Stuart Lancaster appointed head coach of Connacht
Lancaster takes over from Pete Wilkins, who left the province in April, and will take over from the start of next season, having signed a two-year contract.
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Lancaster most recently served as Head Coach of Racing 92 in France, and before then enjoyed a hugely successful seven-year spell as Senior Coach of Leinster.
He helped lead Leinster to four consecutive PRO14 titles and four Champions Cup finals, including victory in the 2018 decider.
As Head Coach, Lancaster will also have responsibility for defence, thereby completing next season's coaching team. Joining him will be new attack coach Rod Seib, scrum & contact coach Cullie Tucker, and lineout & maul coach John Muldoon.
Commenting on today's announcement, Stuart Lancaster says: 'I'm hugely excited to be joining Connacht Rugby and begin this new chapter of my life in the West of Ireland with my wife Nina. Connacht is a club with a proud identity, a passionate supporter base, and enormous potential both on and off the field, so I'm honoured and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead the Professional Men's team programme.
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"I'm a firm believer in creating an environment that enables players to thrive and realise their potential, while playing a brand of rugby that inspires the community of which they represent.
"Ever since my initial conversations with Willie, David and the rest of the selection committee, it's clear that same belief exists here in Connacht, and that's why I'm so excited by this opportunity.
"There's also the fantastic new facilities here at the new High-Performance Centre and Dexcom Stadium, which will further enable us to realise those goals.
"I'm looking forward to working closely with all of the staff and players, and I can't wait to get to know the supporters and wider community over the coming weeks and months.'
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