Jono Gibbes (centre) at FMG Stadium Waikato on Monday with Waikato assistant coaches Nathan White (left) and Roger Randle (right).

Jono Gibbes is sticking with the Mooloos after the Waikato Rugby Union (WRU) confirmed he will be their next head coach.

Gibbes had met with La Rochelle prior to his last game in charge of Ulster earlier this month after the French club parted ways with Patrice Collazo, their head coach since 2011.

The former Mooloos captain was then guarded when asked about his future during a post-match interview after Ulster beat Ospreys in a European Champions Cup play-off.

IAIN MCGREGOR/STUFF Former Waikato captain Gibbes was announced as the next Mooloos head coach in March.

But Gibbes has committed his future to Waikato and was back at FMG Stadium Waikato on Monday, flanked by assistant coaches Nathan White and Roger Randle in the red, yellow and black colours again.

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The 41-year-old in March was appointed as the man to replace Sean Botherway on a two-year contract ahead of Waikato's 2018 Mitre 10 Cup campaign.

NZPA Gibbes has been coaching in Europe since 2008.

But reports from France and the UK then heavily linked the 41-year-old with the vacant La Rochelle post. They missed out on qualifying for the Top 14 play-offs this season.

The former Chiefs and Waikato forward has been coaching in Ireland (Leinster and Ulster) and France (Clermont Auvergne) since 2008 - leading the Mooloos will be his first coaching role in New Zealand.

He played 64 times for Waikato from 2000-07.