NEWS:BRIAN McLAUGHLIN has extended his coaching contract with Ulster for a further season.

McLaughlin took a sabbatical from his teaching post at RBAI to take up the head coach role with Ulster in July 2009 but has now formally resigned his position at the Belfast school to continue coaching the province.

In this, his second season in charge, McLaughlin has coached Ulster to the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup, the first time the club has reached the knockout stages since they lifted the trophy in 1999, and Ulster are also still in contention for a Magners League top four finish and a much coveted play-off place.

During his time in charge, McLaughlin has been credited with nurturing young talent and this season he has handed debuts to Ulster Academy players Patrick Jackson, Luke Marshall, Craig Gilroy and, most recently, Conor Gaston.