WHEN CLAYTON MCMILLAN made the move to Munster from New Zealand, he brought two trusted fellow Kiwis with him.
Head of athletic performance Brad Mayo had worked with McMillan at the Chiefs and with the All Blacks XV. Mayo quickly won over the Munster players with his old-school approach to pre-season. The strength and conditioning specialist is also said to be a popular character off the pitch.
We have heard less about the impact of team manager Martyn Vercoe until now. Vercoe worked with McMillan for the Chiefs, All Blacks XV, and New Zealand U20s.
Vercoe’s job is to oversee the logistics that keep a professional team like Munster on track, but he also has a lively personality behind the scenes.
Munster centre Alex Nankivell knew all about Vercoe, having been part of the same Chiefs set-up under McMillan, as well as having Vercoe as his team manager for the Tasman Mako before he broke into Super Rugby.
“I was very lucky to have him as my manager every single year of playing rugby in New Zealand professionally when I left school,” says 29-year-old Nankivell.
“We’re very close. I’ve known his kids since they were, geez, seven or eight years old, his oldest. He’s a great man.
“He’s probably a bit more than just a traditional manager. He’s really good at lifting morale around the group and standards, and he’s just so organised around different things.”
Nankivell explains that Vercoe has his own segment of team meetings each week where he brings a different Munster player up in front of the room and interviews them about their life in front of the rest of the squad.
Vercoe digs into parts of the players’ worlds beyond just the surface level.
“He chucks them up the front, sits next to them, and goes through a few different stories about their life or their upbringing, things like that,” says Nankivell.
“So he’s a great man, and I know the lads have felt the same, that he’s been awesome.”
Nankivell hasn’t been called up for one of Vercoe’s sit-downs yet, but he says the Munster players have handled the new twist on their culture well.
Nankivell has featured on the wing twice this season but wants to play in midfield. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“It is very vulnerable,” says Nankivell.
“The lads have been pretty good at it. They actually handle it pretty well. Like, when they’ve been talking about family or things that are really close to their heart, they’ve been really good about talking about that stuff, but geez, I don’t know if I would.
“I’ve said to him that if I go up there and he brings up certain parts of my life, I might get a bit emotional, so I don’t know.”
He has the name ‘William’ tattooed on the inside of his left wrist in memory of the older brother he never got a chance to meet.
William had neuroblastoma, a form of cancer, and was just four years old when he passed away in 1996.
Alex was born nine months after William died, and his parents say that “I’m like a gift from him.”
“For me, it’s one of the things that drives me,” said Nankivell in 2023. “He never had the chance to have an opportunity at life. Whatever’s going on, you’re always reminded to be pretty grateful.”
So that’s why Nankivell is a little wary of Vercoe’s interviews. Sitting in front of a room of team-mates and going through that story “would probably set me off,” says Nankivell.
He remains extremely close to his family despite having moved across the world to play rugby. Happily, his older brother, Hugo, has been living in London for the last few years, so they’ve been able to see plenty of each other.
Hugo and his fianceé were in Bath last weekend to watch Alex play for Munster against Bath. They made two signs for the occasion.
One read ’200 not out’ in reference to Nankivell playing his 200th game of professional rugby.
Nankivell is an abrasive presence for Munster. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The other read ‘Nank the Tank,’ which was Alex’s nickname in school after he had a big growth spurt.
Nankivell’s parents, Kim and Fiona, came over to Ireland for around five months during his first season here, meaning they have seen plenty of the place and lots of Munster games.
The Nankivells did a working holiday in Oysterhaven, not far from Kinsale. They stayed in a big manor house, getting free accommodation in return for their painting and landscaping work as the house was renovated.
“They did that during the week to keep them busy, and then on the weekends they would come and watch us play, or if we weren’t playing, just travel around. They did the Ring of Kerry and the Wild Atlantic Way and all that.”
Kim and Fiona will be back in April 2026 to spend a month in Ireland and the UK, visiting Alex and lots of other friends. Hugo is due to head back to New Zealand soon.
It will be brilliant to see his parents, but Nankivell increasingly feels at home in Limerick.
