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Munster coaching staff begins to take shape in post-Rowntree era

Munster head coach Graham Rowntree, left, and attack coach Mike Prendergast before the Investec Champions Cup Pool 3 Round 4 match between Munster and Northampton Saints at Thomond Park in Limerick. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Munster attack coach Mike Prendergast has followed in the footsteps of defence coach Denis Leamy by signing a two-year contract extension.

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Just hours after Leamy committed to the club, his former Munster team-mate Predergast did the same.

The pair were recruited by the now-departed Graham Rowntree when the Englishman took on the role of head coach in 2022, and were part of Munster’s successful United Rugby Championship campaign in their first season in charge.

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Boks Office – Looking ahead to 2025

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Boks Office – Looking ahead to 2025

Rowntree’s exit also ushered the departure of forwards coach Andi Kyriacou, but Leamy and Prendergast have ensured that there will not be wholesale changes at Thomond Park.

Prior to joining Munster, the former scrum-half held a number of jobs in France.

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Following the departure of Prendergast’s former boss Rowntree, Munster CEO Ian Flanagan said: “We would like to thank Graham for his passion and dedication to Munster Rugby over the past five years, and I would like to wish him and his family the very best for the future on behalf of Munster Rugby.

“With the All Blacks XV coming to a sold-out Thomond Park this weekend and a number of big games on the horizon in November and December, our focus will be on continuing to support the coaches and the players for the season ahead.”

Rowntree added: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Munster working with a very talented group of players and coaches.

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“I would like to thank the wider Munster family for all the support they have shown me in my time here but now is the right stage for my family and I to look forward to a new chapter.”

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cw 4 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Thanks JW for clarifying your point and totally agree. The ABs are still trying to find their mojo” - that spark of power that binds and defines them. Man the Boks certainly found theirs in Wellington! But I think it cannot be far off for ABs - my comment about two coaches was a bit glib. The key point for me is that they need first a coach or coaches that can unlock that power and for me that starts at getting the set piece right and especially the scrum and second a coach that can simplify the game plans. I am fortified in this view by NBs comment that most of the ABs tries come from the scrum or lineout - this is the structured power game we have been seeing all year. But it cannot work while the scrum is backpeddling. That has to be fixed ASAP if Robertson is going to stick to this formula. I also think it is too late in the cycle to reverse course and revert to a game based on speed and continuity. The second is just as important - keep it simple! Complex movements that require 196 cm 144 kg props to run around like 95kg flankers is never going to work over a sustained period. The 2024 Blues showed what a powerful yet simple formula can do. The 2025 Blues, with Beauden at 10 tried to be more expansive / complicated - and struggled for most of the season.

I also think that the split bench needs to reflect the game they “want” to play not follow some rote formula. For example the ABs impact bench has the biggest front row in the World with two props 195cm / 140 kg plus. But that bulk cannot succeed without the right power based second row (7, 4, 5, 6). That bulk becomes a disadvantage if they don’t have a rock solid base behind them - as both Boks showed at Eden Park and the English in London. Fresh powerful legs need to come on with them - thats why we need a 6-2 bench. And teams with this split can have players focused only on 40 minutes max of super high intensity play. Hence Robertson needs to design his team to accord with these basic physics.



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