Ex-England head coach Stuart Lancaster has joined Leinster, the province confirmed this morning.

Lancaster will form part of the senior coaching team after the departure of defence coach Kurt McQuilken, who returned to New Zealand for personal reasons.

Head coach Leo Cullen said: "The sad departure of Kurt McQuilkin due to family reasons has brought about an opportunity to bring in somebody new to the Leinster Rugby coaching team.

"Stuart brings a wealth of experience and is a highly respected figure in world rugby.

"We are all looking forward to having Stuart join our team and together helping the players maximise their potential as a group.”

Leinster said that the 46-year-old will start immediately as senior coach and has a contract until the end of the season.

Lancaster was appointed as the RFU's Head of Elite Player Development in 2008 and took over as head coach of the England team in 2011.

He left after the World Cup in 2015 as the hosts failed to emerge from their pool.

The triple European champions began their Pro12 campaign with a win over Treviso on Friday and travel to Glasgow on Saturday.