Former Ireland captain Rory Best has joined American Major League side Seattle Seawolves, his first professional coaching role.
The ex-Ulster star joins the American side as a skills coach for the remainder of the 2021 season.
Having adopted a 'mentoring' role with his home province in recent months, the new gig represents his first move into the pro coaching ranks since his retirement following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Best is joined by by fellow ex-Irish international Allen Clarke, who also joins the club as a technical coach.
Clarke is a former assistant coach with Ulster, and has previously had a stint as head coach with the Ospreys.
The Seawolves have endured a difficult start to the season as they won just one of their opening four matches, leading to head coach Kees Lensing moving to assistant coach as their director of rugby Pete Tuilevuka takes over as interim boss.
In January, it was revealed that Best was working with Ulster in his spare time.
“During the summer Rory gave me a call,” Kieran Campbell told the42.ie. “He’s really busy, he has a load of things going on off the pitch between business and farming. I’m from the city, when he tells me about farming I’ve no clue what he’s talking about, but he was looking to just keep that connection (with Ulster).
“He has been in and out. He enjoys mentoring those front-rowers and obviously the hookers. He has a lot of business on but he enjoys giving back and mentoring.
“Former captain of Ireland, hugely successful, it’s been good for me too and the staff to bounce things off him about how we’re doing.
“As he said himself, he was out with the cattle at the crack of dawn and just came over after. He seems to enjoy it.”
