Costello joins as Munster look to raise their A game

MUNSTER’S backroom reshuffle for next season continued yesterday with the appointment of Ian Costello as both skills and A team coach.

Costello, former director of rugby at UL Bohemian, replaces Anthony Foley in the Munster A set-up next season following the latter’s appointment as the senior squad’s forwards coach as well as taking charge of skills coaching for both the senior and A squads.

Foley had recently been appointed forwards coach for the 2011-12 campaign as a replacement for Laurie Fisher, who departs the province following the season-ending Magners League Grand Final with Leinster on May 28.

Amid the personnel moves in the management team, head coach Tony McGahan received some good news on the player front yesterday with Denis Leamy receiving the all-clear following a scan on the neck injury that prompted his 73rd-minute substitution in Saturday’s Magners League semi-final win over Ospreys.

Also expected to return to training later this week are fly-half Declan Cusack and lock Ian Nagle, who picked up knocks playing for a Munster Development side beaten 21-17 by the Ireland U20s at Musgrave Park, on Sunday.

There was also good news for Ulster’s planning for next season yesterday as the beaten Magners League semi-finalists and Heineken Cup quarter-finalists announced that former Springbok second row Johann Muller had signed a one-year contract extension to the two-year deal he signed last summer when moving from Natal Sharks. The contract extension means Muller, who started all but four competitive games for the province this season, will play for Ulster until June 2013.

“I’m delighted to extend my contract with Ulster by another year,” Muller said. “I’ve really enjoyed my first season with Ulster, not only in terms of rugby but also personally. The people of Northern Ireland have been great to me and my family so staying an extra year wasn’t a decision we had to think about for long. Teams are judged on silverware and we have nothing to show for our season. We are determined to win something next season and to do that we must keep improving.”

Elsewhere, Gloucester players are to be reminded of their responsibilities when they post messages on social networking sites. Head coach Bryan Redpath confirmed the move as part of each player’s end-of-season review.

It comes less than 48 hours after Gloucester’s Samoa international centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu hit out on Twitter following the 12-10 Aviva Premiership play-off defeat against Saracens.

Fuimaono-Sapolu’s comments were widely reported by the media. It is possible he could now face disciplinary action from the Rugby Football Union, although no decision has yet been announced.

He tweeted: “I would say the referee was a joke but I’d probably get fined for it so I won’t. Fair play Sarries. We score 20 more tries than them and the only try in the semi. Horribly boring but very clinical. Fair play.

“We scored two tries. One disallowed. No wonder my super15 friends are making jokes about northern hemisphere rugby. Boring rugby wins.

“The only semi-final that can’t sell out! Farrell put more bombs on us than the U.S did on Osama Bin Laden.”

Yesterday, the 30-year-old’s tweets included: “What happened to Journalism? It seems all they do is republish tweets and comment on them. Very deep.”

The club, meanwhile, said on its official website: “Gloucester Rugby head coach Bryan Redpath confirmed that he will be reminding all the members of the Gloucester Rugby playing department of their responsibilities with regard to posting on social network sites. “The club has never placed a ban on posting on such sites, instead taking the stance that such outlets fall under the domain of freedom of speech, but that the individual views of any employee do not necessarily reflect that of the organisation. Individuals are reminded of their positions as public figures, that their opinions are open to public scrutiny and the possible consequences of that.”