John Muldoon to take over as Bristol Bears forwards coach ahead of 2020/21 season

Bristol Bears have announced that former Ireland international John Muldoon will take over as the forwards coach of the club ahead of the 2020/21 season.

Muldoon joined the Ashton Gate outfit in 2018 as defence coach but will be appointed to the new role with Jonathan Thomas moving to Worcester Warriors at the end of the ongoing season.

The 36-year-old featured for Connacht between 2003 and 2018 before starting his coaching career with Bristol apart from three international appearances for Ireland that came in 2009 and 2010.

“Working with Pat and the management team has been a fantastic experience and I’ve learned so much since I arrived in Bristol," he told the official website of the club.

“It’s a truly unique culture that we have at the Bears and an environment that demands high performance, whether you’re a player, coach or member of staff. I’m excited about the opportunity to take on the forwards coach role next season – it’s a huge challenge.

“When you have a Director of Rugby like Pat who believes in you and gives you the tools to succeed, it not only creates a positive atmosphere, but also provides absolute clarity about what is expected and the direction we are going as a club.

“We have a young, hungry set of forwards and some genuinely world class players, so everything is in place for us to continue to show progress next season and beyond.”

Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam expressed delight in Muldoon stepping up to the role of forwards coach next season.

“We’re delighted that Mul will be stepping up into the role of forwards coach. He’s excited about the opportunity to build on the excellent foundations that JT has put in place," said Lam.

“Our philosophy at Bristol Bears is to ideally promote from within and develop our staff to become world-class in their fields.

"That’s the key thing about our vision, when personnel leave, the systems and structures that have been put in place means that the next person steps in to add value to the good work that’s being done.

“Mul has all the ingredients to be an outstanding coach, as he has already shown in his efforts with the team defence. We have worked together for a long time and he’s a natural leader. The boys respect him and he knows our systems in great detail".