Farewell Alan, hello Deano?

SO it's farewell Alan Gaffney and thank you for your time.

When assessing the Australian's three-year tenure with Munster, we must first acknowledge that Gaffney is a superb rugby coach - he would not have been offered the position of assistant to Wallaby supremo Eddie Jones if he was anything less.

Equally, however, we must also acknowledge that Munster have not progressed under Gaffney's direction.

It would be delightful to be proved wrong in May, but Munster look less likely to win the Heineken Cup than they did when he took over in the summer of 2002. Not all the blame can be laid at Gaffney's door for this state of affairs. Certain players that shone for the previous coach Declan Kidney have become less effective as they have aged under his successor.

Additionally, the system that has propelled the national side to fourth in the world rankings has been hugely frustrating for Gaffney to work within. He was faced with a situation where the core of his side was lost to international duty for large chunks of the season and the players he was left with did not have the necessary skill levels to implement his ideas. Then, the international contingent would return the week before a big European game and, naturally, revert to type because of the inadequate preparation time.

While Plan A was good enough to see off most sides, when Munster came up against the really big-hitters, as they did with Toulouse and Wasps in successive Heineken Cup semi-finals, there was no Plan B. Nor were there game-breaking options on the bench - and now we arrive at an area where Gaffney can justifiably be criticised ... his signings.

With the honourable exception of Sean Payne, and a nod towards the honest toil of Gordon McIlwham, Gaffney's overseas purchases have been a disappointment. Christian Cullen remains a class act but, for whatever reason, has yet to explode while the likes of Pusey, Bowman, Devlin and the Storeys have not mounted a realistic challenge for a starting place (better not to dwell on the contribution of Jason Jones-Hughes).

Of course, Gaffney's shopping list has been compromised by budgetary constraints but it is still possible to acquire accomplished performers in the discount store - as Leinster proved with David Holwell.

However, despite failing to take Munster the extra step, Gaffney will be fondly remembered in the province. He bought in to the 'Munster ideal', (if that doesn't sound too precious), drew on the special traditions and gained an understanding of what it is that gives Munster rugby its edge.

It would also be impossible to hear anyone say a bad word about Gaffney on a personal level - a genial, courteous and accessible man, from a media point of view, he was a joy.

The time was definitely right for a change but we will remember the good days (particularly the 'Miracle Match' in January 2003 and the magnificent victory over Leicester in Welford Road the same season), wish him all the best in his new venture and hope he gets the perfect send-off in May.

So who should replace him?

It has long been the talk of the rugby pubs down south that the job is destined for Michael Bradley.

Whether it is a done deal or not is hard to gauge but I would prefer to see the job go somewhere else.

Not because Bradley isn't up to it, but because it would be bad for the game in Connacht at a time when they have finally been granted a direct route into the Heineken Cup and also because it is time for a radical change.

This week, we've had a list of bookmakers' candidates, 19 of them including joint favourites Bradley and Brian Hickey and the likes of Nick Mallett, Willie Anderson, Warren Gatland and (shudder) Matt Williams.

However, there was no mention of the man who I believe would be ideal for the job - Dean Richards.

There's something about Deano. He has a folk-hero status in the game, revered in Leicester the same way that Mick Galwey and Peter Clohessy are in Munster. The former Leicester coach is struggling with Grenoble in France and would welcome a move.

He is a proven winner with two Heineken Cups under his belt and would have the inside track on exactly what it takes to beat the big French and English teams.

Ireland full-back Geordan Murphy says Richards would be ideal.

"Dean is a fantastic coach, he was the one that took me to Leicester when I was a teenager. He is a superb organiser and brings a great passion to the job," he said.

"Leicester is a lot like Limerick, a rugby-mad town where fans invest hugely in their team, I think it would suit Richards perfectly. The Munster fans would also take to him. You can just see it, Richards standing on the sideline, arms folded, with the Thomond Park crowd chanting 'Deano, Deano' behind him." By the way, he's 16-1 - if you're interested.