"This has been a dream job for me, to coach Munster Rugby. I want to thank all the players, coaches and staff that I worked with over the years, and also thank the supporters who have always been there for us," said Flannery.

Leaving the province is not a decision I took lightly, but I look forward to watching the squad go from strength to strength, and wish them continued success.

While Felix Jones commented: "It has been an absolute honour to have played for, and to have coached Munster Rugby.

"I would like to thank the players, coaches, management and fans who have supported me over the last 10 years.

"We will continue our drive to end the season on a high, and I look forward to being a Munster supporter in the future."

Munster Rugby have begun identifying candidates to join the coaching team next season.

Following the announcement, Munster Rugby Acting CEO Philip Quinn, said that every effort was made to retain the coaching duo "with competitive terms".

Mr Quinn said that they are hugely disappointed but understand their decisions and wished the pair well for the future.

"It goes without saying that Jerry and Felix have been great servants to Munster Rugby, from their earlier playing days in red, to forging successful coaching careers in guiding the next generation of Munster players," he said.

Head Coach Johann van Graan added, "We will be very disappointed to see Jerry and Felix go at the end of the season.

"They are both extremely hard-working, dedicated coaches, in addition to being really good guys who have been fantastic to work with.

"As a coaching group we will continue with the same commitment and drive for success as always, working towards our upcoming Guinness PRO14 semi-final."