CONNACHT WILL NEED to find a new forwards coach as Dan McFarland has announced that he is to depart at the end of the season.
Pat Lam’s assistant has a very good repuation for the work he has done since he started overseeing the Connacht pack in 2006, and he was recently the coach of the Irish Wolfhounds team for the game against the England Saxons.
In a statement released by Connacht, McFarland was said to be departing ‘to explore another opportunity abroad’.
McFarland played for the province between 2000-2006 and was the second player, after Eric Elwood, to reach a century of caps for the team. He was also Elwood’s assistant when the duo coached Ireland U20 to a Grand Slam in 2007.
“This has been a very difficult decision for me,” McFarland said.
“Connacht Rugby has been such a large part of my life for a long time but I feel the time has come to explore new avenues and different challenges.”
The former prop previously played for Richmond and Stade Francais so it will be interesting to see if he shows up in another coaching role abroad in the near future.
