Richie Murphy never going to 'walk out' on Under-20s

Richie Murphy was never going to leave Ireland Under-20s in the middle of their Six Nations campaign, according to Aaron Dundon.

The IRFU and Ulster Rugby today announced that Dan McFarland was stepping down with immediate effect to be replaced by Ireland U20s head coach Richie Murphy until the end of the season.

However, Murphy will not take up his position until the end of the current Six Nations on 15 March with Ireland on track for another championship after Grand Slams in 2022 and 2023.

"Richie let us know today about him going up to Ulster as interim head coach," scrum coach Dundon told RTÉ Sport ahead of Friday night's round-three clash with Wales in Cork.

"He told the players, all pretty delighted for Richie. All the players and staff wish him the best.

"You can see the last years when he’s been coaching, what he’s done with the players and the management, how they play for him.

"They get great enjoyment, they enjoy playing for him. He has a great relationship with all them so he’s going to be really good up in Ulster. We wish him all the best.

"One of the things Richie said, he’s not walking out on us in the Six Nations so that’s testament to the man he is, he’s going to be fully committed to the end of the Six Nations."

Murphy, who led the team to the final of the U20s World Championship last summer, was part of the Leinster and Ireland set-ups before taking over as U20s boss in 2021. Ulster, eighth in the table, face the Dragons on Saturday week in the URC.

Asked if the time was right for Murphy to step up into a senior role, Dundon added: "Yeah, definitely. I think he has been ready for quite a while.

"He’s really enjoyed the 20s programme, he enjoys working with the young guys and making them better.

"He’s a fantastic