Ulster Rugby announced their new forwards coach in the middle of this week's RTÉ Rugby Podcast recording, with Bernard Jackman breaking off mid-discussion to react to the news. Clark Dermody, the former Highlanders prop and short-stint head coach in Super Rugby, will replace Jimmy Duffy at Kingspan Stadium next season, capping a coaching CV built across Southland, the Highlanders, London Irish and Tasman.
"He was a good player. Southland initially, then the Highlanders," Jackman said. "Then he went to London Irish for six or seven years. I would have come across him in London Irish. We played him in the Challenge Cup in Grenoble. And then he went back to coach with Andrew Goodman in Tasman. Then he actually became head coach for a little while in the Highlanders when Tony Brown went to Japan. Former prop, he can do scrum and lineout, which obviously Jimmy Duffy does, which is unusual. It's great if you get someone who can do both."
For Jackman, the most relevant line on Dermody's resume is the seven years in the English Premiership. "He has been in the Northern Hemisphere already as a player. He understands the difference. Super Rugby the lineout is away of restarting the game, the maul isn't a huge focus, the scrum is a starting game. In the English Premiership it's more — URC isn't to that level yet, but it's far more technical. So I think that's a really big help to him."
The timing of the announcement was loaded. Within hours of the news, Ulster head to Bilbao for Friday night's EPCR Challenge Cup final against Montpellier, an 8pm kickoff at San Mames where the prize is a Champions Cup spot for next season. Johnny Murphy, asked whether the entire 2025-26 season hinges on the result, agreed without hesitation. "I think that's really important. It comes down to being as disciplined as they can within anywhere probably outside their 22, because you can't give Montpellier any opportunity to get their maul."
The route to the final has been brutal. Ulster have won only two of their last eight URC matches, slipping from third place with four rounds to play to missing the playoffs entirely. The Stormers game in Belfast — where Dan Henderson was sent off — was identified as the moment everything tilted. "The damage was done against Stormers Leinster back then, you know they were the two games," Murphy said. Captain Henderson, Will Addison, Tom Stewart in part, Iain Henderson and Stuart McCloskey are confirmed casualties for Friday, though Robert Baloucoune is hopeful and James Hume is back.
Murphy backed Richie Murphy's decision to rest Angus Bell, Tom Stewart, Iwan Shenton, Jack Murphy and Nathan Doak on the bench in the URC swansong. "I can see why they did it. They obviously feel they are absolutely crucial for this week." Jackman agreed but pointed at the harder structural issue: Ulster simply did not have the squad to maintain two simultaneous fronts. "Don't forget the amount of players with massive experience who left Ulster in May last year. This squad is a smaller squad. They are fighting on two fronts a little bit deeper."
On Montpellier, Jackman's preview was clear-eyed about the threat. "They are not a team that Irish provinces like playing because they have that classic French profile. They love to maul. They absolutely mauled Clermont off the pitch in the quarterfinal game. So they might not bring the fireworks to the party, but it's an interesting matchup." With temperatures forecast in the mid-thirties at the 8pm kickoff, the physical toll could become decisive. "If it turns into maul, Billy Vunipola peels off the maul, runs into your 10, takes Jack Murphy's legs, you're just in for such a long, long day. They have European experience in the likes of Billy Vunipola. They've won this tournament not too long ago."
Both pundits backed Ulster with caveats. "If they play their own game, if they can do what I just said, if every time Montpellier score Ulster hit back or even if they can get a bit of a lead and make Montpellier chase, they're in a good spot," Jackman said. "I worry about their tight five — if they get on top in discipline, get the ball off the pitch and start mauling, I do worry whether they can live with them in that physical battle. But if they can get their shots off, if they're not encumbered by the occasion, if they can enjoy it, they give themselves a right shot." Murphy leaned Montpellier; Jackman leaned Ulster. "I give Ulster a really good shot," he concluded.
