EXPERIENCE, ATTITUDE OR versatility won’t be an issue for Johann van Graan when he assumes the role of head coach with Munster next month, according to Rassie Erasmus.
The outgoing Springbok assistant will take up his first head coaching position next month. And though the 37-year-old’s track record is a short one, that does not necessarily detract from his quality.
“That was pretty well done by Munster to get him out of (South Africa) because I know he is highly-rated there,” Erasmus said after making little attempt to paint silver linings on Munster’s draw away to Castres.
“He will bring work ethic, a hell of a lot of experience and he is used to pressure situations. He is a guy that coached two weeks ago when they lost 57-0 against the All Blacks and he was one of the guys that tried to turn it around the next week.”
The future SARU director of rugby also notes the impressive breadth of van Graan’s abilities, and that jack-of-all-trades aspect to the new recruit could prove important given that the departure of Jacques Nienaber along with Erasmus will leave Munster short of a specialist defence coach.
“He has won three Super Rugby titles as an assistant coach. He has experience across the range, from attack to defence and he is a very good analyst. He is a wonderful attacking coach and he will add a lot to the line-out work that Jerry (Flannery) is doing.
He is the master of all, if I can put it that way.”
“Because he started (coaching) at 33 or something. He grew up next to the Bulls’ rugby field and he worked with guys like Fourie Du Preez and Victor Matfield and those kind of guys for years and years. It is a great character coming to Munster.”
Before Van Graan enters the picture, Munster will have a job on their hands taking on another Top 14 juggernaut next weekend. Erasmus and his captain Peter O’Mahony expressed a mix of relief and annoyance with the drawn game. Away from home, that result is acceptable, but at home nothing less than a win will do in this competition.
Erasmus watched Racing’s win over Leicester on Saturday by way of a stream on a small screen, so was reluctant to come to a conclusion on how they stand. As for Munster, the captain and director of rugby both concluded that there was a touch of naivety to Munster, or ‘lack of cuteness’ as O’Mahony put it. Perhaps some technical issues too, says Erasmus:
“I think they have only lost one here this season. They are a difficult team to play with pressure and their intensity… we still could have won the game and that’s the disappointing thing. Being in Castres and taking two points – we’ll take that but it doesn’t take away from a tactical poor performance.
“Tyler’s long kick just after half time was the right idea but just too long so I guess that’s an execution thing. I guess when you hammer on their line and go six or eight breakdowns and lose it in the eighth breakdown it’s a technique thing.
“I really think the intent was there but there was a chance for us at one stage to go for a drop goal there, but then we went wide and they got the steal so we may have been a bit naive at times but we will learn from that.”
Whatever way you look at it though, the time for learning under Erasmus is almost over, the South African is in the somewhat odd position of building a base for his replacement to work off. A win over the next French opponent would be a fine parting gift to leave on JVG’s desk.
“We would like to have him in a nice position, a nice soft landing.”
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