TO START WITH the most pressing business on the agenda, Mike Prendergast says that “to be honest with you, nothing has been fully confirmed” regarding Jack Crowley’s Munster future.
But there may be good news coming soon.
“By all accounts, the word coming out was that it was very positive”, Prendergast says, “but there hasn’t been anything officially done as of yet.
“I would imagine over the next while it’ll be getting sorted out.”
Munster’s attack coach only this season signed a contract extension of his own but, like his Ireland international out-half, he recently had a professional setback dent his pride.
Prendergast was open and honest about throwing his hat in the ring to become Graham Rowntree’s permanent successor as Munster’s head coach, and he was equally so on Tuesday as he discussed for the first time publicly his disappointment at missing out on the role.
But having met new boss Clayton McMillan, who visited Limerick during the Chiefs’ Super Rugby off-week last week, the Limerick man remains excited to continue to fulfil his current remit under new guidance next season.
“Look, I was disappointed obviously,” Prendergast says. “If you go for a job and you don’t get it, the natural feeling is you’re disappointed.
“I think in this game, you don’t have much time to feel sorry yourself and you just have to move on.
“As I said from early doors when it opened up, I was putting my name in there. It didn’t happen now, but maybe sometime down the future it will.
“There was a bit of disappointment, it’s parked now. I’ve still got a very good role here which is a very pleasing aspect as well, and having met up with Clayton and sat down with him and listened to what his vision is, it’s exciting.”
Prendergast uses the word “parked”, as well, when describing the recent form of Saturday’s Champions Cup last-16 opponents, La Rochelle, who are winless in all competitions since their pool-stage defeat to Leinster back in January.
The two-time European champions are enduring their worst run under Ronan O’Gara, whose own job for the first time feels insecure on the back of seven defeats and a draw in Les Rochelais’ last eight.
But Prendergast, who began his coaching career in France the same year as his former Munster teammate, knows well the mentality the hosts will bring to Saturday’s do-or-die encounter at Stade Marcel-Deflandre, where they have never been in the business of losing knockout ties under their Corkonian boss.
“I spoke to the players yesterday morning to say that we don’t want to be the team that allows them the confidence to get back to where they want to get to,” Prendergast says.
“There’s plenty of distractions around the game as well, but we just have to be solely focused on putting in our best performance this season.
“In saying that, having a win last weekend gives us real confidence,” Prendergast adds of Munster’s victory over Connacht at MacHale Park.
“Looking at their results, you have to park that. I know the way the French will approach this, they will take confidence knowing they have won this competition twice in the last three years, and I have no doubt ROG will be shaping them in the right frame of mind.
“Look, we obviously know the threats they have. Defensively, we need to be really on it because of the power they have, the athletic ability they have. So, if we can get that side right and add into it taking the opportunities like we did last week, it’ll be a brilliant contest.”
O’Gara was among those who vouched for Prendergast to replace Rowntree in Munster’s top job, writing as much in his Irish Examiner column as far back as November.
Prendergast doesn’t hide the fact that such words of encouragement from his former playing colleague, and one of the world’s most respected coaches currently, meant a lot. “It’s a nice thing to hear,” he says. “I’m very grateful. It didn’t work out this time.”
He points out that he and O’Gara were “tight” when they were half-back partners at Munster, albeit not as tight as O’Gara and Peter Stringer who gained synonymity as a starting partnership during the province’s most glorious era.
But Prendergast says his relationship with O’Gara began to blossom when they each moved to France to make their first coaching inroads in the Top 14, O’Gara beginning his journey with Racing and Prendergast with Grenoble in 2013.
“It grew over the last 10 or 12 years,” he says.
When we both went over, we were both finding our feet and swapping notes and messages, and it’s just continued like that. We would have bounced things off each other, so it’s always good to have that sounding board.
“We were both in the same level in terms of starting out and finding our feet, making mistakes, trying to improve, and trying to help each other a small bit.
“It was good to have that relationship over the years, especially when it’s not home. You need someone to talk to in terms of a bit of advice at times and ROG was always brilliantly accepting in that way.”
Prendergast acknowledges that a victory for Munster, currently six-point underdogs ahead of Saturday’s trip to the French southwest, would be made all the more special because of the “ROG factor”.
But he also expects an emotional backlash from the La Rochelle players, and indeed supporters, who will understand the significance of the fixture to the man who has twice steered them to European success.
“What he’s done for them as a club alone over the last number of years, he will be looking for something back from them this weekend,” Prendergast says.
“It’s a change of a competition, they’ve gone through a number of games that haven’t went their way, and they will look at this to be the one to change their season.”
A class act. Great maturity shown. His day in the big seat will come.