There’s no local coach shortage, says Fitzgerald

THE capture of former ACT Brumbies and Australia A head coach Laurie Fisher may be described as a huge coup for Munster, but it brought into sharp focus the dearth of indigenous coaching talent coming through the professional provincial system in Ireland — or those willing to forego a steady job for the insecure world of professional coaching.

Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald is confident there are enough Irish-born coaches on the ground, especially in Munster where he mentioned the achievements of Dave O’Mahony, Brian Walsh and Brian Hickey — all of whom are currently working outside the professional set up.

Fitzgerald admitted he’d like to see more Irish coaches working in the professional provinces, but said but it’s a difficult system in Ireland.

“We don’t have enough (professional) teams,” he said, “and people aren’t prepared to take the career risk at times to break from the current employment.”

However, the arrival of Fisher can only be termed as positive news for new head coach, Tony McGahan. Fisher’s experience gained at the Brumbies since the turn of the Millennium while also working with Australia A should serve Munster well during the next two years. He has also coached under the ELVs (experimental law variations) in the 2008 Super 14, laws which will be introduced into northern hemisphere rugby for a 12-month period from next season.

The popularity of Munster as a destination for some of the word’s best coaches was reflected in the 30 applications for the position of forwards coach — amongst whom were former Ireland assistant coach, Niall O’Donovan, and former Wales supremo and Lions assistant coach, Gareth Jenkins.

But Fisher’s arrival should serve as an illustration of the ambition of the province to attract the best available personnel to look after its senior team.

“The number of years I’ve been involved with Munster, I’ve never seen such an interest in the position,” said Fitzgerald.

“Niall was one of the people considered along with 29 other people. It reflects the stature of where Munster is at this stage. These are hard decisions you have to make but you have to make them and we hope we’ll be successful going forward.

“A lot of guys with a proven track record, a lot of guys with international experience, guys that were at World Cups with national sides applied. We were conscious of making sure the team we put together fitted together rather than just picking someone. That’s why we took our time. And then Tony’s appointment initiated that process.

“It was important that Tony had an input into it as well. It was important we got someone who had experience at the highest level. We’re bringing in someone who has experience with ELVs which is a bonus to anyone in the northern hemisphere at this stage.

“Laurie is someone who has been around rugby at the highest level for a long time. He’s worked with the players who’ve played at the highest level. We’ve certainly taken recommendations off players who he has coached and they’ve all been totally favourable. We’ve researched the position quite well and we’re very happy to have someone like him on board.”

Fitzgerald also hopes to find a place for Anthony Foley in the new coaching regime once the new permanent management staff is in place.

Foley will coach the Munster U20s next season but Fitzgerald says coach succession-planning for former players is important to Munster.

“As with players, you need succession planning with coaches and we’re certainly looking at that once we get this management team in place. We need to look at the players — people who are interested in having a long-term career coaching in Ireland — and Anthony, along with a couple of other guys, have expressed an interest and we have discussed with them. And once we get our basic management team in place we’d be delighted if we can fit this in and get Anthony and one or two other guys on board.

Asked whether he was worried at the lack of indigenous coaches coming through the system in Munster and Ireland, Fitzgerald said: “If you are to look at it from the outside you’d probably say ‘yes’, but I think in Munster you wouldn’t know the detail of it. If you look at the number of people who have attained higher coaching levels in Ireland we have as many as any other province. People like Brian Walsh who has done the AIL side and Ireland under 21s, people like Dave O’Mahony who got the opportunity this year to work with the Churchill Cup squad and people like Brian Hickey.

“In Munster in particular we have continually produced coaches of a high quality but it’s a career decision as well for them which is a bigger decision. I’m not worried about what’s available on the ground because I think there are a lot of high quality people — I’ve mentioned two or three names, I can go through two or three others as well.

“And if you look around it’s one of the reasons Munster clubs have been successful at AIL level. I think the quality of coaching has been good in the province, but it is a career decision for a person to make who is in, probably, a very stable position.”