Boost for Munster as Denis Leamy agrees new two-year deal

The defence coach was due to be out of contract next summer.
Boost for Munster as Denis Leamy agrees new two-year deal

STAYING ON: Munster’s Denis Leamy has agreed a contract extension at Thomond Park. INPHO/Ken Sutton

Denis Leamy has committed his future to Munster Rugby for the next two years to give the province some welcome clarity after a month of turbulence following the departure of head coach Graham Rowntree.

The defence coach was due to be out of contract next summer and with Munster losing both Rowntree and forwards coach Andi Kyriacou, Leamy’s signature on a two-year deal offers some respite as the search for other coaching replacements continues.

Attack coach Mike Prendergast, one of the leading contenders to become the next head coach, is also out of contract and understood to have attracted interest from France where he coached at Oyonnax, Stade Francais and Racing 92 before he returned to his home province as part of Rowntree’s new coaching ticket alongside Leamy in the summer of 2022.

It is understood but not confirmed that Prendergast may also be set to extend his stay with Munster, at least in his current role in charge of the attack, but Leamy has put pen to paper, a day after the province announced Ireland women’s assistant Alex Codling as a forwards coach consultant to fill the void following Kyriacou’s departure last Friday.

The former Munster and Ireland back-rower, from Tipperary, is in his third season as defence coach having joined from the Leinster coaching staff to succeed Bath-bound JP Ferreira at the end of 2021-22, when Rowntree took over from Johann van Graan.

He presided over the URC’s meanest defence in the first two seasons, the first of which Munster won the title to end a 12-year trophy drought. Leamy’s defence conceded the lowest number of points in both that title-winning 22-23 campaign, when an aggregate of just 34 points were conceded in the knockout stages away to Glasgow Warriors, Leinster and fellow finalist the Stormers.

Last season, the points conceded averaged 18 points per game before a shock home semi-final exit at home to Glasgow last June but Munster have struggled with and without the ball this season and will go into round seven of the URC this Saturday sitting in 12th of 16 clubs on the league table, with a points difference of -30 after two wins and four defeats.

Munster face the in-form Lions at Thomond Park this Saturday night, their first league fixture since Ronwtree’s sudden departure “by mutual consent” at the end of October. Interim head coach and head of rugby operations Ian Costello takes charge having overseen Munster’s incoming tour match with the All Blacks XV, a 38-24 defeat at Thomond Park and he will be hopeful to have some reinforcements from Ireland’s Autumn Nations Series squad available for selection.

Back-rower Alex Kendellen has already returned to Munster having been in Andy Farrell’s national as an uncapped training panellist this month and has joined two new faces in short-term prop signings Dian Bleuler and Conor Bartley, the Young Munster front-rower who featured in the Munster A side which lost 22-7 at Leinster A in Dublin last Friday.

Both are training with the squad having joined the province earlier this month. Munster have been boosted by the return to full training of a quartet of backs. Centre Alex Nankivell (hip) is available for selection to face the South Africans while Shane Daly (leg), Liam Coombes (leg) and Thaakir Abrahams (thigh) will be assessed as training continues this week ahead of Friday’s team announcement.

Munster will remain without tighthead prop Oli Jager (neck), who is increasing his training load but South African World Cup winner Jean Kleyn is set to go for a scan on the neck injury that ruled him out for the Springboks against Wales last Sunday and is not available this weekend.

Centre/wing Seán O’Brien is unavailable due to a leg injury, back-three summer signing Diarmuid Kilgallen is unavailable after undergoing surgery on a wrist injury while Irish international loosehead prop Jeremy Loughman has undergone surgery on his hip and will undergo a period of rehabilitation.

Fellow looseheads Josh Wycherley (neck), Mark Donnelly (ankle) and Dave Kilcoyne (ankle) remain unavailable, as do back-three player Patrick Campbell (shoulder), and forwards Cian Hurley (knee), Edwin Edogbo (Achilles) and Roman Salanoa (knee).

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