This week we focus on the new head coach of Ulster Rugby, Dan McFarland, after he started work at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on a three-year contract on Monday. Where is he from? The English-born 46-year-old was previously forwards coach to the Scottish national team – a position he had held since May 2017. What was his previous coaching experience? McFarland moved into coaching with Connacht Rugby in 2006 as forwards coach on his retirement from playing for the Irish province. He was then promoted to assistant coach in 2010, a role he held for five years, during which time he also coached Ireland U20s, Emerging Ireland and Ireland Wolfhounds. In 2015 he moved to Scotland to become assistant coach of Glasgow Warriors under Gregor Townsend and stayed there until Townsend gave him the national position. Who is in his coaching team? McFarland’s arrival completes a revamped coaching team at the Kingspan Stadium, following Jared Payne’s move upstairs to become defence coach after his injury-enforced retirement in May and the arrival of New Zealander Dan Soper as skills coach. They join scrum coach Aaron Dundon, who came from French club Grenoble last year, and assistant coach Dwayne Peel, the former Wales and British & Irish Lions scrum-half, who also moved to Ulster last year from Bristol Bears. Who did he play for? A loose-head prop, McFarland began his professional career with English club Richmond in 1996 and played five times for them in the Challenge Cup before moving to Stade Français Paris in 1999. He made his only two European Cup appearances in the 1999/2000 season for the French side, before switching to Connacht in 2000 and playing 32 games for the Irish province in the Challenge Cup. What does he think of his appointment? McFarland told the province’s website: "I am really excited that I will be taking on the Ulster head coach role. I know first-hand from my years visiting with Connacht and Glasgow the passion and fervour that makes playing in front of Ulster fans so special. It's a club with a great history and I welcome the challenge of being a part of their future."