The 46-year-old from Invercargill is a former All Black international loosehead prop and joins Ulster from a long-standing coaching career with Super Rugby side, Highlanders.
In his playing career, Dermody played for Southland, Highlanders and notably London Irish, where he made over 100 appearances before retiring in 2012 due to injury. He played three test matches for New Zealand against Ireland and England in 2006.
Following his playing career, Dermody made a successful transition into coaching.
In 2014 he would become Assistant Coach with Southland Stags, while Highlanders Head Coach, Jamie Joseph, also brought him into the coaching team with a focus on scrum sessions.
He would form an important part of the coaching set-up as Scrum Coach, when the Highlanders won their first Super Rugby title in 2015. Highlanders also recorded a famous victory over the British & Irish Lions in the summer tour of 2017, with Dermody part of the coaching staff.
After four years of balancing both duties, in 2018 he joined Tasman Mako, as co-coach alongside current Ireland Senior Men’s Attack coach, Andrew Goodman. The duo would win two successive National Provincial Championship titles with in 2019 and 2020.
In 2022, Dermody was appointed as the Head Coach of Highlanders, having impressed in his tenure as Forwards Coach.
In 2024, following a restructure, Dermody transitioned into an Assistant Coach role, with former Japan Head Coach, Jamie Joseph, returning as Head Coach.
On the news, Ulster Rugby’s Head Coach, Richie Murphy, added:
“While we are sad to say goodbye to Jimmy Duffy who is moving on, as a coaching team we are very excited to be welcoming Clarke to Ulster this summer.
“He is an experienced coach, with a strong track record of developing top talent. We are looking forward to seeing him implement his methods and philosophy with our squad next season.“