Jack O’Donoghue: Munster starting with a clean slate

Continuity may be the watchword for Munster after their change of management halfway through the season but new boss Johann van Graan has told his players they are starting with a clean slate as far as he is concerned.

He may only be in week two of his tenure as head coach having succeeded fellow South African Rassie Erasmus but as van Graan, 37, faces into his first game holding the reins, when Munster play Ospreys in Cork on Saturday evening, he has already made a strong impression on his new charges.

A watching brief last week as assistants Felix Jones and Jerry Flannery, and lead analyst George Murray, took control for the Guinness PRO14 trip to Zebre provided van Graan with a positive start to his two-and-a-half season contract as Munster left Italy with a bonus-point victory. Then, having assumed full control on Monday, the former Springboks assistant coach got down to brass tacks with a full squad meeting at the province’s High Performance Centre in Limerick that continued the good vibe, according to back-rower Jack O’Donoghue.