Connacht's highly-respected attack coach Nigel Carolan is to leave the province at the end of this season, saying "I need to challenge myself in a new environment".
After 14 years as the province's academy manager, Carolan took on the attack coach role in 2017 and helped enforce the Westerners' reputation as an exciting, attacking team.
If Carolan has a new role secured, he has not announced it, however his work under Kieran Keane and more recently Andy Friend means the Galway native is unlikely to be short of offers.
He was the Ireland Under-20 coach also, from 2014 to 2017, leading them to the World Championship final in 2016.
Connacht will confirm their coaching team for next season at a later date.
Carolan's decision has been well flagged to the province, who knew when he signed his last two-year contract that he would be leaving at the end of the 2020-21 season.
"I have been involved with Connacht Rugby for most of the last 26 years of my life. While I have loved every day of it and I cannot speak highly enough of the people I've worked with, the time has come for a new experience in rugby," said Carolan in a statement.
"I’m at the stage of my coaching career where I need to challenge myself in a new environment and gain new perspectives, so I’m excited by what the future holds for Siobhan, Milly, Ben and myself."
Connacht head coach Friend paid tribute to Carolan, saying he upheld the Connacht tradition of "attractive, exciting" rugby.
"I first met Nigel shortly after moving to Connacht and I cannot speak highly enough of the three years since then. He is an excellent coach who has all the credentials to succeed elsewhere, and I wish him every success wherever he goes," said Friend.
"The Connacht traditions of playing an attractive, exciting brand of attacking rugby continued under Nigel, and that style will continue to be implemented in the years ahead."
