Jack O'Donoghue: 'Costello has steadied the ship during a turbulent time'

In his 10 years with Munster, O’Donoghue has experienced plenty of unexpected loss so he can offer some perspective on the recent departures of head coach Graham Rowntree and forwards coach Andi Kyriacou

O'Donoghue has welcomed the new deals for coaches Denis Leamy and Mike Prendergast.

Jack O’Donoghue may not be the longest-serving Munster player but the back-rower has seen enough to know there is no time to dwell on events he had no control over.

This Saturday’s return to URC action at home to the Lions is set to earn the 30-year-old his 210th Munster cap, an impressive achievement considering his relatively young age and the level of competition for back-row places that has existed in the squad he has been an integral member of for the past decade.

In those 10 years, O’Donoghue has experienced plenty of unexpected loss so he can offer some perspective on the recent departures of head coach Graham Rowntree and forwards coach Andi Kyriacou as the players keep ploughing on with their season under the charge of interim boss Ian Costello.

“Cossie’s been really good,” O’Donoghue told the Irish Examiner. “He’s been reassuring us that we’re not a million miles off where we need to be and he’s been able to steady the ship during a bit of a turbulent time.

“Look, it’s nothing new to us. We’ve unfortunately gone through situations where it has been a lot worse, you know, the death of Axel, they are seriously turbulent times and as much as we are sad to see Wig go it’s very much getting on with our job.

“We have a job to perform on the field and everything that’s gone on is above all of our pay grades and so all we can do is focus on the rugby and our jobs and play well to the best of our ability and hope the people in charge are doing the right thing for the organisation.” As sorry as O’Donoghue feels for former colleagues, he understands the focus has to remain on Munster’s ongoing season.

Munster's Jack O'Donoghue, Peter O'Mahony and Gavin Coombes after the All-Blacks clash.

“It’s always going to have an impact. It’s a strange one, it has a massive impact. You form a relationship with them, they’re a coach but they’re a person as well and you form a relationship with the person and become quite close to them because you work quite closely alongside them, a forwards coach and being heavily involved with the forwards.

“So while you’re sad you can’t dwell on it. The conveyor belt just keeps moving and you have to keep up and be able to park those emotions to put your best foot forward for a result on the weekend.” 

O’Donoghue welcomed the two-year deals announced on Tuesday for defence coach Denis Leamy and attack coach Mike Prendergast, adding: “It gives everyone a bit of confidence. It’s a good boost to the group, morale, two really good coaches who you would hate to see either of them parting ways.

“We’ve had enough to-ing and fro-ing with coaches, to have some continuity with the group is really important. They’re well respected within the group and I think they’re two really good signings for the next two years and hopefully beyond that.

“You want to keep continuity within a coaching ticket. You have to build on the success that we’ve had and those two lads, Prendy, an incredible CV and the way he’s changed our attack is class and it’s a joy to play under him. And to work with alongside Leamy, a legend of the game, you want to go out and play for him.

“You want to go out and play for these coaches, to do them proud because they give us the best platform to express ourselves and to play with that freedom.”