By Tadhg Peavoy
Neil Doak has been announced as the new head coach of Ulster Rugby, while Les Kiss will become the province's full-time director of rugby following the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Speaking of his appointment, Doak said: “I am extremely proud to have been appointed as Ulster’s head coach and to have been given this opportunity is a fantastic honour for me.
“I played all my rugby at Ulster and I have coached here now for more than 14 years. I am proud to be from this province and my aim over the next three seasons is to get the best out of our players and to help deliver success."
Ulster CEO Shane Logan added: "We are pleased to have completed negotiations with Neil Doak, as head coach, and are close to finalising our other coaching requirements.
"We will announce a team manager in due course to bridge the gap prior to Les taking up his role allowing him to be fully committed to his coaching duties with the national team.”
Following the departure of David Humphreys as Ulster's previous director of rugby, and the province's decision to release head coach Mark Anscombe, both at the tail end of the 2013/14 season, the IRFU provided Ireland assistant coach Kiss in the role of interim director of rugby for the province.
However, Kiss will now leave Ulster next week to resume his full-time coaching duties with the Ireland national side as they prepare for the autumn internationals, RBS Six Nations and Rugby World Cup.
At the conclusion of RWC 2015, he will return to Ulster to fill the same position on a full-time basis.
Ulster will announce a team manager in the coming weeks who will fill Kiss' role until he returns to work with the province in November 2015.
Kiss, speaking about his full-time move to Ulster, said: "I am very appreciative of the continued faith the IRFU and Ulster Rugby have demonstrated in me and, while I'm delighted to get the security in the long term, I am very much focused first and foremost on the next 12 months.
"It's exciting that the Springboks arrive here in just over three weeks and that the Guinness Series is almost upon us.
"The national coaching team have remained in close contact and Joe has been particularly supportive of my dual roles over the last few months, which has made things a lot easier for me".
