“Honest” Munster look to Leinster as another new era is announced

“Very down to earth, humble group of people. Very passionate, big support-base, mad about their rugby.”

Graham Rowntree has got the gig, from the end of this season. He gets Munster, too. That definitely helped landing the big job.

The world-wide search of Munster and the IRFU ended back on the training pitch at the province’s High Performance Centre, at University of Limerick. Rowntree staying on as forwards coach, while Johann van Graan, JP Fereira and Stephen Larkham zipped up the suitcases and headed off, as stuck out like a sore thumb [or a cauliflower ear].

Why, one wondered, would Munster be hanging on to the forwards coach and not allowing a new head coach to choose his, or her, own staff? Sure, Rowntree was professing to love life, and work, in Munster, but a new top dog may want their own trusted lieutenants.

Almost as soon as van Graan announced he was leaving at the end of this current season, back in December, the idea of taking over as head coach ruminated in Rowntree’s head.

Barren years – close but not close enough

Due process meant he would not be given the job straight away. His name went onto a long-list and stayed there when it became a shortlist. He was always one of the leading candidates, but others needed to be considered, and interviewed.

Many of us started to wonder, as this season headed into the final straight, how the Munster coaching search was progressing. Normally, there are high profile names linked, recognisable faces seen at airports or heard about in message threads. Even the in-the-knows around Munster were either not in the know, this time, or keeping schtum.

As it turns out, Rowntree was seen as the best fit for the job from a long way out. Ronan O’Gara was put forward, but it was mainly be former teammates, pundits, others in the media or fans that wanted the legend to return.

ROG distanced himself from the job by pledging fealty to La Rochelle, but it was interesting to hear him speak so openly – on BT Sport and Newstalk – of potentially being England head coach one day.

We will learn of Rowntree’s wider coaching staff in the coming weeks, and it would be nice if someone widely regarded at the province like Ian Costello was brought on-board.

Munster are still in contention for two trophies but, should van Graan leave empty-handed after his tenure, Rowntree would start the new season with a side that are 11 years and waiting for silverware.

MUNSTER’S HEAD COACHES AND D.O.Rs

• Head coach – Rob Penney (2012 to 2014)

• Head coach – Anthony Foley (2014 to 2016)

• Director of Rugby – Rassie Erasmus (2016 to December 2017)

• Head coach – Johann van Graan (January 2018 to June 2022)

To have any chance of bridging that trophy gap, no-one at Munster is denying that Leinster are the team to emulate. Rowntree has been at Munster since 2019 and has seen, at closer hand, the Leinster juggernaut.

If Munster are to kick on, with him in charge, they will look to borrow from the reigning league champions and four-time European Cup winners. Rowntree will be great for getting the squad to buy into core values, but he will want coaches in to revive an attack that has stalled badly in recent years.

Outgoing attack coach Stephen Larkham said so much during a revealing media session, before the Champions Cup ‘Last 16’ first leg against Exeter Chiefs.

‘Yeah, we’re hurting’

Stephen Larkham is senior coach at Munster, with responsibilities for their attacking structures. He is leaving the province at the end of the season and will take up a senior role with the Brumbies in 2023.

Normally such a level, placid character, there was a moment in his briefing with the media, last week, that got him the most animated that any of us have seen.

Simon Lewis of the Irish Examiner put a well considered question to the Australian. He wondered if Larkham had been aware of ‘much wailing and gnashing of teeth’, among supporters, press and pundits about the gap between Leinster and Munster.

This, of course, was coming after Leinster had comfortably beaten Munster at Thomond Park – their fourth win in five visits to the province.

“It was definitely hard, yeah,” Larkham replied. “Are you talking about me, personally, or the club?”

Both, said Lewis.

“As if I haven’t expressed it enough, that we’re disappointed, in this press conference? Is that what you’re saying?”

Lewis gave his take, that games against Leinster were often the yardstick on which the wider rugby public measure where Munster are at. He asked if that was similar within the club.

“Do we judge ourselves… I mean, Leinster are top of the table at the moment. So you are always challenging yourself against those teams. You want to mark yourself against those teams. It’s no different from other competitions around the world.

“The Leinster, Munster rivalry has always been there, so that’s kind of a separate one. But when Leinster are on top, and we’re not on top, yeah we kind of feel… we’re extremely disappointed from the game. Maybe I haven’t expressed that enough.

“We’ve had a really good review and a real honest look at ourselves. Yeah, we’re hurting. There’s no doubt we’re hurting, but we’ve got to move on. That’s the game we’re in… but, yeah, apologies if you feel that we’re not expressing it enough. But I can guarantee you, internally, that hurt us.”

That hurt was channelled into another doughty away performance that saw Munster cling on against Exeter after being outgunned for so long.

UK rugby correspondents were likening the Munster rear-guard against Exeter, at Sandy Park, to the famous Muhammad Ali rope-a-dope that did for George Foreman. It looked the case when Exeter got reduced to 13 men for a second-half stretch, but the English side held on and were themselves denied a try, late in the game.

“That was us,” Graham Rowntree said, today. “Particularly that goal-line stand at the end of the game – that’s what we stand for.”

That was Munster. That is Munster.

Still, Munster need more than that.

Leinster have shown every other Irish province, and plenty of other leading rugby teams outside this country, how to build a successful rugby infrastructure for sustained success. Rowntree has taken copious notes.

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