Oct 30,2024
Munster should take their time when it comes to appointing a new head coach, according to Donal Lenihan, with Felix Jones and Ronan O'Gara among the targets.
This morning the province announced that Graham Rowntree had departed with both sides coming to a "mutual agreement".
The club had lost four of their opening six games in the United Rugby Championship, a run that included away defeats to Zebre, Leinster, Stormers and Sharks.
Rowntree joined Munster in 2019 as forwards coach and was in the head coach role since 2022 and led them to the URC title in his first year in charge.
Head of rugby operations Ian Costello (below) has taken over as interim head coach.
Former Munster players Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy are among the assistant coaches currently with the club, while former players Jones and O’Gara have more senior coaching experience.
Jones, now based in Dublin, was a defence specialist with the double-World Cup winning South Africa team and is currently working through a notice period with England, while O’Gara is head coach of La Rochelle, with whom he has won two European Cups.
"Graham had been there for three years as an assistant coach prior to taking over as head coach, so he knew the culture within the group, he knew the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation.
"I think Munster should take their time.
"It's going to be difficult to get the person you want mid-season but I think it's a hugely important appointment because Munster, despite the fact that they won the URC two seasons ago, they have been treading water for a while now and have found it difficult."
While Jones and O’Gara have natural ties to the club, getting them out of current contracts would be a costly affair, and the province are operating off a limited budget.
"Look, they'd be the top two on everyone's list," added Lenihan.
"Felix Jones having been part of Munster as a player and an assistant coach, I think he'd be an outstanding fit in that he knows the set-up, he knows exactly what he's going into.
"One of the question marks would be he's never been a head coach before.
"He did an outstanding job in South Africa, was part of their World Cup-winning coaching squads, they won two World Cups, had made a brilliant impact with England.
"He took over the defence, he changed that overnight and was hugely popular there.
"But the issue with him, number one, is he is still contracted to England.
"They're not going to release him without getting some form of compensation.
"So in a cash-strapped scenario that Munster are in, that's an issue, even though I think he should be seriously considered if he's the right man.
"You've got to address that problem.
"Ronan O’Gara, another obvious one, but again, he's contracted in La Rochelle, I think at the very least until the end of next season.
"I don't see Ronan coming back at this stage of his career.
"I know his kids are in in school in France at the moment.
"I think it's probably a little bit early for him and he has unfinished business out there.
"He wants to win a Bouclier [Top14 title] with La Rochelle.
"So I don't see him sort of rising to the challenge at this point in time.
"From that point of view, I think Felix Jones is probably the number one target."
Lenihan admitted that the news came a shock although the four-week gap to their next league game meant it made more sense to begin the search for a new boss as soon as possible.
"That was my surprise when I heard at 10 o’clock this morning, I got a phone call to say that Graham had stepped down," he said.
"It was obviously, I think, a mutual approach, a lot of dissatisfaction with the way Munster had started the season.
"So while I was shocked with the sudden nature of it, I mean, they're barely off the plane from South Africa, I suppose in the context of the results, two wins out of six, they have been struggling.
"I think Munster have a lot of issues outside of just the coaching set-up.
"I think the key factor was the fact that there is a break in the season.
"I know they're playing an All Blacks team on Saturday, but that in effect is a friendly.
"They don't play in the URC again until the end of November.
"So from that point of view, it looked like the right time to to pull the plug if that's what you were going to do."
