Official confirmation of Dan McFarland's departure from Ulster Rugby after over five years in charge expected on Wednesday

There have been multiple reports that the 51-year-old, who took on the head coach role at the Kingspan Stadium in 2018 having previously worked in Scotland’s backroom staff, is set to part the Belfast club and it’s expected that an announcement confirming the news will arrive shortly.

In his first season in charge, McFarland guided Ulster to the Pro14 semi-finals and European Champions Cup quarter-final while they made it to the Pro14 final in 2020 before losing out to Leinster.

The Englishman enjoyed further success with the province as they progressed to the Champions Cup semi-final alongside finishing second in Conference B of the Pro14 in 2020/21 and the following year Ulster reached the United Rugby Championship final-four as McFarland was rewarded with a new contract until 2025.

However, after losing four of 10 league matches this season, suffering defeat in Europe to Bath, Toulouse and Harlequins and failing to end an 18-year wait for silverware glory, McFarland’s reign as Ulster’s longest-serving coach in the professional era is set to come to an end.

More to follow...