Connacht Rugby have confirmed the appointment of former club captain John Muldoon to the Professional coaching team on a two-year deal.

He will have responsibility for the lineout and maul, and will work in conjunction with Colm Tucker who will stay as head of the scrum and breakdown.

Muldoon made an outstanding contribution to Connacht over a 15 year career, playing a rcord 327 times for the club and captaining the side to hte PRO12 championship in 2016.

Having retired in 2018, he has spent 5 year coaching with Bristol Bears. He has worked as a defensive coach before moving to the forwards, helping them to a Challenge Cup win in 2020 and a first place finish in the 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership league table.

In a statement on the Connacht Rugby website, John Muldoon said:

“I’m very excited to be coming back to Connacht Rugby. It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years and I’m really looking forward to moving back to Galway and getting to work with the boys.

There’s some familiar faces but a lot of new ones too, since my time there. In that regard I am excited by the blend of young talent coming through within the squad, coupled with the quality and experience of some of the more experienced guys. Dewald’s done an exceptional job the last two years and I want to build on that over the coming seasons.

 I’ve obviously been watching Connacht from afar and its clear the team have been building momentum throughout the season. From speaking to Pete these last couple of weeks I’m excited about his vision for where he hopes to take the team and I am delighted to be able to play my part on that journey and deliver on the level of ambition that everyone with an interest or involvement in Connacht Rugby is striving to achieve.”