Ulster Rugby appoint former All Black to coaching role

Dermody, 46, arrives from Super Rugby side Highlanders, where he has spent much of his coaching career.

The Invercargill native enjoyed a successful playing career as a loosehead prop, representing Southland, Highlanders and London Irish. During his time with the English club, he made more than 100 appearances before retiring in 2012 because of injury.

At international level, Dermody earned three caps for New Zealand, featuring against Ireland and England in 2006.

After retiring, he moved into coaching and joined Southland Stags as an Assistant Coach in 2014. Around the same time, Highlanders Head Coach Jamie Joseph brought him into the franchise’s coaching set-up to oversee scrum sessions.

Dermody played a key role as Scrum Coach when Highlanders secured their first Super Rugby title in 2015. He was also part of the coaching team that guided the side to a memorable victory over the British & Irish Lions during the 2017 tour.

In 2018, after balancing duties with both Southland and Highlanders, Dermody joined Tasman Mako as co-coach alongside current Ireland Senior Men’s Attack Coach Andrew Goodman.

The partnership delivered back-to-back National Provincial Championship titles in 2019 and 2020.

His success as Forwards Coach at Highlanders led to his appointment as Head Coach in 2022. Following a restructuring in 2024, he returned to an Assistant Coach role when Jamie Joseph resumed leadership of the side.

Ulster Rugby Head Coach Richie Murphy welcomed Dermody’s arrival while also paying tribute to departing coach Jimmy Duffy.

“While we are sad to say goodbye to Jimmy Duffy who is moving on, as a coaching team we are very excited to be welcoming Clarke to Ulster this summer.

“He is an experienced coach, with a strong track record of developing top talent. We are looking forward to seeing him implement his methods and philosophy with our squad next season.“