Murray: Retaining van Graan essential for Reds

Keeping Johann van Graan at Munster is crucial to the province’s ambitions, according to Conor Murray.

Reports from South Africa have linked the Munster head coach with the corresponding role with the Bulls. The Super Rugby side is seeking a replacement for John Mitchell in the wake of the New Zealander’s appointment as an assistant to Eddie Jones with England.

Van Graan has been in situ at Munster less than a year since taking over from Rassie Erasmus, the latter having vacated his position of Director of Rugby at the Irish province halfway through a three-year contract to take up the reins with his home union.

Losing a second coach in such circumstances would be a seismic blow.

“It’s key,” said Murray yesterday.

It’s massive, especially with new guys coming in and him bedding in. I’ve had four coaches at Munster and I’ve talked to Johann about it.

"From what I gather, he is keen to stay. He loves what we’re doing here, what he’s building.

“He came in in the middle of last year and he was inheriting half of Rassie (Erasmus) and Jacques ( Nienaber)’s gameplan and we wanted to keep a bit of that because we knew it worked.

“We didn’t want to change everything. He knew we couldn’t change everything in the middle of the season. So, this pre-season he’s stamped his gameplan on it.

“We’ve done really well in Europe, our league (form) has been a bit hit and miss.”

Van Graan is contracted through to June of 2020 and Philip Quinn, Munster’s acting chief executive , spoke to the Irish Examiner last week, prior to news of the Bulls’ possible interest, about the possibility of the South African staying on beyond that.

“I would hope so but it’s still very early yet. Johann’s only been in here a year, he’s contracted to June 2020. It will be a decision for our Professional Game Board and Garrett (Fitzgerald) as our CEO, probably later in the season, because we want some security. There needs to be stability.”

Murray has already shown a longer-term commitment to Munster by signing a contract to keep him at Thomond Park through to 2022 and he claimed yesterday that, with his old deal not due to expire until after the World Cup, it had been too soon for other suitors to make plays.

Not that he was interested anyway.

Murray’s recent injury issues only solidified the urge to stay put. Munster and the IRFU have been hugely supportive in ensuring that his neck injury is fully sorted before he returns to play and he wonders if an employer in France would have been so understanding.

For Murray the grass is greener at home. “You know, I’m from Limerick. I love playing with Munster. That was easy. With Ireland, we’ve had great success in the past four or five years and, looking down the line, if you left I guarantee you’d be missing out on some sort of success. Some really big victories. I want to be part of that.”

He is eight years into his spell as a member of Munster’s senior squad and his stint as an Ireland international is into its seventh season. Those numbers will have swelled to 12 and 11 by the time the last grains of sand pours out of his current contract. And after that? Does he see himself staying with Munster until the last kick?

“Eh, I think I’ll just be 33 at the end of this one. I don’t know. Like the injury, you can’t put a date on it, but 35, if you got to 35 you’d have to be happy with that return. You might go further, you might be (retired) before, I don’t know.”