'I'll always be Munster' but Van Graan tight-lipped on reasons for exit

Head coach Johann van Graan during Munster training at UL yesterday, the day after it was announced he would be leaving at the end of the season. Picture: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Johann van Graan has insisted Munster’s season will not be derailed by his decision to leave the province next summer and that his squad’s focus is firmly fixed on Saturday’s European clash at home to Castres.

Munster on Tuesday announced their head coach will depart when his contract expires on June 30, 2022, with English Premiership strugglers Bath yesterday confirming they were the reason for the South African’s apparent U-turn on a prior decision to extend his stay in Limerick by another two years.

Van Graan will join Bath on a long-term contract as head coach, reporting to director of rugby Stuart Hooper. Hooper and current head coach Neal Hatley have presided over a side that are currently bottom of the Premiership and without a win this season having also been hammered by Leinster at Aviva Stadium last Saturday on the opening weekend of the Heineken Champions Cup pool stages.

Yet on the day after Bath were ripped apart in Dublin, Munster opened their European campaign with a victory for the ages as Van Graan and the majority of senior squad and assistant coaches watched on from afar while a makeshift side coached by academy head Ian Costello scored a stirring bonus-point win at Wasps in Coventry.

It produced a feelgood moment for the province in the face of adversity arising from a Covid outbreak that needed to be treasured, but it was put to the head coach yesterday, as Munster held their weekly media session in advance of Saturday’s night Thomond Park meeting with Castres, that the hard-earned momentum gained from a famous European away victory may have been diminished by the deflation that met his intention to leave.

“No, not at all,” Van Graan said. Everyone’s looking forward to the game on Saturday evening. Every day is different, we’ve learned that over the last few years and we’ve learned that... specifically the guys that were sat in their hotel rooms for the last few weeks.

“I think the good thing about the environment that we have in the HPC is one of honesty and one of openness and the fact that we’ve been open with each other — the players know exactly where they stand with me and I know where I stand with them — so it’s all arrows in the same direction for Saturday evening.”

Despite being at the centre of such a pivotal moment in Munster’s season, Van Graan was not prepared to offer an explanation for his decision to quit the province he has steered for five seasons since succeeding fellow South African Rassie Erasmus a third of the way through 2017-18.

He repeatedly stonewalled questions about his reasons for leaving Munster, and what had attracted him to joining Bath, and he even balked when asked if he was happy with the progress made since moving to Ireland after serving the Springboks as an assistant coach.

“I’ll give you the same answer as two [questions] ago — it would be unfair of me to give comment on my almost five years. At the back end of June I’d be very happy to chat with you about that.

“We’re in the current season, that’s why you get seasons in life. We’re in season, I’m not going to comment on this season.

“We’re well-placed in both competitions, we’ve a European game coming up in four days’ time, and in the back-end of the season I’ll make a comment on Munster Rugby, once I’ve finished with Munster.”

Munster will be losing both Van Graan and senior coach Stephen Larkham at the end of the season, with the man responsible for the Reds’ attack returning to Australia to become head coach of the Brumbies. It leaves forwards coach Graham Rowntree and defence coach JP Ferreira, both of whom are also out of contract next summer.

As to his potential successor, Van Graan was asked if a candidate may emerge from within his current coaching team. “Again, that’s not for me to speculate on.

“That’s not me being part of that process. The only thing I will say is that Munster Rugby have produced phenomenal coaches that have performed all over the world and I’m sure the IRFU and Munster Rugby will appoint the best coach possible.

“My only wish for Munster has always been the best and will continue to do so.

“I’ll always be from the province, my little girl was born here. She’s Irish. I’ll always have that connection with Munster and it’s something I’m very proud of.”

Van Graan was reluctant even to discuss what it would mean to finish his time at Munster with silverware, thereby ending a trophy drought stretching back to 2011.

“Again, I’m not going to answer that one. I’ll tell you that at the end of the season. Everybody that I’ve come across in Munster rugby wants to win a trophy. We are all working in the same direction, from top to bottom for that.

“Yes, it will be phenomenal if we can do it this season. We are still alive in both competitions. Before you can win a trophy, you must qualify for knockout games. We are well placed.

“It’s certainly not even Christmas so what we do in the next seven weeks will have a big bearing on that and let’s see where we end up in June.”