THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN Anthony Foley and Munster’s new director of rugby is going to be an absolutely crucial one next season.
Foley remains onboard until the summer of 2017 as head coach, but he will be answering to a director of rugby for the first time after Munster’s Professional Games Board decided that bringing in a director of rugby could help shift the province back towards former glories.
The newly-created position, which Munster are currently attempting to fill, creates an interesting and potentially tricky scenario for Foley. He will no longer be the boss.
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder, Rebels boss Tony McGahan and former Connacht coach Michael Bradley have all been discussed as candidates by Munster, while it’s understood Harlequins assistant coach Mark Mapletoft has applied for the job.
South African Johan ‘Rassie’ Erasmus has emerged as a strong contender too, having visited the University of Limerick last week.
Foley says he hopes Munster’s first-ever director of rugby will bring onboard a firm view that challenges his own beliefs.
“I’d like a fella that has his own opinions, backs his own opinions and listens to others,” said Foley. “I think that’s always good. You have to have a challenging environment, you get challenged every week.
It’s about not being overly sensitive around it, because everything changes.”
The move to a director of rugby model, while retaining Foley, is a major one for Munster and a recognition that this season has not been up to the province’s previously high standards.
There have been further changes outside the southern province, of course, most notably on foreign shores. Foley believes that the new director of rugby will have a crucial role to play in both recruiting players and ensuring homegrown players are coming through the ranks.
“The European rugby landscape has changed with monies that have gone into France and monies that have gone into the Premiership in England,” said Foley. “Recruitment is massive.
“We’ve obviously got limited positions that we can recruit in and you need to be all over that. At the moment we’re just operating with Frankie [Saili] as our only overseas player. BJ [Botha], [Mark] Chisholm, Tyler [Bleyendaal], Gerhard [van der Heever] – those four aren’t in our 23 most weeks, so that’s where we are there.
“We’ve been lucky and unlucky in some respects in our recruitment. Going forward you need to look at where the next players come from.
“The other side of it is because you’re so restricted in your academy structure, your identification of underage players needs to be through the roof because you need to look internally to replace and build your squads.
Then you look at where most of the current crop of elder players would have come from is in the AIL. The AIL has dwindled, particularly in the last few years and particularly in around some of the Munster clubs. You have that challenge, where do your next crop of up and coming players ply their trade and where do they get their experience from?
“There’s a lot of things that a hands-on coach can’t really affect. Hopefully, somebody can come in and have a different view on it. Sometimes what you know is what your environment has been, so maybe there’s another way of doing the exact same thing.”
From the players’ point of view, Munster captain CJ Stander stated that they have no idea who will be filing the director of rugby role, joking that “every week it’s another name.”
Stander has some experience of working with former Springbok flanker Erasmus, who is currently operating in a high performance role with the South Africa Rugby Union that involves ensuring a pipeline of talented players come through to Test level, while he previously head coached the Cheetahs.
“I know him, yeah, I worked with him a few times,” said Stander. “I only find out [just] before the media who it will be; last week it was [rumoured to be] Paul O’Connell.
“But no, [Erasmus] is a good guy, he has played for the Springboks before. He is a good coach, he will bring something different whatever happens, but next week we might sign a different director of rugby!
“He worked with the Cheetahs, he will bring a type of game that is a bit more open. He has always got something up his sleeve, so it will be interesting to see what happens if he signs and what he can bring.”
Whoever it is to be as director of rugby, the addition of an outside voice – which is missing from the current set-up – will be crucial for Munster.
Foley’s homegrown backroom staff of Brian Walsh, Ian Costello, Mick O’Driscoll, Jerry Flannery have faced criticism this season too, and their futures remain unconfirmed at present.
Foley indicated that any announcements in that regard are likely to come after the appointment of a director of rugby, but said he has been well supported by his assistants over the last two seasons.
“[They've been] brilliant,” said Foley. “I think Cossie, Fla, Micko and Squeaks [Walsh], they are all working very hard. They are all passionate about Munster and all want Munster to win. Nobody has dropped their heads.
“It is all about making sure that we get into Europe next year, that we get top four. These are the things we talk about.”
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