He has been here for two years, with his current contract due to run until 2027, and he’s happy. He could qualify to play for Ireland in 2028 at the age of 31 if he stays on, but he’s not worrying about that, just enjoying life in Limerick.
Nankivell even has an Irish girlfriend, Ciara.
“She’s from down in Bantry,” he says. “We’ve been together for over a year now. So, it does feel like home.
“It’s always been similar coming over here, so familiar culturally and stuff with the people and hospitality and just the lifestyle. So, I can definitely see myself staying here a long time.”
It also helps that he loves playing for Munster and feels like he fits into the squad so well.
“I think it’s just the people,” he says. “Like, everyone’s just good people. They’re probably not too high on their high horse.
“I guess they say it’s a bit of a working-class team, and that’s the way it feels. Everyone’s just humble and there for a good time.
Nankivell loves life with Munster. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“They don’t take life too seriously. They look after their own, look after one another, and they care a lot about one another. So that kind of loyalty they have for the province and the people and the people gone before in the Munster jersey, that’s pretty special to me.
“I guess coming from New Zealand, a lot of similarities for me, and I guess being at the Chiefs with Clayton, a lot of similar stuff there. So, I feel like I just can really buy into that.”
In that sense, Nankivell wasn’t surprised by McMillan’s response to last weekend’s heavy Champions Cup defeat in Bath.
As they look to bounce back against Gloucester in Cork tomorrow, the Munster boss set the tone for his players in no uncertain terms.
This is all about doing the Munster fans right after their incredible guard of honour outside the team hotel in Bath before last weekend’s game.
“That was one of the things he [McMillan] brought up. He showed a video of that, of the tunnel,” says Nankivell.
“And he just said we pretty much let them down. And we did.
“When you put something up like that, it actually hurts. It’s something deeper than just, ‘You dropped the ball here,’ or, ‘You missed a clean here.’
“I don’t want that to feel like that again. They do that for us, and then we’re not reciprocating it around how we play.
“We want to make them proud. And we didn’t as a team. We didn’t make them proud in our performance against Bath.
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'It feels like home. I can definitely see myself staying here a long time'
WHEN CLAYTON MCMILLAN made the move to Munster from New Zealand, he brought two trusted fellow Kiwis with him.
Head of athletic performance Brad Mayo had worked with McMillan at the Chiefs and with the All Blacks XV. Mayo quickly won over the Munster players with his old-school approach to pre-season. The strength and conditioning specialist is also said to be a popular character off the pitch.
We have heard less about the impact of team manager Martyn Vercoe until now. Vercoe worked with McMillan for the Chiefs, All Blacks XV, and New Zealand U20s.
Vercoe’s job is to oversee the logistics that keep a professional team like Munster on track, but he also has a lively personality behind the scenes.
Munster centre Alex Nankivell knew all about Vercoe, having been part of the same Chiefs set-up under McMillan, as well as having Vercoe as his team manager for the Tasman Mako before he broke into Super Rugby.
“I was very lucky to have him as my manager every single year of playing rugby in New Zealand professionally when I left school,” says 29-year-old Nankivell.
“We’re very close. I’ve known his kids since they were, geez, seven or eight years old, his oldest. He’s a great man.
“He’s probably a bit more than just a traditional manager. He’s really good at lifting morale around the group and standards, and he’s just so organised around different things.”
Nankivell explains that Vercoe has his own segment of team meetings each week where he brings a different Munster player up in front of the room and interviews them about their life in front of the rest of the squad.
Vercoe digs into parts of the players’ worlds beyond just the surface level.
“He chucks them up the front, sits next to them, and goes through a few different stories about their life or their upbringing, things like that,” says Nankivell.
“So he’s a great man, and I know the lads have felt the same, that he’s been awesome.”
Nankivell hasn’t been called up for one of Vercoe’s sit-downs yet, but he says the Munster players have handled the new twist on their culture well.
“It is very vulnerable,” says Nankivell.
“The lads have been pretty good at it. They actually handle it pretty well. Like, when they’ve been talking about family or things that are really close to their heart, they’ve been really good about talking about that stuff, but geez, I don’t know if I would.
“I’ve said to him that if I go up there and he brings up certain parts of my life, I might get a bit emotional, so I don’t know.”
