Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett is leaving New Zealand at the end of the Super Rugby season after signing a three-year contract with Welsh club Cardiff.
Hammett will be head coach of the Cardiff Blues, where he has been strongly linked since announcing five weeks ago that this would be his last season at the Hurricanes.
The 41-year-old told Fairfax Media that Cardiff had approached him for the role a year ago but he had turned them down.
He said they got back in touch with him when they heard he wouldn't be reapplying for his Hurricanes role.
Hammett says he is looking forward to working with a club who have struggled this season, winning eight of 22 games to be eighth in the Pro 12 league standings.
He will replace Phil Davies as Cardiff coach but will inherit assistants Paul John and Dale McIntosh.
"They are realistic that they want to get to a certain place over a number of years rather than a quick fix," he said.
Hammett is in his fourth season at the Hurricanes since replacing the long-serving Colin Cooper.
He has led them to ninth, eighth and 11th-placed finishes while this year's side are eighth with four games to play.
Their hopes of reaching the playoffs for the first time under Hammett took a blow with an 18-16 home loss to the Highlanders on Friday.
Cooper guided the Hurricanes to five playoff appearances in eight seasons but failed to win a title.
Hurricanes management hope to name a successor next month.
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