LAST UPDATE | 26 Nov 2024
MUNSTER’S ATTACK COACH Mike Prendergast has signed a two-year contract extension.
The news comes hours after the province announced that Denis Leamy, their defence coach, signed a two-year extension.
Now in his third season at Munster, Prendergast returned to the province in 2022 after a successful 10-year spell in France coaching at clubs such as Racing 92, Stade Francais, Oyonnax and Grenoble.
A former Munster, Bourgoin and Gloucester scrum-half, Prendergast held head coach and director of rugby roles with Young Munster RFC on completion of his playing career.
Leamy has also signed a two-year extension with the southern province which will keep him in Limerick until the summer of 2027.
Leamy was due to be out of contract at the end of the current campaign, which is his third with Munster since joining from Leinster as part of Graham Rowntree’s coaching ticket in 2022.
Leamy’s extension is an indication that either Munster believe their new head coach is already in the building or that an external candidate will be comfortable working within something resembling the province’s existing coaching structure.
During Leamy’s first two seasons back at Thomond Park, Munster’s defence became the meanest in the URC and was one of the key pillars upon which they achieved their drought-ending URC triumph in 2023.
Last season, Munster conceded a league-lowest 18 points per game on average, topping the URC regular-season table before running out of steam at the semi-final stage.
This season has made for a different story so far, with the porous Munster currently sitting 12th in the table with the fourth-worst points difference in the league.
Head coach Rowntree and forwards coach Andi Kyriacou have departed the province since they last took to the field in competitive action, with the full-time head coaching position — currently filled by interim boss Ian Costello — still vacant. Ireland women’s forwards coach Alex Codling, meanwhile, will deputise for Kyriacou on a short-term consultancy basis.
Munster host the fourth-placed Lions at Thomond Park this Saturday (7:35pm) having provided decidedly mixed news on the injury front earlier this morning.
So they already know who their head coach is… they just cannot announce it. Leamy would hardly sign a 2 year deal if he doesn’t know who his boss will be.
@Paul Ennis: worst kept secret in the world
@Michael Corkery: So who is it?
@PJ Smith: i have to put my head on the block here and say it’s Mike Prendergast but I could do a RR and be totally wrong !
@Michael Corkery: why would munster not just announce it now that prendergast has become munster new head coach. I would think that his position would be written in the contract.
For me it 100% isn’t prendergast now.
Jones or Lancaster hopefully or both if in dreamland
@Patrick O’Sullivan: im hoping they go for Eddie Jones as well.
@Patrick O’Sullivan: I made my comment just before they announced the Prendergast extension after a comment about Leany. Still think it doesn’t rule it out but I’m less certain now.
Jobs for the boys
@Barry Laide: Munster have had the best defence in the URC for the last two seasons under Leamy.
@mcdb06: and this season, you’re sitting 12th with the most points conceded in the league. Squad is weaker than last year and key players not getting any younger.
@adizlack93: ok Ray how is it Leamys fault that the squad is weaker and the players getting older? You are associating these as the reasons for them being poor and neither are under Leamys control.
@anthony davoren: I muted ray months ago bc he’s a clown. I’m not having a pop but I watched that Zebre game and 42 points conceded by Munster against that calibre of opponent is inexcusable for a team with European aspirations. What I said are facts and I referred to the changes in squad to make the point that there is no guarantee Munster will turn around a poor start to the season as they did the previous two years with a squad of better players and age profile.
@mcdb06: but out of Europe in the last 16, 2 years running …the defence may be good enough to hold out the likes of the Dragons, but not average european teams?
@Barry Laide: Jobs for the qualified
Mike Prendergest has signed a two extension as attached coach. I know contracts can be amended but what’s the point if your getting the head coach job. Maybe not
Please send all Cv’s to @rayridge.co.ie
Crazy to reward Leamy when you look at how porous the defence has been this season. Leamy was an integral part of the previous failed regime, baffling how Rowntree pays the price while Leamy and Prendergast seemingly avoid any blame whatsoever. Munster’s record in Europe under this regime has been pathetic.
@Aidan Farrell: hey Ray Munster had thae best defensive record in the URC last year and the year before under Leamy…kinda makes a fool out of you and your comment
@anthony davoren: I was wondering how near the top of the list his predictable comments would be.
@anthony davoren: Are u sure thats riddly ray
@Aidan Farrell: fantastic coach, leinster were very upset when he moved.
@TL55: they roll out the exact same replies day in day out. Last season is not this season…
@adizlack93: is Pep Guardiola suddenly a terrible coach and worthy of a sacking because they had a bad start this season…no…so yes last season is very relevant to this season because it proves he is a good coach
@anthony davoren: and can’t make it past the last 16 in europe 2 years running….obviously the defence is not as good as you seem to think?
Anyone else hear Stuart Lancaster’s name being mentioned?
@Eagle Eye: That would be an excellent appointment. What happens to Felix Jones? Lions tour and then where? Connacht? U20s? No other jobs likely to open up. Unless he wants to take the scrum coach job in Leinster?
@Paul Ennis: Dunno how well it would be received tbh (Lancaster), imo Felix Jones is under qualified to be a head coach of Munster or Connacht, U20s yes. Needs experience. Plenty of jobs out there, but just like everything else, abroad.
Hopefully Lancaster, big fan of Felix Jones but thats a tough first head coach job to set up. Culture and training seem broken in Munster, Stu will fix that in less than a season
Stuart Lancashire tipped on the Ball.ie
@Barry O’ Donnell: jesus i’d say that hurt
@J M: as painful as Mike Tyson punching a titty right on the nipple ..