Ian Costello takes himself out of running for permanent Munster job

The former Nottingham head coach said he was not interested in moving away from current full-time role overseeing the long-term strategy of his province’s professional pathways and systems

Munster academy coach Ian Costello

Ian Costello has ruled himself out of becoming Munster’s next permanent head coach but the Head of Rugby Operations is prepared to serve in interim charge for as long as it takes to find the right candidate to succeed Graham Rowntree.

Costello on Thursday named his team to face the All Blacks XV in Saturday’s sold-out tour match at Thomond Park, Munster’s first fixture since the shock announcement last Tuesday morning that Rowntree had left his post with immediate effect just six games into his third season as head coach.

Yet the former Nottingham head coach, Wasps defence coach and Munster head of academy from Limerick said he was not interested in moving away from current full-time role overseeing the long-term strategy of his province’s professional pathways and systems.

Asked on Thursday if the full-time head coach position was one that interested him, Costello said: “No. No, I’m very comfortable with that. We’re going to start the process of looking for the next head coach but take our time. We’ll make sure we find the right person and the right fit.

“My role is structured very much around long-term, strategic positioning in terms of the club, succession planning, depth charts and it’s very heavily linked to performance management.

“I’m really enjoying it if I’m honest and it’s one that I think suits me, and I think it’s one that’s important for the club as well, and it’s evolved very, very nicely.

“So, I’m very comfortable and I’ve said this to the lads internally and that won’t change. So from the outset we’ll start that process of looking for a head coach until we find the right fit.” Costello will be part of the recruitment process in tandem with Munster’s Professional Game Committee and the IRFU and he stressed the importance of continuing the foundations put in place by Rowntree since he succeeded Johann van Graan as head coach in the summer of 2022. The ideal candidate, he said, will need to be prepared to bring consistency to what went before rather than start from scratch.

“Yeah, I think that’s fair. We’ve worked really hard, and Graham was a big part of this, on the alignment and integration from top to bottom in the club. It’s become a real point of difference.

“You’re going to see six academy players involved against the All Blacks at the weekend and over 80 guys were capped (in terms of appearances made in total by academy players) last year. So we need to be on the same page and have the shared understanding top to bottom around our rugby principles, how we coach, how we prepare people in terms of S&C etc. That’s where our academy pathway and senior players are really well aligned and integrated.

“So when we look for a new head coach we want them to come in and add to what we’re doing rather than come in fundamentally change it. That includes our culture and we have a very, very clear identity.

“So consistency will be a very important part of that, it will definitely be something that we’ll be looking for.” Costello said this Saturday’s game was being treated as a once-off event ahead of a three-week break to the next URC fixture, at home to the Lions on November 30.

Peter O’Mahony will return from injury to face the All Blacks XV with Diarmuid Barron handed the captaincy by the interim head coach in the absence of club skipper Tadhg Beirne, one of six Munster players on Ireland duty at a camp in Portugal this week ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.

Costello with former Munster head coach Graham Rowntree

The sell-out game at Thomond Park will have an increased capacity of 26,267 following the installation of additional seating at both ends of the ground, in front the terracing.

O’Mahony returns from a hamstring injury sustained on October 5 in the first half of the home win over Ospreys while summer signing Diarmuid Kilgallen is set to earn his first Munster with a start on the left wing and there is a debut in the works of the bench for Ireland Under-20 captain and lock Evan O’Connell, one of six academy players in the matchday 23.

Shay McCarthy starts on the right wing with props Kieran Ryan and Ronan Foxe, back-rower Ruadhan Quinn and outside back Ben O’Connor the other academy players set for a memorable outing against the tourists.

Stephen Archer, Niall Scannell and Rory Scannell are all included in the squad having helped Munster to victory over the Māori All Blacks in 2016, while second row Tom Ahern is to make his 50th Munster appearance and from the bench scrum-half Paddy Patterson is in line for his first game time since New Year’s Day as he returns from a long-term knee injury.

Meanwhile, the All Blacks XV team and replacements bench will include seven players who have featured for New Zealand already at senior Test level. Hurricanes flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi will captain the side with Blues out-half Harry Plummer his vice-captain.

Ruben Love starts on the bench having made a scoring senior debut in the rout of Japan last week while the Highlander’s well-named 22-year old Dutch lock Fabian Holland moves one step closer to the top by being named in the second row.

MUNSTER (v All Blacks XV): Mike Haley; Shay McCarthy, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Billy Burns, Ethan Coughlan; John Ryan, Diarmuid Barron - captain, Stephen Archer; Fineen Wycherley, Tom Ahern; Peter O'Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Niall Scannell, Kieran Ryan, Ronan Foxe, Evan O'Connell, Ruadhán Quinn, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Ben O'Connor.

All Blacks XV: S Stevenson; C Fihaki, AJ Lam, Q Tupaea, K Naholo; J Plummer, F Christie; G Bower, B McAlister, G Dyer; I Walker-Leawere, F Holland; O Haig, D Kirifi, D Flanders.

Replacements: B Slater, X Numia, M Renata, N Ah Kuoi, C Kellow, N Hotham, J Jacomb, R Love.