Away form at forefront of van Graan’s seasonal plan

Munster head coach Johann van Graan has plenty of credit in the bank on the eve of the new campaign after steering the province through a difficult transition from the Rassie Erasmus regime midway through 2017-18.

Yet semi-final defeats at the business end of his initial term, one comprehensive, the other frustratingly narrow, still gnaw at the 38-year-old South African on the eve of his first full season in charge.