Richie Murphy praises key man as Ulster make head coach role permanent

Richie Murphy has highlighted the role played by Bryn Cunningham in Ulster's recent revival after penning a two-year deal to take over the province on a permanent basis. Murphy, who took over the role of interim head coach following Dan McFarland's departure two months ago, hailed Ulster's Head of Rugby Operations and Recruitment for his part in the process.

Saturday's victory over Scarlets made it three wins on the bounce for Ulster as they strengthened their grip on a URC play-off spot. With his future resolved Murphy, who led Ireland's Under-20s to two consecutive Six Nations wins, said he is relishing working with "a very talented group".

“I’m looking forward to continuing with Ulster after a very enjoyable start to my time with the club," said Murphy. "I would like to thank all of the support staff, especially Bryn Cunningham, for helping me settle in.

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“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 believes Muprhy's appointment will help develop Ulster’s pipeline of young, homegrown talent even further. “We are delighted at Ulster Rugby to have Richie committed to the province for the next two seasons," he said.

“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.”

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