MUNSTER HEAD COACH Johann van Graan said he won’t comment on his future with the province until a final decision has been made.

The South African’s current contract is set to expire at the end of this season.

In recent months, there had been an expectation that van Graan would commit to a new two-year deal at Munster along with assistant coaches Stephen Larkham, Graham Rowntree, and JP Ferreira.

However, Larkham more recently announced his departure from Munster next summer and has since confirmed a return to the Brumbies as head coach.

“Look, Steve is a world-class coach,” said van Graan yesterday of that departure.

“He’s such a fantastic man and so well respected within the group of coaches, of staff and of players. He’s made a massive difference and he will continue to do so until the end of the season. 

“He’s given his reasons and we are completely behind him in that and we wish him the very best for the future.”

As for the possibility of extending his own contract, van Graan remains tight-lipped.

He initially joined Munster in 2017 after the departure of Rassie Erasmus and extended his original deal by a further two years in 2019 – when there was still another season left on the contract.

The current deal expires in June 2022 and the indications had been that Munster were keen to keep the South African, but van Graan said yesterday that there is no update yet.

“In terms of my own future, as I’ve stated earlier in the season, I’m never going to get into any contract discussions or speculation over the media,” said van Graan.

“So until there’s a decision about my future, I’m not going to speculate anything.”