Jared Payne will leave Ulster at the end of this season, his 10th with the province and fourth as their defence coach, "to pursue coaching opportunities overseas" according to a statement by the province.
After an injury-plagued first campaign with Ulster, the New Zealand-born Payne represented the province on 78 occasions and earned 20 caps for Ireland, during which he was an ever-present in the 2015 Six Nations success. He also started the win over the All Blacks in Chicago, before forming part of the Ulster coaching team for the past four seasons.
“A big thank-you to the Ulster community, the fans, players and staff that have made my time here special,” said Payne.
“I will forever be grateful for the opportunities and experiences that we have shared, and I look forward to hopefully adding to those over these final few months.”
Head coach Dan McFarland, said: “We all know how much Jared has given to Ulster, as a player, and as an important part of our coaching set-up since 2018.
“Jared has helped to shape who we are as a club over the past decade, and what we want to achieve, and his influence will continue to be felt in the years ahead. Jared’s desire to learn and improve himself as a coach has been impressive and it has been this spirit, in particular, that has made him a core part of our culture.
“On behalf of myself, the support staff, and the wider club, I would like to thank Jared for his significant contribution to Ulster, and he leaves with our best wishes for this next chapter.”
Meanwhile talismanic scrumhalf John Cooney sustained a calf injury in last weekend's URC game against Munster at Thomond Park and has been ruled out of Sunday's Champions Cup match against Northampton Saints.
He joins a lengthy casualty list also featuring Will Addison (lower leg), Iain Henderson (ankle), Stuart McCloskey (hamstring), Tom Stewart (foot), Jacob Stockdale (ankle), Cormac Izuchukwu (knee), Jordi Murphy (knee), Matty Rea (hamstring) and Luke Marshall (knee).
Against that backdrop, Robert Baloucoune and Bradley Roberts have returned to training.
