MUNSTER CAPTAIN TADHG Beirne said he couldn’t comment on the issues caused by the province’s appointment of Roger Randle as their new attack coach.

Beirne did, however, add that Munster are looking forward to seeing what Randle brings as a coach.

Randle is set to join Munster on a two-year deal in July, subject to obtaining a valid work permit.

The New Zealander was accused of rape in South Africa in 1997 but the charges were later withdrawn, although the claimant did not withdraw her accusation. Randle denied the allegation at the time and has always maintained his innocence. 

Munster Rugby said that they carried out “due diligence” before signing Randle, while head coach Clayton McMillan, who worked with Randle at the Chiefs in New Zealand, praised him as an “outstanding human” as he asked Munster fans to trust his decision.

Randle’s appointment has caused internal issues in Munster, with three former players – Billy Holland, Mick O’Driscoll, and Killian Keane – stepping down from their roles as independent members of the province’s Professional Game Committee following confirmation of the deal.

That was followed by voluntary members of Munster’s Commercial Advisory Group also resigning from their positions in that group, which Munster Rugby said is “an informal voluntary group of business and industry people who advise Munster Rugby with its commercial activities and initiatives.”

Munster captain Beirne opted against commenting on those issues caused by the appointment of Randle, or the incident 29 years ago.

“I’m not going to get drawn into any of that stuff,” said Beirne when asked for his view of Randle being named Munster attack coach.

“I’m going to just be focused on the games that are coming up. It’s an appointment that’s been made and he has a very good track record in terms of his coaching ability.

“We’ll be looking forward to seeing what he can bring in terms of his coaching here in Munster.”

Beirne was asked if he had any concerns about the appointment in his capacity as Munster captain.

“I can’t get drawn into this stuff at the moment,” said Beirne. “We have such a big game coming up in terms of how big it is for the club.

“I can’t be getting drawn into what’s going on with the club outside of what’s in front of us as players. I think for me, my focus is solely on Ulster this weekend. I think the whole playing group is focused on that.

“That’s where our heads are at. There’s always going to be noise at the moment. You’ve got Roger, then you’ve got the redundancies. There’s always going to be noise about certain things at any club level. We’re leaving that all to one side and all we’re doing is focusing on Ulster.” 

Beirne said that Munster boss McMillan has spoken to him and other senior players about the signing of Randle.

“He called the leadership meeting and they just told us about the appointment,” said Beirne. “That’s about it, yeah.”

The issues caused by the appointment of Randle have come quickly on the heels of Munster Rugby announcing that they were looking for voluntary redundancies from within a group of around 100 employees amid financial challenges.

There’s no doubt that all of this has been challenging for Munster’s players to stay focused on the job at hand, trying to win matches on the pitch.

Beirne said the squad gathered last week ahead of their seven-try win over Benetton to address the off-field issues.

“I suppose you’d be naive not to address it sometimes,” said Beirne. “Last week we met as players and we drew a line in the sand about it in terms of knowing that there’s a lot of outside noise and knowing that players are probably going to be approached by people on the outside probably trying to even get inside their head in terms of creating negative thoughts or negative pictures and stuff.

“For us, it’s pushing all of that to one side and just focusing on what our goal is as a group and what we want to achieve over the next few weeks.

“We addressed that, as I said, as a playing group. I’ve been around long enough; we’ve been around a lot of bad media in terms of multiple different things.

“It’s easier for me to put it to one side and focus on what we want to achieve because that’s what’s most important for this club, achieving success on the field. Hopefully, the younger lads are able to see that now as well.”

Beirne was asked if he meant the media when he mentioned “people on the outside probably trying to even get inside their head in terms of creating negative thoughts.”

The Munster captain replied that he and his team-mates need to do their best to keep a positive mindset as they aim for a strong finish in the URC.

“It’s about anything, isn’t it? When there’s bad press on anything, I’m not stupid, there’s going to be bad press at the moment on the club, not just over one thing, but the redundancies.

“I know someone is going to come up to someone and say, ‘What’s going on with Munster, they’re in terrible shape.’

“That’s straight away a negative comment, isn’t it? That can feed into younger lads’ heads, but that’s not the situation at the moment. That’s not the situation we’re in.

“We have to be positive, we have to remain positive because if we get roped into that side of things, then all of a sudden it can feed into performances and feed into this group. Thankfully, it hasn’t.

“That’s why I say the outside noise, people coming up asking you questions, brush it off, just be focused on what’s happening in this group, what’s happening in this building, and what’s happening in this building is very positive.

“The mood is very high, the energy is high. We are really looking forward to the next couple of weeks and the capability of what we’re able to achieve.”