We must keep the Munster way, insists new director of rugby insists

Rassie Erasmus has stressed the importance of maintaining the “Munster way” during his three-year term as the province’s coach and he insisted homegrown coaches, such as Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley, were integral to that ambition.

Foley remains head coach, the role he inherited from Rob Penney in June 2014, and his title remains in the final year of his contract, but the arrival of South African Erasmus as Munster’s first director of rugby has seen his role downgraded to that of lineout and breakdown coach.

Jerry Flannery remains as scrum coach and another former Munster player, Felix Jones, starts his coaching career as the province’s attack and skills coach 11 months after being forced to retire through injury at the age of 27.

Those figures, as much as the jobs they do, are crucial to success for Munster, believes Erasmus, who joined last month with former South Africa defence coach Jacques Nienaber.

“The most important thing is to have Munster guys helping drive the Munster culture.

“You get myself and Jacques coming in and, if you were looking at another assistant coach or say five different [foreign] players you would just bugger up the Munster culture,” said Erasmus.

“To get Axel, Jerry and Felix in the mix is unbelievable and will help to drive it the Munster way and not an international way.”

Add Erasmus, 43, to the mix, and the new main man believes it is quite the ticket after two season of underachievement.

“That’s why people get new guys in. I’m not boasting or anything like that, I don’t want to sound like that.

“When I took the Cheetahs job, they hadn’t won for 27 years and we managed to win.

“When I took over the Stormers, they were eighth in the table — out of 12 — and we got to a final a few times.

“We didn’t quite win the tournament, but I think that’s why you take jobs.

“If you only take a job when people retire, people don’t believe in you, the other guy’s just retiring.

“So, it’s a massive challenge. I wouldn’t take it if I don’t believe it. I would be stupid to do it.”

Former Springbok flanker Erasmus left his role as elite performance manager at the South African Rugby Union, effectively the equivalent role to his new boss David Nucifora’s at the IRFU, and he admitted the decision to leave his homeland had been “massive”.

“My twins turned 12 last Friday and my small girl is turning six next year in May, so yes it was a massive decision. It was a family decision.

“When you take one of the top [international] jobs you should be 50-plus, then you do it for the right reasons. It is not a case of ‘where am I going after that?’

“You have actually done everything that you wanted to and I have got a while to go.

“In another six or eight years time, my children are out of the house, so if you want to do something together as a family, this is the time. Still it was a very tough decision.”