GRAND Slam-winning coach Declan Kidney has been confirmed as London Irish’s new director of rugby.

The Irishman – who also twice won the Heineken Cup with Munster – joined Exiles as technical consultant alongside head coach Les Kiss back in March, and will now be tasked with helping Irish regain their place in the Aviva Premiership.

Chief executive Brian Facer said: “Declan has been brilliant since arriving.

“We’ve seen players and staff alike bring a positive approach to their work both on and off the pitch.

“We’re delighted he has agreed to take up his post as director of rugby and are looking forward to seeing him put the building blocks in place for sustainable success in the future.”

Kidney added: “We are excited about the future. A number of players have moved on for one reason or another, but we are very enthusiastic about the commitment that has been shown by a talented young breed of players to London Irish.

“We have an academy with a proven track record of bringing through talented young individuals, some good new signings, and senior players who have shown the willingness to help us develop a sustainable squad.

“If we all work hard the future can be bright for us and we can achieve all our goals.”

He continued: “We are building a squad that is not just good enough to gain promotion from an extremely challenging and competitive Championship, but who can then use the lessons from this season should we get back to the Premiership in 2019.”