CLAYTON McMILLAN SAYS he “hasn’t given any thought” to the possibility of joining the new All Blacks coaching ticket, following Scott Robertson’s shock exit this week.

New Zealand are currently on the search for a new head coach following Robertson’s departure, which came after the former Crusaders boss reportedly lost the dressing room.

Munster head coach McMillan has been among the names mentioned as a possible contender for the role – either as All Blacks head coach or an assistant.

McMillan, who joined Munster from the Chiefs – leading the Hamilton side to four Super Rugby finals in five seasons – is highly regarded in his homeland and previously held coaching roles with New Zealand U20, Maori All Blacks and All Blacks XV teams.

Asked about the vacancy today, McMillan was keen to keep to the focus on his current role with Munster.

“My first initial thoughts were that it was a bit of a surprise,” McMillan said.

“It’s not normally the New Zealand way to make such a big decision, but it’s one that’s been made, and my initial thoughts are actually just with Scott and his family. Nobody likes to see players or coaches have to go through that. So my thoughts are with him. 

“To be perfectly honest, with all respect, I haven’t even given any thought to the question that you’ve just asked. We play Castres at Thomond Park, we need a win, and really, that’s where all my attention is going.”

Tomorrow sees McMillan’s Munster side take on Castres in Limerick [KO 5.30pm, Premier Sports], with the province boosted by the news Craig Casey is fit to start after making a swift recovery from the shoulder injury he sustained in Toulon on Sunday.

“It didn’t look great after the game,” McMillan said.

“He had his arm in sling, it was obviously quite a bit of pain, but all the tests that he’s done have indicated that it’s not a huge amount of damage there.

It’s just going to be a little bit sore and something that he’ll tolerate, and won’t impact on his ability to play. So huge for us. 

“Every team probably has three or four players that are the heartbeat of the team, both on and off the field.  They have a lot of value through their leadership, their ability to make other people look and feel good. And he’s definitely one of those players for us. 

“He was pretty confident himself after the game, ‘I’ll be there on Saturday, Donk [McMillan's nickname]’, so I’m happy that he’s proved himself right.”

McMillan also gave his reaction to this week’s news that Jean Kleyn will join Gloucester at the end of the season, ending the South African’s 10-year stay at Munster.

Kleyn’s exit frees up an NIQ spot on Munster’s books, and McMillan said the province have not decided if they will use that to source a direct replacement in the second row, or look to strengthen the squad elsewhere.

“First of all we’re happy for JK. He’s picked up a three-year deal over at Gloucester and that’s just not something that we were able to match.

“We’re pretty realistic around where we think we need to get stronger on our roster to be able to compete consistently with the best teams. We’re comfortable that we’ve got some good prospects coming through our ranks in the locks stocks that as much as we tried to keep JK for a year, there are some good bodies coming through.

“We’ll definitely use that NIQ spot but we won’t rush into making a decision around what position it is.”