IRFU CEO KEVIN Potts said the union cannot shed any light on the circumstances of Graham Rowntree’s departure from the province in October.

Munster and the IRFU announced that Rowntree had left the province by mutual agreement, although the official statement provided no clarity on why the head coach had exited.

Speaking yesterday, Potts said he was not in a position to clarify why Rowntree left.

“I can’t,” said Potts. “The statement that was issued when Graham departed was the statement and I can’t add any more to that. I’m sure you understand.”

Forwards coach Andi Kyriacou has also since left Munster, with experienced Englishman Alex Codling stepping into that position on an interim basis.

Attack coach Mike Prendergast and defence coach Denis Leamy have had new two-year contracts with Munster confirmed this week, with Leamy ruling himself out of stepping up as the new head coach.

Munster’s head of rugby operations, Ian Costello, continues as the interim head coach as they prepare for a URC clash against the Lions of South Africa in Limerick tomorrow, but he has also ruled himself out of taking on the position permanently.

Prendergast is seen as a strong contender to step up as head coach, although Munster and the IRFU have been assessing external options too.

IRFU performance director David Humphreys is centrally involved in the process of Munster appointing their next head coach and Potts suggested that there should be an update ahead of the New Year when Humphreys is due to address the media.

“David is very involved in that together with the Munster Professional Game Committee and the relevant high performance leads down in Munster,” said Potts.

“So it’s ongoing but by the time David does his briefing in January, there’ll probably be more about that.”

Denis Leamy and Mike Prendergast have re-signed with Munster. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

Munster currently sit 12th in the URC after two wins in their opening six games, with Leinster top of the table having notched six wins from six, five of them with try-scoring bonus points.

All Blacks star Jordie Barrett has just joined Leinster to add another top-class player to their ranks, while RG Snyman returns from Springboks duty for tonight’s clash with Ulster, who are seventh in the URC ladder.

Connacht are just above Ulster, having also won three of their six games.

There have been concerns around the three other provinces that Leinster are pulling clear of their local rivals, with their financial power allowing them to bring in Barrett, Snyman, and French tighthead Rabah Slimani this season.

“I guess, at a high level, our provinces are competing to the best of their abilities,” said Potts when asked about worries that the other three provinces are struggling to keep up with Leinster.

“From our perspective, we work with them all the time in terms of their financial and operating models.

“What happens on the performance side, David Humphreys will deal with, but they’re trying to compete in a changing world, with financial constraints in certain provinces and that does have an impact.”