Penney leaves the building blocks for a brighter future

So all that is left are the handshakes and farewells, as Rob Penney departs Munster for a new coaching adventure in Japan.

Penney, of course, wanted to stay but opted job security with the NTT Shining Arcs than the one-year contract extension on offer from the Irish province.

That there will be no silverware to show for his two-year tenure since leaving his native Canterbury in New Zealand to replace Tony McGahan in the summer of 2012 will mark the Penney era out as one of disappointment, not least for the man himself. Yet beyond the cold stark print of the history books and the lack of gold leaf on the Munster roll of honour between 2012 and 2014, the exiting head coach should leave for the Land of the Rising Sun confident there is also a bright new dawn awaiting those he will leave behind.