COULD MUNSTER BENEFIT from adding another layer of rugby expertise to their set-up? 

The province’s recruitment and contracting strategy was discussed on today’s episode of The42 Rugby Weekly Extra, a podcast available to members of The42.

Former Ireland and Leinster hooker Bernard Jackman feels Munster could do with bringing in someone to add expertise to their planning around player signings and contract extensions.

Munster confirmed the appointment of new head coach Graham Rowntree as late in the season as April, meaning that outgoing boss Johann van Graan was overseeing the recruitment and contracting for the 2022/23 campaign despite his exit for Bath.

Jackman believes that hiring someone specifically focused on recruitment and contracting strategy would be of benefit to Munster.

“If that position was in post last year, it doesn’t matter if Johann van Graan was leaving – there’s someone there saying, ‘This is the money we have and this is where we need to spend it’ and not go out to make a marquee signing because things are bad and you basically want to win fans over,” said Jackman, who previously coached Grenoble and the Dragons.

“It has to be laser-focused on where you need a player. And if that player isn’t available, you wait. It doesn’t matter who the head coach is. If that goes through transition, then there’s someone there looking at the long-term succession planning.

“I don’t know if that’s going to happen or not but I think Munster could do with that. I think it would help Graham.

“He has already had a big influence and he’s a great character and will make Munster more open. He’s trying to get to know his coaches, give them freedom, but lobbing on potential recruitment on top of him along with the media, player discussions – it’s a lot.

“A club like Munster should have someone looking after the long-term health of the province. I’m not saying they don’t have somebody but someone with rugby expertise would be smart.”

Ex-Ireland, Melbourne Rebels, and Kintetsu Liners performance analyst and coach Eoin Toolan also feels it would be a positive move for the province.

“That points back to my earlier point around a lack of identity and joined-up thinking,” said Toolan.

“Your game model and your identity should inform your recruitment policy from a player perspective but also from a coaching perspective.

“Munster went South African-heavy with Rassie, Jacques Nienaber, then Johann van Graan, but I don’t think the (playing) personnel within Munster had the capacity to deliver that South Africa-type of game plan.

“So that’s really important in that position that Berch is talking about.

“Everything that comes into the club should be informed by an identity and a game model, then there’s succession planning and that transition of coaches coming in and out.

“That’s definitely where Munster have got lost in the last six to eight years. It hasn’t been fundamentally apparent on the pitch what Munster stand for.”

To get access to The42 Rugby Weekly Extra, which comes out every Monday with Gavan Casey, Bernard Jackman, and Murray Kinsella, as well as every Wednesday with Eoin Toolan, become a member of The42 at members.the42.ie.

Originally published at 16.48