HEADING UP MUNSTER Rugby was Ian Flanagan’s dream job, but it surely felt more like a nightmare at times in the last year or so.

He grew up around the corner from Musgrave Park in Cork, has always been a big Munster fan, and was thrilled to land the CEO gig in 2019 after more than 20 years of working in various roles within sport, particularly football.

In stepping down from his position now, it appears that Flanagan is accepting that he hasn’t been able to guide Munster in the direction he and so many others wanted.

Flanagan is understood to have come close to becoming CEO of the FAI in 2024, seemingly making it to the final three-person shortlist before missing out.

The writing was arguably on the wall at that stage, but it certainly has been this year, with Flanagan facing repeated criticism from supporters and ex-players for his leadership of Munster through a troubled time that has included redundancies, the Roger Randle controversy, and struggles for form on the pitch.

With the findings of an independent review into Munster’s governance due soon, the province has confirmed that Flanagan will step down from his position at the end of this month.

Ex-captain Peter O’Mahony’s blunt criticism of Munster’s governance this week was possibly more a sign that something was afoot than the final straw. Even without directly naming Flanagan, O’Mahony was scathingly critical.

O’Mahony isn’t the only former Munster player who publicly questioned the leadership of the province, while several others did so out of the public sphere. Some wanted change. Now they have what they wanted.

O’Mahony and his peers believe Munster have greater potential to be a high-performing rugby team and organisation than they’re showing right now.

Munster remains something of a beast, even with middling showings. The coverage of Flanagan’s exit and what it means for Munster will be extensive. That’s always the case with anything that happens in Munster. Despite their struggles for consistency on the pitch, Munster remain of intense interest to the Irish sporting public.

They’re still a notable name abroad too. The brand recognition in places like New Zealand and South Africa remains strong. Despite some worrying signs with regards to attendance, Thomond Park is well known throughout the rugby world. 

Unfortunately, much of the interaction with Munster from the wider public has been based on shortcomings and controversy recently.

There always seems to be an unexpected story around the corner these days, often badly timed. Flanagan’s exit is not a surprise, yet even here, the timing seems far from ideal. A reset during the off-season would have been cleanest and clearest. Instead, with Clayton McMillan’s team a couple of days from a key URC match, there is yet more big news.

To be fair, confirmation of Flanagan’s departure won’t rock the playing squad. They will not be shocked by this.

For head coach McMillan, this is another bit of upheaval. The New Zealander came very close to walking away from the province in the wake of the Roger Randle saga but decided to stay in the end. He suggested he wanted changes to be made, and believed they would be.

McMillan will be among those who hope that whoever Flanagan’s successor is, they will have a vivid and realistic vision of what Munster should be.

The fanbase needs to see something more compelling. As ever, they’d love to watch young homegrown players being pushed into prominent positions ahead of more experienced players who aren’t quite getting the results demanded of Munster. More than anything, Munster fans will surely hope for genuine stability in the next few years.

While Flanagan has been in his position for seven years, the head coaching role at the province has been unstable recently.

Johann van Graan agreed a contract extension but then triggered a clause to instead join Bath in 2022. Graham Rowntree got the job and led Munster to a shock URC title in his first season before exiting suddenly early in the 2024/25 season.

Then-head of rugby operations Ian Costello, who is now general manager, saw out that campaign as interim head coach. Attack coach and Limerick man Mike Prendergast went for the top job but missed out as McMillan was preferred.

That meant a clunky-looking coaching ticket involving both Prendergast and McMillan, the former of whom decided to leave his contract early to join Bath last summer – much to many supporters’ dismay – and the latter of whom was close to leaving in frustration at the same time.

The Randle episode hangs over all of this, of course, with Flanagan having offered an apology to supporters and other stakeholders in the wake of the stinging criticism of the decision to appoint the Kiwi.

Munster and Randle decided not to go ahead with that move, but it left a bitter taste for everyone. Whatever about the exact course of events, there were resignations from the province’s own professional game board and commercial advisory group. Those were voluntary positions, but it all underlined an unease within Munster.  

Every CEO knows that the buck stops with them. They’re ultimately the main person responsible for what happens in their organisation. They’re the one who sets the tone for the whole organisation.

It will be interesting to hear more about the skillset Munster and the IRFU are now seeking. An interim CEO will step in soon, with a permanent appointment to follow.

And it’s worth underlining here that the IRFU has an immense part to play in what happens next. The union will be central in steering this appointment process, given that the IRFU directly contracts the provincial CEOs.

The IRFU needs Munster to be a better rugby team, one that competes in the Champions Cup knock-out stages, earns home knock-out games and the revenue that comes with them. The IRFU also needs Munster to provide more players to the Ireland side. 

So this is a chance for the union to do something about it.

Munster and the IRFU need to nail this appointment.