Donal Lenihan: Munster's structure around Rowntree will make or break him

NO 1: Graham Rowntree will take up his first head coaching role on July 1

AT long last, white smoke emanating from the board room of Munster Rugby. After a protracted process, the preferred choice to replace Johann Van Graan, once the likes of Scott Robertson and Ronan O'Gara ruled themselves out of contention, has now been offered the reins.

Graham Rowntree is a good fit for a number of reasons, not least the fact that the cultural make-up of the highly successful Leicester Tigers club he played for throughout his impressive playing career shares many similarities to what he encountered when arriving in Munster.

Rowntree’s involvement with successive British and Irish Lions tours to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand placed him in direct contact with influential Munster players like O'Gara, Donncha O'Callaghan, David Wallace, Conor Murray, Keith Earls and 2009 Lions captain Paul O'Connell.

In all those players he would have identified kindred spirits from his playing days in Welford Road under the leadership of Martin Johnson. When he arrived at the high performance unit in Limerick after a stint with Georgia at the 2019 World Cup, he would have encountered even more familiar characteristics.

The question mark surrounding Rowntree’s appointment is the fact that he has never operated as a head coach. The fact that his brief with the Tigers, Harlequins, England, Georgia and the Lions was confined mostly to the scrum will pose questions as to his overall suitability and vision of the game. That said, he’s worked alongside some of the very best head coaches in the game in Ian McGeechan, Warren Gatland, Stuart Lancaster and Andy Farrell in his time and is a very astute operator.

As his appointment is for a two year period, it’s vital that Munster also consider someone in a director of rugby - or its equivalent - role to plot the longer-term direction the province is heading. With coach’s coming and going at far too regular a pace - Rowntree is Munster’s fifth head coach in ten years - that long term vision has been sadly lacking in recent times as the head man adopts a more short term focus.

The current CEO Ian Flanagan was appointed for his commercial prowess and has little or no knowledge of rugby. I’ve no issue with that, especially in light of the parlous financial state Munster finds itself in due, initially, to the hefty repayment schedule for the redevelopment of Thomond Park and now as a consequence of the massive losses accumulated over the course of the pandemic.

With the announcement five months ago that Van Graan had turned down a two-year extension with the province to take up a similar role with Bath, who is currently responsible for recruitment and retention of players, for contract negotiations and for identifying and implementing the best possible rugby development structures within the province into the future?

Heading into his first head coach appointment, the support and organisation that Munster put in place around Rowntree will prove critical in making sure he can operate successfully in his new role. Munster have been down this road before, especially in relation to the appointment of the late Anthony Foley.

Axel was an outstanding coach with a keen rugby brain and was at his best operating in a tracksuit on the training field. He got bogged down on all the ancillary aspects of the head coach's role which prevented him from doing what he did best.

Munster finally got it right when appointing Rassie Erasmus as their new director of rugby which enabled Foley revert to the role of forwards coach. That rekindled his great passion for the game and he was blossoming in his exclusive coaching role before his shock and untimely passing.

For whatever reason, most likely financial, Munster abandoned the director of rugby model when Erasmus returned to South Africa to take over the Springboks. Van Graan was plunged into his first gig as a head coach and could have done with more rugby support for the myriad of off field issues that come with running a big club.

Hopefully Munster will eventually see the wisdom in address this shortcoming and Rowntree won’t be handcuffed by operating in the same system. I await with interest to see how his coaching and management team evolves before officially taking charge on July 1.

My only reservation, apart from the fact that he’s never operated as head coach before, is that this doesn’t amount to an appointment of convenience as the only member of the existing coaching set up still in situ.

As long as no stone was left unturned to make sure Rowntree is the right man for the job then his appointment will be well received. From my limited interaction with him, he feels like a coach you would want to play for. He also understands what Munster rugby is about which is a great starting point and I wish him every success.

The most frustrating thing about the province’s shortcomings in recent seasons is that not only does the current coaching regime have a very talented squad of players at their disposal, a decent crop of young players has also emerged through the schools, club and academy system over the last few years.

Yet I can’t escape the feeling that Munster should be able to produce more than they are achieving at present. When I look at the job Andy Friend is doing with Connacht, I see a head coach maximising the playing and financial resources at his disposal, delivering a brand of exciting rugby commensurate with the skill set of his players.

Last Friday night in Galway was glorious. The beautiful spring evening was tailor-made for a team looking to hold onto possession and stress the opposition’s defensive organisation through the quality of their running lines, offloading and effectiveness at the breakdown.

That both Connacht and Leinster arrived with similar intent made for a brilliant contest from the moment the hosts fashioned a sublime opening try for John Pouch after a mere 130 seconds of action.

Both No 10’s, Jack Carty and Johnny Sexton, played flat on the gain line, creating continuity and forward momentum by picking out the most advantageous support runners, cutting the right angle to threaten line breaks. It was captivating to watch.

That Connacht ran Leinster to within five points to keep the contest very much alive for the second leg next Friday night speaks volumes for the work being done on the training ground by Friend and his coaching team.

One of his best signings may yet prove to be Mack Hansen who he plucked from relative obscurity back home in Australia. Hansen was riveting to watch. Both he and James Lowe roamed the wide expanses of the Sportsground, tucked in behind the first line of attack, and created havoc.

No wonder Andy Farrell promoted both to start during the Six Nations with their ability to act as first receivers and decision makers adding significantly to the potency of the Irish back line. Just watch the frequency with which both get involved in the action on Friday and how many touches they get on the ball.

The game of this weekend is likely to take place in Belfast with Ulster entertaining champions Toulouse with a six point advantage from the first leg. The fact that the margin could have been as wide as thirteen points had Romain Ntamack not scored at the death will hurt but so will the realisation that Toulouse, despite playing with fourteen men for 70 minutes, could have snatched the game with the clock in the red.

Ulster coach Dan McFarland won’t need any reminder of how good a side Toulouse are even if they, like Leinster, are still a bit short of their brilliant best as they seek to integrate their returning Six Nations stars. The likelihood is that Toulouse will be better for having last week's game but Ulster are always incredibly difficult to beat at the Kingspan Stadium.

That leaves Munster. As always, they fought to the death in really challenging circumstances at Sandy Park, keeping their tie very much alive. With that experience behind them, Munster now know that Exeter Chiefs are nothing near as clinical and ruthless as their double-winning side from two seasons ago, even if they are still difficult to contain. That said, the margin of defeat suffered last Saturday should have been wider.

Munster’s scramble defence was heroic, none more so than the joint effort by Keith Earls and Chris Farrell in denying Olly Woodburn what looked like a certain try in the corner in the dying embers of the game. How crucial will that joint intervention prove when the final whistle is blown in Limerick on Saturday?