CONNACHT OUT-HALF Josh Ioane has tipped his former Chiefs coach to be a big hit at Munster but has warned them they can expect a stern man in charge for the next few seasons.

Ioane played under Clayton McMillan for the Chiefs and the Maoris and believes the former New Zealand policeman is an ideal fit for Munster.

McMillan, who has signed a three-year contract, will arrive in the summer and take over from interim head coach Ian Costello following the shock departure last October of Graham Rowntree, who had led Munster to their only trophy since 2011 when he guided them to the URC crown in 2023.

Ioane said that McMillan is a coach who is quite direct with players and will fit in well in Irish rugby.

“I think he’ll fit in well. It’s good for Munster and for himself,” said Ioane. “Quite a stern coach, knows what he wants and quite direct, so I think he’ll be very good for Irish rugby.

“Very good coach, I had him the past few seasons with the Chiefs and he coached me as well at the Maoris.”

Meanwhile Ioane, who this week extended his Connacht contract for the next two seasons, said it was always his intention to stay longer than the initial one-year deal when he joined in the summer after JJ Hanrahan was ruled out for most of the season with an ACL.

Hanrahan’s announcement that he is moving back to his native Munster in the summer triggered Connacht seeking IRFU approval to extend Ioane’s stay. The 29-year old, who has made ten appearances so far for Connacht, was capped once by the All Blacks and is not Irish-qualified.

“We came here from New Zealand and our goal was to be here for longer than one year. My family and I enjoy it here. It’s a refreshing change from New Zealand, although the weather is quite similar. The people are really nice and the environment is good.”

But Ioane admitted it has taken him time to get used to the wind and artificial surface at Dexcom Stadium in Galway.

“It is a new way of playing, I probably underestimated that when I first got here. I was just trying to play the same but the style of play is different over here. When you are with the wind, it’s really easy and when you are into it, it’s really hard.

“Just being a bit smarter in those situations, trying to get the team out of trouble with the boot, I think I’ve had to adapt a bit more to that.

“There has been plenty of good and plenty of work-ons as well, especially here in Galway, it can be quite windy. Just the challenge of trying to adapt on the run, how we play, whether it’s putting the ball in behind instead of keeping the ball in hand and trying to attack space, stuff like that. But, overall, I’m pretty happy.”