Ulster have confirmed the appointment of Dan McFarland as their new head coach.

When you had the season Ulster have endured, thoughts of moving quickly on to the 2018-19 campaign would be perfectly understandable, yet Rory Best is not done with 2017/2018 just yet, not while there is a Champions Cup place still grab.

Former Munster and Ireland scrum-half Michael Bradley is being touted as a contender to take charge of Ulster.

Ulster are set to lose head coach Jono Gibbes at the end of the season, just over a month after director of rugby Les Kiss departed the province by 'mutual consent'.

Ulster's director of rugby Les Kiss is leaving his post by "mutual consent, effective immediately".

While Ulster’s players and management insist that the focus is entirely on Saturday’s lunchtime clash with Pool 1 leaders La Rochelle, it’s become clearer who will be replacing Christian Leali’ifano when the Wallaby’s short-term contract ends this month.

Ireland and Lions winger Tommy Bowe faces up to eight weeks out of the game after suffering a shoulder injury when he came on as a replacement in Ulster’s thumping 38-7 defeat by Leinster at the RDS on Saturday evening.

Charles Piutau has, at best, five months of rugby in an Ulster shirt to realise his ambition of bringing silverware to a trophy-hungry Kingspan Stadium.

Les Kiss knows only too well that Ulster face a near impossible task in replacing Christian Lealiifano when the Australian’s loan spell in Belfast comes to an end.

Ulster’s Team Manager, Bryn Cunningham, has backed the decision of tournament organisers to postpone the Champions Cup clash with Oyonnax on Saturday, following the tragic events in Paris on Friday night.

Leinster’s failure to make the Guinness Pro12 play-offs was always likely to hurt them come yesterday’s European Champions Cup draw and so it proved, with the three-time winners being landed in a pool alongside triple champions Toulon, English runners-up Bath and Wasps.

Ireland’s midfield duo Jared Payne and Robbie Henshaw will put their growing playing relationship on hold when Ulster face Connacht in what should be a close Pro12 clash in Galway on Saturday.

Ulster have announced the signings of London Welsh players Peter Browne and Paul Rowley.

Peter O’Mahony and Iain Henderson have inked new three-year deals.

Ireland international lock, Dan Tuohy, has agreed a three-year contract extension with Ulster that will keep him at Kingspan Stadium until at least the summer of 2018.

Roger Wilson has signed a new two-year contract with Ulster that will see him stay at Kingspan Stadium until the summer of 2017.

Ireland flanker Chris Henry underwent exploratory heart surgery this week as his medical team searched for reasons for his health scare on the eve of Ireland’s opening autumn international against South Africa on 8 November.

Ulster’s star scrum-half Ruan Pienaar could be back for their European Champions Cup games against the Scarlets at the start of December.

European Cup winner Bryn Cunningham is the new Ulster team manager. The 36-year-old former Ireland A and Dungannon full-back will have a role similar to that of departed Director of Rugby David Humphreys in dealing with players’ contracts plus other incidentals associated with the senior Ulster squad.

THE HEINEKEN Cup may be all about furthering wider European ambitions but Andrew Trimble will be partly motivated by local realities when Ulster face Biarritz today in the province's biggest game for a dozen years.

Ulster full-back Bryn Cunningham has retired from rugby due to a series of persistent injuries during the past 15 months.

ULSTER scrum-half Paul Marshall has been handed a two-year contract extension to his contract ahead of tonight’s Magners League derby finale against Connacht at Ravenhill (7.30pm).

Munster A 34 Heriot’s 7

Lock Dan Tuohy has recovered from injury to return to the Ulster squad ahead of their Magner's League clash with Connacht at The Sportsground on Friday night.

Ulster Head Coach Brian McLaughlin has shuffled his pack for the Red Hand's visit to the Ospreys tomorrow.

SHANE HORGAN is adamant that winning the Heineken Cup has not diluted his, or Leinster’s, appetite for success and that everyone in the provincial setup is desperate to replicate their Murrayfield milestone.

Flanker Chris Henry will lead Ulster out for their first Magners League match against Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade on Sunday (2.05pm).

Ireland centre Paddy Wallace and Scottish winger Simon Danielli have recovered from illness to be included in Ulster's extended 26-man squad for their Magner's League opener against The Dragons at Rodney Parade on Sunday.

Ireland international Andrew Trimble will get his first Ulster start of the season against Worcester Warriors in their last pre-season friendly at Sixways.

MUNSTER team manager Shaun Payne is looking to the future, starting at Musgrave Park tonight (7pm) when the reigning Magners League champions take on London Irish.

Andy Kyriacou and Dan Tuohy will both make their first starts for Ulster in Friday’s pre-season friendly with Newcastle Falcons at Ravenhill.

Ulster's Operations Director David Humphreys commended Ulster's young players when they fell to a 17-10 defeat to a Bayonne selection in front of a 10,000 crowd in France on Saturday.

Full-back Bryn Cunningham (fractured cheekbone), lock Ed O'Donoghue (shoulder) and Ireland U-20 2007 Grand Slam captain David Pollock (hip) are all on the road to recovery from injury.

ANDREW TRIMBLE will miss Ulster’s Magners League clash with Connacht at the Sportsground (7pm) on Friday as Paddy Wallace fights for fitness.

Ulster's Scotland international centre Rob Dewey has agreed to join Glasgow Warriors on a three-year contract.

MUNSTER tyro Ciaran O’Boyle is facing eight weeks on the sidelines with a torn hamstring.

Full-back Bryn Cunnigham will lead Ulster A out against Munster A, at Shaws Bridge, Belfast, on Friday (kick off 2.30pm).

Dungannon 15 Ballymena 19, Stevenson Park

Prop Tom Court has been released by Ireland to join a 25-man squad Ulster squad for next Magners League fixture away to The Dragons at Rodney Parade.

Ulster head coach Matt Williams has Darren Cave, Paddy Wallace, Ian Humphreys, Rory Best, Justin Fitzpatrick and Stephen Ferris from his 24-man squad ahead of the trip to play Stade Francais in this Saturday's Heineken Cup match against Stade Francais at the Stade Jean Bouin.

Chris Henry has won a sensational first Heineken Cup start for Ulster at home to Harlequins in the Heineken Cup on Saturday (KO 1.35pm.).

Coach Matt Williams has recalled Ryan Caldwell, Bryn Cunningham and Simon Danielli to his 26-man Ulster Squad ahead of this Saturday afternoon's Heineken Cup tie against Harlequins at Ravenhill (1.35pm).