If everyone else is the problem, then maybe you’re the problem.
Whoever came up with this cliched kernel probably didn’t aim to create a rod for the back of Munster Rugby. Inadvertently or otherwise, the expression has become useful when analysing the province’s coaching history.
As the new man in charge of the Red Army, Clayton McMillan is Munster’s seventh head coach – interim or otherwise – in the past 13 years. In his recent autobiography, which was largely a love letter to his old province, Conor Murray criticised what he saw as a coaching “churn”.
Coaching stability is widely seen as one of the pillars required for success in rugby. Look how long Andy Farrell has been in charge of Ireland, or Leo Cullen at Leinster. (Granted, the latter has not achieved the levels of success demanded by their supporters.)
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Munster’s issue doesn’t seem to be the identification of leaders capable of building a winning environment. Of those seven recent coaches, three of the four who went on to different jobs have won silverware elsewhere. They just couldn’t do so at Munster.
The only coach to receive stringent public criticism from anyone involved at Munster was Graham Rowntree. Granted, that was the opinion of just one player, Murray again in his recently published book. Despite this, Rowntree can’t be labelled a complete dud as he’s the only coach to lead Munster to a trophy – the 2023 URC crown – since 2011.
No, the issue is something else. Nuance is required to delve properly into it. Nuance which Munster chief executive, Ian Flanagan, called for when defending his organisation against some of Murray’s comments.
“Johann van Graan, who was my first coach, decided to go to Bath and leave in the middle of a contract,” he said. “Rob Penney decided to go to Japan. Rassie Erasmus decided to go to the Springboks. Axel (Antony Foley), as we all know, tragically passed away. And Graham [Rowntree] left by mutual consent.
“For each of those individual coaches, there were particular motivations and reasons. But I would not absolutely put Munster in a position where we are being blamed, or we are somehow at fault, for decisions made by individual coaches. I would have an issue with that word ‘churn’ being used.”
Grievance with Murray’s choice of words aside, the question remains: Are Munster to be blamed for their coaching overhaul? If so, what have they done about it?
Prior to the 2023 URC title, Tony McGahan was the last Munster coach to win silverware. The Australian left the province ahead of the 2012/13 season. Since then, seven men have served as Munster boss: Penney, Foley, Erasmus, Van Graan, Rowntree, Ian Costello (interim) and now McMillan.
Of that list, Rowntree had the most success purely in terms of trophies. Erasmus had the best win percentage (81 per cent of total matches). By comparison, Joe Schmidt’s figure at Leinster, where he won two Heineken Cups, a Challenge Cup and a domestic title, was 78 per cent. When it comes to Erasmus, Munster will always be left with a sense of “what might have been”.
On Munster’s list of recent bosses, Van Graan was the longest tenured, staying at Thomond Park for five years. His win percentage (67 per cent) was second only to Erasmus.
Despite adding to the trophy cabinet in UL, Rowntree had the lowest win rate of the listed permanent coaches (56 per cent). Only Ian Costello, last year’s interim who regularly said he had no eyes for the permanent gig, has a lower number (52 per cent).
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After leaving Munster, Erasmus did all right for himself, winning two World Cups. Penney has a Super Rugby title to his name with the Crusaders. Van Graan won the most recent Premiership final at Bath. It remains to be seen how Rowntree fares having recently taken up a role with Urayasu D-Rocks in Japan, while Costello has shifted back into his role as Munster’s general manager.
Akin to Flanagan’s argument, context should be added to everyone’s post-Munster success. Penney’s positive arc after leaving Limerick wasn’t linear. During his time in Japan, the Shining Arcs (now the D-Rocks coached by Rowntree) were mostly a mid-table team.
When Penney moved to Australia, his Waratahs outfit came next-to-last in his first Super Rugby campaign. Five games into his second season, he left the job. Penney’s maiden season in charge of the Crusaders saw the Canterbury outfit win just four of 14 games. That campaign was followed by a resurgent run to this year’s title.
Neither Van Graan nor Erasmus walked into immediate success after Munster, either. Van Graan described Bath as “broken” when he arrived, fresh off the club’s last-place league finish in 2022. It took the South African two years to reach the Premiership final, three to win the thing.
Erasmus’s first year with South Africa was also tricky. They finished third of four teams in the Rugby Championship and shipped a 35-point defeat to Ireland during the November internationals.
Resources – both playing and financial – are a crucial part of this discussion. The Crusaders have been historically dominant in Super Rugby, cashing in on the talent of an All Blacks-laden group. South Africa arguably has the largest pool of dominant athletes of any rugby-playing country.
Under Premiership rules, which allow for one marquee contract outside the salary cap, Bath have reportedly been able to pay Finn Russell about £1 million (€1.15 million) per year. Other recent signings, whose deals do count towards the cap, include Henry Arundell, Santiago Carreras and Chris Harris, all international players. Of Munster’s signings ahead of this season, Dan Kelly and Michael Milne have three international caps between them.
Gone are the days were large salaries are handed out to Springboks. In fact, the size of Munster’s squad as a whole is worth tracking. The 2019/20 senior group totalled 48. Since the pandemic hit, that group has steadily dropped, falling to as low as 41 in 2023/24. This year, the number has increased to 43.
There are undoubtedly factors behind this resource gap which are beyond Munster’s control. Owned by the IRFU, provinces don’t have the same autonomy over budgets and player signings as other, privately-backed teams. Coaches who are hungry for success often look at the raw facts, rather than context. Why not go where you can have more control?
Some of the above nuance should soften the view that, as the only recurring figure in these relationships, Munster is the problem. All parties, even coaches, must take some responsibility for on-pitch failure.
Now the province’s general manager, Costello heads up a new structure which shifts his focus. Fixing issues with an academy failing to deliver the talent it once did, along with shrewd recruitment, would be towards the top of his list. The goal, clearly, is to set up new man McMillan for success in a way his predecessors may not have been.
To say Munster have become a problem would be harsh. Yet they fell short when it came to equipping good rugby minds with the desired tools. The new set-up focuses on stability, with Costello overseeing things while settled assistants Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy help McMillan get up to speed.
The new head coach, who comes with a good reputation from the Chiefs in Super Rugby, has signed a three-year contract. The conclusion of that deal would be a good point to see if Munster have got any better at matching their eye for a good coach with the ability to adequately support him.
