Garrett Fitzgerald: We couldn’t stand in Rassie’s way

Munster will have a new head coach by the end of 2017 after director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and defence coach Jacques Nienaber’s departures were confirmed by the province, as reported in yesterday’s Irish Examiner.

The South African duo will see out a six-month notice period, which will include Munster’s first four Champions Cup pool games, before returning to their native country at the end of December.

Erasmus will become the SARU’s director of rugby, with Nienaber acting as a high performance coach.