IAN COSTELLO HAS confirmed he will not be putting his name forward to become Munster’s new head coach.

Costello has taken charge on an interim basis following the shock departure of Graham Rowntree earlier this week, and will lead the province for Saturday’s meeting with a New Zealand XV at Thomond Park.

However speaking to media in Limerick today, Costello stressed that he will not be taking on the role full-time, and will return to his role as Munster’s Head of Rugby Operations once his interim stint in charge ends.

“No, I’m very comfortable with that,” Costello said.

“We’re going to start the process of looking for the next head coach but take our time. We’ll make sure we find the right person and the right fit. My role is structured very much around long-term, strategic positioning in terms of the club, succession planning, depth charts and it’s very heavily linked to performance management.

“I’m really enjoying it if I’m honest, and it’s one that I think suits me, and I think it’s one that’s important for the club as well, and it’s evolved very, very nicely.

“So, I’m very comfortable, and I’ve said this to the lads internally and that won’t change. So from the outset we’ll start that process of looking for a head coach until we find the right fit.”

The Limerick native did not shed any more light as to why the province and Rowntree “mutually agreed” to part ways.

“I can’t really comment beyond what we released in terms of ‘mutually agreed’ and that’s as much as we can say really out of respect for the process and respect for Graham as well.”

Costello added there is no set deadline in place for hiring a permanent replacement, and that he will be part of the recruitment process alongside the IRFU and Munster’s Professional Game Committee [PGC].

“No (there is no timeline). The key will be the right person, the right fit and at the moment, we are lucky that there are some quality staff, coaches and support staff (in the building). Stability and consistency will be key going forward, and then we will look at the rest after the game on Saturday.

“When we look for a new head coach we want them to come in and add to what we’re doing rather than come in fundamentally change it,” Costello added.

“That includes our culture and we have a very very clear identity. So consistency will be a very important part of that, it will definitely be something that we’ll be looking for.

“I’m aware that there’s lots of discussion externally around stuff like that, but if you genuinely asked me a week ago, or now, it makes no difference, we’re very confident with where our squad is at. We’ve had a focus on our pathway and developing young players and they’re coming through really, really strongly and the middle tier of our squad has really pushed on.

“So the vision that we laid out a few years ago is really coming to fruition. We’re inconsistent at the moment in terms of our form and we need to get more people back on the field but that’s where our focus is.

“The support from the IRFU and the support from the Munster Board and the PGC, any time we’ve look for something it’s been there. As always there’s certain constraints but it isn’t a limiting factor.”

As Munster look to move past a difficult week, Costello paid tribute to Rowntree’s achievements with the province.

“We won a trophy (URC in 2023), we finished top of the league last season and he was the coach of the year last season. I think that it’s fair to say that he’s one of the most recognisable coaches of any province.

“He lived the true values of Munster constantly and I think he was a guy that was loved by the supporters, by the community and had a huge connection to the province.

“On a personal level I couldn’t say enough positive about Graham. He’s been really good to me, good to the club, and I think that’s why there has been such a reaction to the news this week.”