Family first: Stephen Larkham to leave Munster at end of season to return to Australia

Munster have been rocked by the news that senior coach Stephen Larkham will depart the province at the end of this season.

Tue, 23 Nov, 2021 - 18:34

Simon Lewis

Stephen Larkham’s decision to quit Munster Rugby next summer must have felt like a punch to the stomach to his players and fellow coaches given the enthusiasm with which they have spoken about him since his arrival in 2019.

Having joined Munster as a replacement for Felix Jones, Larkham’s status as a World Cup-winning player with Australia and as a coach of proven quality in both Super Rugby with his beloved Brumbies and on the Test stage with the Wallabies had given the Irish province an instant lift after yet another summer of management turmoil.

The exit of both attack coach Jones and forwards coach Jerry Flannery at the end of the 2018-19 campaign had been the latest spin of the Munster coaching merry-go-round given the abrupt departures of Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber in November 2017, just 15 months into their tenures as director of rugby and defence coach.

So when Larkham arrived as a senior coach and was joined soon after by a new forwards coach in Graham Rowntree, it looked as if order had finally been restored under Johann van Graan and Munster were about to enjoy some stability at long last.

Indeed, when the story broke in September that van Graan and his team of assistants had all been offered new contracts beyond the 2021-22 season, Larkham was happy to embrace it. While the head coach remained tight-lipped on the subject in his dealings with the media, the Australian was only too positive about the development.

Asked on September 28 on the eve of the new United Rugby Championship if he wanted to stay beyond his current deal, Larkham replied: “Of course, we all do.

“It’s a great environment here at the moment. We certainly feel like things are building in the right direction, we had a really good year last year and we want that to continue.

“We’ve got a really good cohesion as a coaching group at the moment, we’re really enjoying it and from a playing perspective it’s really our third year together now as a larger group, so yeah, the environment’s great at the moment.”

To seasoned Munster watchers then, the news will have sparked an uncanny resemblance to Erasmus’s declaration of undying love for the Munster cause in May 2017, only for the South African to hand in his six-month notice to the IRFU shortly after as the lure of a job back home with the Springboks proved too good to turn down.

At least Larkham is seeing out his initial deal and the reasons for returning home rather than accept the offer of a new deal, which confirms the leaked news of new deals for all the coaches, are perfectly understandable as he referenced his comments of nearly two months ago.

“I only recently spoke about my desire to remain with Munster and continue working with my fellow coaches and playing group,” he said in the statement issued by the province.

“That hopefully gives some indication as to how difficult a decision this has been for me. The staff, players, fans, and facilities are world class here and I am grateful to have had this opportunity.

“My family made a number of sacrifices in joining me on this move to Ireland and my girls’ adjustment over here, particularly with Covid, has been difficult. I have to put them first now, and with a coaching opportunity closer to home this is the right thing for my family at this time.

“For now, my focus is very much with Munster Rugby and with a long season ahead I will savour every moment of working within this great environment as we continue to build in the right direction.”

Larkham and Munster are in South Africa preparing for the resumption of their URC campaign this Saturday when they play the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

The news of his departure will be a hammer blow for players and supporters alike who have been enjoying a more expansive attacking gameplan, of which Larkham is the principal architect.

His work has clearly led to job offers at home with a return to the Brumbies a real possibility.

Munster, meanwhile, are now faced with the difficult task of replacing yet another lost coach of genuine quality.