THE UNCERTAINTY AT Munster doesn’t look like ending any time soon, with Clayton McMillan cutting a frustrated figure during yesterday’s press call as the messy Roger Randle situation continues to create problems for the province.

Having outlined his disappointment that Randle would not be joining the province as their new attack coach, McMillan was coy about his own future beyond this season and said changes need to be made in order for him to feel he has the appropriate support in the role.

On 15 April, Randle was announced as Munster’s new attack coach, joining from the Chiefs ahead of the 2026/27 season. 

However, a historic allegation against Randle quickly resurfaced publicly. In 1997, Randle was accused of raping a woman in South Africa when he was there as a player. He was initially charged with the crime, but the charge was later dropped. Randle has always denied the allegation and reiterated his “complete and unwavering innocence” as recently as last week.

The appointment created internal issues at Munster, with three former Munster players resigning from their positions as independent nominees on the province’s Professional Game Committee (PCG) and further resignations from the voluntary Commercial Advisory Group (CAG).

Last week, Munster confirmed Randle would no longer be joining the province, stating they and Randle “mutually agreed” not to proceed with the appointment.

During Thursday’s press call to preview Munster’s URC clash with Connacht this weekend, McMillan – who previously worked with Randle at the Chiefs – admitted he was “disappointed around the decision around Roger”.

The Munster head coach was asked if the situation had led him to consider his own future with the province.

“Yeah, look, I imagine that there’s a lot of people that are doing a fair bit of reflection around this.

“Very early on, I communicated to the Irish Rugby (Football Union) and our boards and our players that if I’m not the right person to lead this team forward, then people can make that decision and I’ll accept it.

“You’ll need to speak to those people around how they feel about it, but I feel a huge sense of loyalty to our players who are looking to me in pressure situations to understand what my position is, and I have their back in the same way that they have my back.

“Now, I think there’s still a bit of water to run under the bridge, and there are things that people are going to reflect on, and I encourage that because there are changes that I think need to be made to give me the confidence that I have the support to be able to do the job that’s needed.”

McMillan was then asked if it was fair to suggest there is now uncertainty around his position.

“I’m fully committed to the team until the end of the season. There’s no doubt about that.

Other people might make a decision around whether I’m here next year or the year after and if that’s what people decide, if I’m not the best person to lead this team forward, that will be their decision.

“But I don’t walk away from a fight easily and there are plenty of people in this building who, I believe, want me to stay here and believe in the direction that we are heading and to walk away would feel like I’m letting them down.”

The situation means Munster have to return to the drawing board in their search for a new attack coach – at a point in the season when most coaching moves are already sorted.

McMillan said assistant coach Mossy Lawler could step into the role, although outlined that option is “not our preference”.

Munster assista Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

“I think in this job you’re always multitasking. That’s the difference between being a head coach and an assistant coach is that a lot of my attention is not necessarily the day-to-day detail around what we prepare the rugby team for but all of the additional stuff that goes with running a team and putting them out on the park.

“Those discussions are ongoing. One thing that I’ve been really clear with from the get-go in respect to the attack portfolio is that we believe it’s a two-person job. I’ve already articulated that I’m disappointed that Roger isn’t coming but we’ll take our time before deciding what the next course of action is going to be.

“It may well be that, given the time frame, that we aren’t able to find the right person, in which case we may need to consider that Mossy (Lawler) does the full role. That’s not our preference because that would be going against the grain of what I’ve already said, but this is not something that we’re going to rush into, and if we don’t find the right person, that may be the next best course of action.

“Look, you’re certainly running out of runway,” McMillan added.

“I think when we started the process, we said that there was a huge amount of interest and that was legit, but this is a dynamic business and people take up opportunities often when they present themselves, and we’ve lost a little bit of ground in that respect.”

A depleted Munster face Connacht in Galway on Saturday, with Jack Crowley (leg), Tadhg Beirne (knee), Tom Farrell (shoulder), Oli Jager (head), Jean Kleyn (bicep), Calvin Nash (hamstring) and Michael Milne (calf) all unavailable.

“Jack Crowley has just got an unusual injury where he’s losing a little bit of strength in his leg. It’s kind of a neural thing, so he could be running around free as a bird, feel nothing, and then the next day it feels like a dead leg. So we just weren’t prepared to roll the dice with him this week.”

Beirne is expected to be out for two to three weeks, while many on the other sidelined players are unlikely to feature again this season.

“A lot of those guys that are on the injured list, I wouldn’t expect to see them for the rest of the season,” McMillan said.

“That’s not absolute, but I think that’s probably the prognosis as it stands today.”