2 weeks Ago
THERE WERE BIG changes happening at Thomond Park yesterday as the province upped their preparations for a special visitor. Tomorrow Munster take on a New Zealand XV in Limerick, and with the game long sold out, extra seating was being installed on both ends of the ground to help accomodate the bumper crowd due for the fixture. Advertising signs behind the posts were getting a touch up and inside at reception, where kits bags were scattered across the floor, the phone was hopping.
Out on the pitch, the Munster squad trained away with Mike Sherry, Andrew Conway, Ronan O’Mahony, Stephen Keogh and Duncan Williams among the former players watching on from the sidelines. It’s going to be a big weekend at Thomond but yesterday’s media day at the stadium was dominated by one topic: Why is Graham Rowntree no longer the Munster head coach? Supporters and media alike are still searching for answers after what was a bombshell announcement earlier this week. On Tuesday the province released a statement outlining Rowntree and the province had parted ways following a “mutual agreement”, and no further details have emerged.
Yesterday, we hoped to find more clarity. Ian Costello, Munster’s Head of Rugby Operations cum-interim head coach, sat down with the media and in the comforts of a suite overlooking the Thomond Park turf, faced the questions the rugby world has been asking since that shock announcement. Frustratingly, his first act was to explain he would not be adding any colour to the statement released on Tuesday morning, with his reasoning being “for the respect of process, privacy, etc.
” For now, “mutual agreement” is all that will be divulged. There was no elaboration as to why Rowntree is no longer at Munster, or even why his exit happened this week. One thing that is clear is that this news also came as a surprise within the organisation.
Tuesday was the squad’s day off, yet they joined an online call to hear the news for the first time from CEO Ian Flanagan, shortly before the public announcement was made. Costello then addressed the players as a group when they reconvened on Wednesday. Costello may not have provided any further clarity on Rowntree’s exit yesterday but he did answer questions about his own future.
, and will return to his role as Head of Rugby Operations once his stint as interim boss ends, whether that be in “one month, three months, seven months.” As that answer suggests, there is no set timeline in place for hiring a replacement, with Munster to begin the search in proper early next week. Munster’s next competitive game is against the Lions on 30 November.
“People have been firing in CVs already because it’s a very, very popular job worldwide,” Costello explained, “but genuinely, we’re parking it until Monday.” There are potential candidates close to home, but Costello says no discussions have been held with any of the current coaching staff. Amid the flurry of names doing the rounds about over the last few days, attack coach Mike Prendergast has been touted as someone who could step up to fill Rowntree’s shoes.
“Genuinely, none of those conversations have been had at all. None of that has been addressed. “There are coaches there that definitely will be head coaches in the future.
Everything is about timing, opportunity and balance and blend. And I suppose what we’ll probably find early next week is who wants to put their name into the hat once the process probably officially starts.” While Rowntree’s exit came as a bolt from the blue, Costello did add that there are no plans to make any further changes to the existing coaching team this season.
Munster also plan to keep their current structures in place – that is, Rowntree’s replacement will be a head coach, rather than a director of rugby. Costello, who be will part of the recruitment process alongside the IRFU and Munster’s Professional Game Committee, also says they are keen to appoint someone who ‘gets’ the club in the way Rowntree so clearly did. While that sounds like Munster might be aiming to appoint someone with previous ties to the province, Costello admitted bringing in an “outside” voice could have it’s own benefits.
“It’s really important that we know who we are and what we’re about,” he said. “So I think during our recruitment process we’ll be looking for someone that understands us. They might know how to make us better, they might know how to evolve certain things, but someone needs to understand us and what makes us tick.
“That was pretty special about Graham. He would know players at all ages at the club. He’d be at schools games, he’d be at club games, and I think that’s really important going forward.
“The balance then, is always, do you want someone who thinks a little bit differently as well? Like any workforce, any team, you want to have a certain number of homegrown and a certain number of diverse, so the balance of your coaching group is really important as well. “They’ll be things that we take into account. What I won’t have is an answer now, but I just know it’s really important that a person comes in, buys into what we are, who we are, what we do and adds to it.
And we’ll take our time to find the right blend in terms of the fit. There’s a lot of interest, so we’ll take our time and get it right.” Costello spoke passionately about the work being done at Munster, repeatedly returning to the topics of alignment and integration within the club.
He credited Rowntree for his work with the province, while always shifting the conversation back to the bigger picture. Supporters may wonder why a coach who delivered a trophy as recently as 2023 is no longer on board, but Costello’s messaging was all about building for the future. “We went on an unbelievable run of momentum in that first year (2023), and then we’ve been probably up and down since, would that be fair? Except for that run of games that we went on last year, but when it came to the big games, we came up short.
“So we’re trying to develop, getting the right people, the right structures, right systems that will underpin us having a chance to be up there every year. And that’s where we have a lot more confidence internally than maybe some people have externally. We think we’re really headed in the right direction.
“Obviously, the news this week is massive, but that alignment and integration will allow us to keep thriving after that and go after more trophies, but probably go after more consistency, which could lead to that.”.
