HAVING ENJOYED FOUR years back at home with Munster, this summer will see Mike Prendergast rejoining the gang of Irish Abroad in the coaching world.
The 48-year-old is expected to join Bath at the end of the season, working under ex-Munster boss Johann van Graan and reuniting with out-half Finn Russell, with whom Prendergast built a strong connection during three shared years at Racing 92 in France.
A switch to Bath would be an exciting one for Prendergast, given that they’re the reigning Premiership champions and intent on becoming Champions Cup contenders too. Their squad is full of powerful, talented players.
The English club have a stunning training base, and Bath is a beautiful place to live.
Prendergast was initially linked with a return to French rugby with Top 14 side Bayonne in recent months when it started to become clear that he might be moving on from Munster at the end of this season.
That’s despite Prendergast having signed a deal with the province until 2027 only last season. He has decided to go down a different route now and will finish at the end of the current campaign, with coaching contracts in Ireland including a six-month notice clause that allows either party to end the agreement early.
It was always going to be a big challenge for Prendergast to align perfectly with Munster head coach Clayton McMillan, who took over last summer.
After Graham Rowntree exited in October 2024, then-attack coach Prendergast put his hand up for the top job. He felt that his experiences as an assistant with Grenoble, Oyonnax, Stade Français, Racing, and Munster meant he was ready to step up.
Initially, it seemed as if there was strong support for Prendergast’s bid within the Munster hierarchy.
He is also a coach who the IRFU clearly rate, given that he has been the Ireland A head coach, as well as being co-opted as an Ireland assistant coach for last summer’s tour of Georgia and Portugal when most of Andy Farrell’s staff joined him on the Lions trip.
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Prendergast and Keith Earls with the URC trophy. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
However, it soon became evident that Prendergast would not secure the Munster job, as McMillan emerged strongly as the front-runner.
The highly regarded New Zealander was granted an early release from his job as Chiefs head coach, so the IRFU – who interview and appoint all the provincial head coaches – and Munster had their man.
Prendergast is an honest character and admitted that it was a tough pill to swallow, but he was given a promotion of sorts. McMillan was announced as the new Munster head coach, with Prendergast moving from attack coach to ‘senior coach,’ which meant having “a more central role in team preparation, strategy, selection, and recruitment.”
For McMillan, there was a challenge straight away in getting on the same page with Prendergast, defence coach Denis Leamy, and skills and assistant backs coach Mossy Lawler, all of whom had signed two-year extensions with the province before McMillan was appointed.
The first signs were promising as Munster made a fast start to the season but things slowed up thereafter and they have sometimes looked like a team who are unsure of exactly what they want to be.
Prendergast’s brand of rugby has revolved around slick phase play and his arrival at Munster in 2022 essentially revolutionised their attack. His influence on their 2023 URC success was huge. The southern province went from being a kick-heavy team to one that played exciting, effective attacking rugby and had more balance in their game.
McMillan’s Chiefs teams were often thrilling to watch but the highlight reels glossed over the fact that they kicked more than anyone in Super Rugby and often had a pragmatic approach in their game plans.
It seems as though McMillan and Prendergast’s philosophies on the game might not be 100% the same, although it’s important to note that there is no sense whatsoever of any falling out between them here. Robust discussions about how the game should be played are an important reality in any coaching team.
Prendergast, who is popular with the Munster players, also spoke in Decemberabout his frustration at the way the game has gone with the removal of escorting, a focus on box kicking, and increased aerial contests.
Munster’s attack has been inconsistent in this campaign so far, having some excellent days but also performances where the handling, breakdown, and decision-making skills have come up short.
Regardless of how things have gone in Munster this season, there’s no doubt that Bath’s proposition is a highly attractive one. They hammered Munster when the teams met in December, so Prendergast can feel he is joining a superior club.
Not that he has taken his time with Munster for granted. He said it has been “a really special time back home” for him and his family, all the more so because he has worked with his brother, academy manager Gar, for three years. Prendergast stressed his determination to finish on a high.
Prendergast and McMillan. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
He evidently has strong ambitions to be a head coach, so it will be interesting to see how his journey progresses in the mid-term future.
Prendergast will go back on the list of Irish coaching exiles, which also includes La Rochelle boss Ronan O’Gara, his forwards coach Donnacha Ryan, Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall, Springboks assistant Felix Jones and Jerry Flannery, Glasgow attack specialist Nigel Carolan, and Bordeaux attack coach Noel McNamara.
McNamara has reportedly extended his contract with UBB beyond 2027, while Carolan has continued to build his reputation in Glasgow and recently head-coached the Scotland A team. So they appear to be well set where they are for now.
Internally, Lawler is already the assistant attack coach for Munster, so if they are seeking continuity, he would provide it. Lawler is well-regarded for his work with Munster, as well as in Connacht before returning to his native province.
But the strongest likelihood seems to be that McMillan will bring in an attack specialist from his native New Zealand.
The experienced Chiefs attack coach Roger Randle is an obvious name to consider.
The former All Blacks wing was McMillan’s attack specialist throughout his time in charge of the Kiwi franchise. His most recently publicly-confirmed contract was until the end of the current 2026 Super Rugby season. Randle is known as an energetic, upbeat character who combines well with the far more understated McMillan.
McMillan and Randle couldn’t be more aligned on their vision for the game, but it remains to be seen if he is a viable candidate. While the IRFU appoint provincial head coaches, the assistant coaching jobs are handled directly by the provinces themselves, albeit with the union having oversight on those deals.
Munster and the IRFU were thrilled to get McMillan on board last summer, so they will surely want Prendergast’s successor to help the main man double down on his vision for progress.
