Former Leinster and Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt is reported to be on his way back to Ireland to take on a consultancy role with Ulster this upcoming pre-season.
Schmidt (60) has not coached in Ireland since stepping aside as national team head coach at the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
He has, however, since returned to coaching, first as an assistant with the Auckland Blues and then New Zealand, before taking on the role as Australia head coach in 2024, which he departed earlier this month.
However, reports in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday morning indicate that Schmidt will return to Ireland over the coming weeks.
He is set to link up with Richie Murphy, who was an assistant coach under Schmidt with Ireland, as Ulster look to improve on their ninth-place URC finish last season.
The move is not expected to be a long-term one however, with the New Zealander set to return to the Rugby Australia fold to assist former Munster coach Stephen Larkham when he takes charge of Australia ‘A’ in the Autumn.