LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago

CONNACHT HAVE CONFIRMED the appointment of Gerard Mullen as their new backs coach ahead of next season.

Current senior assistant coach Rod Seib, who is involved on the attack side of the game, is leaving Connacht to join Leicester at the end of this campaign after just one year with the province.

Mullen will join this summer in place of Seib and work under head coach Stuart Lancaster.

Mullen is currently skills coach for Harlequins in the English Premiership, while he has also helped to lead the club’s second-string side in the PREM Rugby Cup.

Mullen has been with Harlequins since 2020, meaning he has previously worked closely with Connacht’s general manager of performance, Billy Millard, who joined the Irish province from the English club last summer.

Kildare man Mullen, who came through Clongowes Wood College, is a grandson of the late Karl Mullen, who played for Ireland 25 times and captained the 1950 Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand.

After playing age-grade rugby for Leinster, Gerard Mullen moved to England to study sports coaching science at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham.

He also played for Esher, London Scottish and London Welsh in the English Championship but was forced to retire at the age of 23 due to injuries.

Mullen subsequently went to Loughborough University to study a Master’s degree in Sports Management and began to rise through the coaching ranks at the university, becoming head coach of Loughborough’s first team in 2017.

In 2020, Mullen was appointed head coach of Harlequins’ women’s team and he led them to the Allianz Premier 15s title in his first season.

He moved into a role with Harlequins’ men’s academy in 2022 and then took on a position as attack and backs coach for London Scottish – a partner club to Quins – in the Championship for the 2023/24 season.

Quins promoted Mullen to the role of skills and transition coach with their senior professional team ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with that job title refined to skills coach for the current season.

Mullen has also worked alongside fellow Quins assistant coach Matt Ferguson in taking charge of the club’s PREM Rugby Cup side.

He is now set to continue his upward trajectory with a move back to Ireland to work with Lancaster’s Connacht next season.

“Connacht is a club I’ve always admired,” said Mullen. “You can clearly see from the outside, there’s a real sense of togetherness between the team, the staff, and the community here in the west – that makes it special, and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to experience this first-hand.

“The club is in a great position right now. Exciting squad, staff, new facilities, and I can’t wait to roll my sleeves up and give everything I have to help Connacht keep moving forward. I’m coming in hungry, ready to work extremely hard, and do everything I can to contribute positively to the environment, and the team.”

Meanwhile, Connacht yesterday confirmed that 20-year-old loosehead prop Billy Bohan has signed a three-year senior contract with the province.

Academy player Bohan has enjoyed a major breakthrough this season, impressing in the number one shirt for Lancaster’s side and even being called into Andy Farrell’s wider Ireland squad during the Six Nations.

“The last six months have been a bit of a whirlwind for me, so I’m thrilled to sign my first pro contract with the club I love,” said Bohan.

“I want to thank Eric [Elwood] and all the academy staff for everything they’ve done for me during my two years in the academy, and to Stuart and the coaches for the trust they’ve placed in me and giving me an opportunity to impress.

“I’ll do everything I can to keep contributing to the squad and the province, both this season and into the future.”