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Munster to double down on McMillan's vision as Prendergast exits
HAVING ENJOYED FOUR years back at home with Munster, this summer will see Mike Prendergast rejoining the gang of Irish Abroad in the coaching world.
The 48-year-old is expected to join Bath at the end of the season, working under ex-Munster boss Johann van Graan and reuniting with out-half Finn Russell, with whom Prendergast built a strong connection during three shared years at Racing 92 in France.
A switch to Bath would be an exciting one for Prendergast, given that they’re the reigning Premiership champions and intent on becoming Champions Cup contenders too. Their squad is full of powerful, talented players.
The English club have a stunning training base, and Bath is a beautiful place to live.
Prendergast was initially linked with a return to French rugby with Top 14 side Bayonne in recent months when it started to become clear that he might be moving on from Munster at the end of this season.
That’s despite Prendergast having signed a deal with the province until 2027 only last season. He has decided to go down a different route now and will finish at the end of the current campaign, with coaching contracts in Ireland including a six-month notice clause that allows either party to end the agreement early.
It was always going to be a big challenge for Prendergast to align perfectly with Munster head coach Clayton McMillan, who took over last summer.
After Graham Rowntree exited in October 2024, then-attack coach Prendergast put his hand up for the top job. He felt that his experiences as an assistant with Grenoble, Oyonnax, Stade Français, Racing, and Munster meant he was ready to step up.
Initially, it seemed as if there was strong support for Prendergast’s bid within the Munster hierarchy.
He is also a coach who the IRFU clearly rate, given that he has been the Ireland A head coach, as well as being co-opted as an Ireland assistant coach for last summer’s tour of Georgia and Portugal when most of Andy Farrell’s staff joined him on the Lions trip.
However, it soon became evident that Prendergast would not secure the Munster job, as McMillan emerged strongly as the front-runner.
The highly regarded New Zealander was granted an early release from his job as Chiefs head coach, so the IRFU – who interview and appoint all the provincial head coaches – and Munster had their man.
Prendergast is an honest character and admitted that it was a tough pill to swallow, but he was given a promotion of sorts. McMillan was announced as the new Munster head coach, with Prendergast moving from attack coach to ‘senior coach,’ which meant having “a more central role in team preparation, strategy, selection, and recruitment.”
For McMillan, there was a challenge straight away in getting on the same page with Prendergast, defence coach Denis Leamy, and skills and assistant backs coach Mossy Lawler, all of whom had signed two-year extensions with the province before McMillan was appointed.
The first signs were promising as Munster made a fast start to the season but things slowed up thereafter and they have sometimes looked like a team who are unsure of exactly what they want to be.
Prendergast’s brand of rugby has revolved around slick phase play and his arrival at Munster in 2022 essentially revolutionised their attack. His influence on their 2023 URC success was huge. The southern province went from being a kick-heavy team to one that played exciting, effective attacking rugby and had more balance in their game.
McMillan’s Chiefs teams were often thrilling to watch but the highlight reels glossed over the fact that they kicked more than anyone in Super Rugby and often had a pragmatic approach in their game plans.
It seems as though McMillan and Prendergast’s philosophies on the game might not be 100% the same, although it’s important to note that there is no sense whatsoever of any falling out between them here. Robust discussions about how the game should be played are an important reality in any coaching team.
Prendergast, who is popular with the Munster players, also spoke in December about his frustration at the way the game has gone with the removal of escorting, a focus on box kicking, and increased aerial contests.
Munster’s attack has been inconsistent in this campaign so far, having some excellent days but also performances where the handling, breakdown, and decision-making skills have come up short.
Regardless of how things have gone in Munster this season, there’s no doubt that Bath’s proposition is a highly attractive one. They hammered Munster when the teams met in December, so Prendergast can feel he is joining a superior club.
Not that he has taken his time with Munster for granted. He said it has been “a really special time back home” for him and his family, all the more so because he has worked with his brother, academy manager Gar, for three years. Prendergast stressed his determination to finish on a high.
He evidently has strong ambitions to be a head coach, so it will be interesting to see how his journey progresses in the mid-term future.
Prendergast will go back on the list of Irish coaching exiles, which also includes La Rochelle boss Ronan O’Gara, his forwards coach Donnacha Ryan, Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall, Springboks assistant Felix Jones and Jerry Flannery, Glasgow attack specialist Nigel Carolan, and Bordeaux attack coach Noel McNamara.
McNamara has reportedly extended his contract with UBB beyond 2027, while Carolan has continued to build his reputation in Glasgow and recently head-coached the Scotland A team. So they appear to be well set where they are for now.
Internally, Lawler is already the assistant attack coach for Munster, so if they are seeking continuity, he would provide it. Lawler is well-regarded for his work with Munster, as well as in Connacht before returning to his native province.
But the strongest likelihood seems to be that McMillan will bring in an attack specialist from his native New Zealand.
The experienced Chiefs attack coach Roger Randle is an obvious name to consider.
The former All Blacks wing was McMillan’s attack specialist throughout his time in charge of the Kiwi franchise. His most recently publicly-confirmed contract was until the end of the current 2026 Super Rugby season. Randle is known as an energetic, upbeat character who combines well with the far more understated McMillan.
McMillan and Randle couldn’t be more aligned on their vision for the game, but it remains to be seen if he is a viable candidate. While the IRFU appoint provincial head coaches, the assistant coaching jobs are handled directly by the provinces themselves, albeit with the union having oversight on those deals.
Munster and the IRFU were thrilled to get McMillan on board last summer, so they will surely want Prendergast’s successor to help the main man double down on his vision for progress.
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Attack Ireland IRFU Mike Prendergast Munster Vision