The successful Canterbury coach has been appointed head coach at Munster on a two year contract.
He joins former Blues assistant Joe Schmidt who is at Heineken Cup finalists Leinster and former Auckland coach Mark Anscombe who will take charge at Ulster next season.
Penney has led Canterbury to the last four ITM Cup titles and will coach the New Zealand Under 20 side in South Africa next month.
Commenting on the appointment Munster CEO Garrett Fitzgerald said, " We conducted a thorough search to find a replacement for Tony McGahan and were delighted with the calibre of the candidates. Rob Penney's record speaks for itself and we look forward to welcoming him to Munster."
Canterbury Rugby Football Union CEO Hamish Riach said, "Rob has been a great servant for Canterbury rugby. We are very sorry to lose a talented coach, but this is a fantastic opportunity for him and we wish him all the best."
Penney's appointment means Canterbury's search for a new coach will now begin.
Assistant coach Tabai Matson the early favourite, although Scott Robertson has also worked closely with the team and is likely to throw his hat into the ring.
