Kilcoyne: The right hire will help Munster evolve again

15 December 2021; Dave Kilcoyne (centre) during Munster Rugby squad training at the University of Limerick in Limerick. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

As an advertisement for the forthcoming head coach vacancy at Munster, Dave Kilcoyne did a pretty good job of selling the province this week. In fact, it made you wonder why the outgoing boss was bidding farewell in the first place.

Kilcoyne, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Tuesday, will be welcoming his sixth head coach to Munster when the new appointment takes charge at the High Performance Centre in Limerick, presumably sometime next summer following incumbent Johann van Graan’s surprise decision to turn his back on a two-year contract extension and switch to a similar role next season at Bath.