To be fair to Nankivell, he’s no closed book.
Back in 2023, a few months after joining Munster, he spoke to The 42 about his family.
He has the name ‘William’ tattooed on the inside of his left wrist in memory of the older brother he never got a chance to meet.
William had neuroblastoma, a form of cancer, and was just four years old when he passed away in 1996.
Alex was born nine months after William died, and his parents say that “I’m like a gift from him.”
“For me, it’s one of the things that drives me,” said Nankivell in 2023. “He never had the chance to have an opportunity at life. Whatever’s going on, you’re always reminded to be pretty grateful.”
So that’s why Nankivell is a little wary of Vercoe’s interviews. Sitting in front of a room of team-mates and going through that story “would probably set me off,” says Nankivell.
He remains extremely close to his family despite having moved across the world to play rugby. Happily, his older brother, Hugo, has been living in London for the last few years, so they’ve been able to see plenty of each other.
Hugo and his fianceé were in Bath last weekend to watch Alex play for Munster against Bath. They made two signs for the occasion.
One read ’200 not out’ in reference to Nankivell playing his 200th game of professional rugby.
The other read ‘Nank the Tank,’ which was Alex’s nickname in school after he had a big growth spurt.
Nankivell’s parents, Kim and Fiona, came over to Ireland for around five months during his first season here, meaning they have seen plenty of the place and lots of Munster games.
The Nankivells did a working holiday in Oysterhaven, not far from Kinsale. They stayed in a big manor house, getting free accommodation in return for their painting and landscaping work as the house was renovated.
“They did that during the week to keep them busy, and then on the weekends they would come and watch us play, or if we weren’t playing, just travel around. They did the Ring of Kerry and the Wild Atlantic Way and all that.”
Kim and Fiona will be back in April 2026 to spend a month in Ireland and the UK, visiting Alex and lots of other friends. Hugo is due to head back to New Zealand soon.
It will be brilliant to see his parents, but Nankivell increasingly feels at home in Limerick.
He has been here for two years, with his current contract due to run until 2027, and he’s happy. He could qualify to play for Ireland in 2028 at the age of 31 if he stays on, but he’s not worrying about that, just enjoying life in Limerick.
Nankivell even has an Irish girlfriend, Ciara.
“She’s from down in Bantry,” he says. “We’ve been together for over a year now. So, it does feel like home.
“It’s always been similar coming over here, so familiar culturally and stuff with the people and hospitality and just the lifestyle. So, I can definitely see myself staying here a long time.”
It also helps that he loves playing for Munster and feels like he fits into the squad so well.
“I think it’s just the people,” he says. “Like, everyone’s just good people. They’re probably not too high on their high horse.
“I guess they say it’s a bit of a working-class team, and that’s the way it feels. Everyone’s just humble and there for a good time.
“They don’t take life too seriously. They look after their own, look after one another, and they care a lot about one another. So that kind of loyalty they have for the province and the people and the people gone before in the Munster jersey, that’s pretty special to me.
“I guess coming from New Zealand, a lot of similarities for me, and I guess being at the Chiefs with Clayton, a lot of similar stuff there. So, I feel like I just can really buy into that.”
In that sense, Nankivell wasn’t surprised by McMillan’s response to last weekend’s heavy Champions Cup defeat in Bath.
As they look to bounce back against Gloucester in Cork tomorrow, the Munster boss set the tone for his players in no uncertain terms.
This is all about doing the Munster fans right after their incredible guard of honour outside the team hotel in Bath before last weekend’s game.
“That was one of the things he [McMillan] brought up. He showed a video of that, of the tunnel,” says Nankivell.
“And he just said we pretty much let them down. And we did.
“When you put something up like that, it actually hurts. It’s something deeper than just, ‘You dropped the ball here,’ or, ‘You missed a clean here.’
“I don’t want that to feel like that again. They do that for us, and then we’re not reciprocating it around how we play.
“We want to make them proud. And we didn’t as a team. We didn’t make them proud in our performance against Bath.
“So we want to rectify that.”
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Alex Nankivell Cork Gloucester Munster Nank the Tank