Ulster interim CEO Hugh McCaughey pledges funds to strengthen squad next season

Ulster have already lost Billy Burns, Luke Marshall and Steven Kitshoff and there is expected to be a raft of other players following them out the Kingspan Stadium exit door, but McCaughey – who took over the hotseat after Jonny Petrie’s departure – insists cash will be made available.

“I would expect we will be making signings, it's difficult at this stage of the year, you know that we're not going to make signings just for the sake making signings which add to the squad,” McCaughey said.

“Also we've got to be smart, we've got to be effective in what we're looking for and bring in the right players that supplement us, not only in terms of what they do playing-wise, but in terms of fitting into our culture and our team and what we want to do.

“So, we'll choose carefully, it’s not always easy because it's a very competitive market but the idea that we have no money for players outside the squad isn’t right.

“Part of the changes we've made is released money, so we'll continue to look to see how we can strengthen the squad and the positions we need.”

McCaughey doesn’t want the search for a head coach to overshadow the run-in to the end of the season with Ulster fighting to secure a place in the playoffs and Champions Cup, but he intimated that interim boss Richie Murphy may be in pole position to take the job permanently.

“I think we would we want to get that done and sort of firmed up but we don't want to sort of be rash or rush into things, or be impulsive,” he said.

“We don't want distractions from the next five or six games.

“Richie has been seconded to us I suppose is the best way to describe it and we want the focus to be on the pitch. I've already sat down with Richie and I think I can see that he knows this group of young players better than anybody.

"He's coached many of them through the Irish U20s but this is his first head coach gig in a professional set-up, so I think in an environment where our coaching team grow and our players grow together, I think it's a very exciting prospect.

"But we'll firm that up towards the end of the season in terms of what that the future is looking like in our coaching team.”

McCaughey believes it is vital Ulster qualify for the Champions Cup next season.

“I think everyone feels that is where we belong and that is where we should be, and it should never be in doubt," he added. “But we have a big finish to the season.

“We don’t want to build the pressure too much. This is a young team and we want them to go out and play, and if we do that and we play to the best of our abilities we can secure the Champions Cup.

“It is important, it is what our fans want to come and watch, it’s what our sponsors want to see us in, it’s what our players want to play in and we’ve always been in it.”