Ulster coaching ticket as Forwards Coach from this summer.

Grant was born in Botswana to Scottish parents, but grew up in South Africa and moved to Scotland to embark on a professional playing career that began in 2006 with Border Reivers. He later joined Edinburgh and went on to make 138 appearances for the club.

He was forced to retire due to injury in 2015 and he soon became a coach in the Scottish Rugby Academy. Grant was then appointed as Edinburgh’s Assistant Forwards Coach in May 2017 and last season he helped them to achieve their best league position since 2008/09.

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Meanwhile, Ulster Rugby also announced that Assistant Coach Dwayne Peel and Skills Coach Dan Soper have signed new two-year contract extensions.

It has also been confirmed that Assistant Coach Aaron Dundon will leave the Province at the end of the current season to pursue other coaching opportunities.

Commenting on the announcements, Ulster Head Coach, Dan McFarland said:

“I’m delighted that Roddy will be on board with us from this summer. Having worked with Roddy in Scotland I know his skill set will compliment mine in terms of developing our overall forward play.

“It’s also great news that Dwayne and Dan are remaining at Ulster. They have both done a great job and we’ve seen how our players, from the younger guys through to seasoned internationals, have improved as a result of their coaching.

“I’d like to thank Aaron for his work across our set piece over the past two seasons. He has played a major role in the successful development of young players throughout our forward pack and I know that he will continue to do that in the coming months, as we aim to finish the season strongly.”

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