Ian Costello unable to give timeline for appointment of next Munster boss

NO RUSH: Interim head coach Ian Costello during a Munster Rugby squad training at the University of Limerick in Limerick. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Ian Costello may have been double-jobbing at Munster Rugby for the past 11 weeks but the interim boss and Head of Rugby Operations is content to continue as long as it takes to find the right permanent replacement.

Costello has been performing both roles since the departure by mutual consent of head coach Graham Rowntree on October 29 and will lead the squad to Northampton Saints this Saturday with a chance of qualifying top of Pool 3 if the Reds succeed at Franklin’s Gardens.

Attack coach Mike Prendergast is the only confirmed candidate to succeed Rowntree, with he and fellow assistants Denis Leamy, Mossy Lawler and George Murray augmented by forward coach consultant Alex Codling following the exit in November of Andi Kyriacou.

Costello has also brought in former Northampton and Hurricanes boss Chris Boyd as a performance consultant. Boyd and the New Zealander will sit down with the interim head coach, IRFU performance director David Humphreys and Munster’s Professional Game Committee in the next two weeks to discuss both the future coaching structure and applicants for the permanent vacancies.

Speaking on Tuesday, Costello also confirmed Codling would continue his secondment from the Ireland Women’s coaching group and would divide his time between the two during the Women’s Six Nations championship in April, with academy coaches Tommy O’Donnell and Sean Cronin filling the vacuum during the Englishman’s absences.

Fresh candidates are still advancing their claims with interviews yet to begin and Costello could not give a timeline for the appointment of the next permanent head coach.

"We've got a meeting later this month and that will involve IRFU, PGC etc, Chris (Boyd) has had some input. We'll sit and talk about it... about looking at our structure, looking around at getting the best fit for a head coach and they are ongoing conversations.

"I said this before and it might frustrate people but it's such a big decision, how it all fits, and it's the middle of the season as well.

"We need to get it right and we don't feel under any pressure internally to speed that up despite the fact that maybe people on the outside are counting down 10 weeks, 12 weeks, whatever.

"This is about getting it right for Munster so that we continue to build on what we've done over the last couple of years.”

Codling is already combining his dual roles with both Munster and the Ireland Women and Costello praised his contribution to an much improved lineout.

"There will be periods that he's away for but they're in camp and he's still here for portions of the week.

"He has made a massive impact with the likes of Tadhg (Beirne) and Fineen (Wycherley), I think he's quite a bit of the source of how well Fineen is playing at the moment and how are lineout is doing.

"We had one blip against Leinster but we're tracking in the high 80s despite that percentage-wise.

“But it's not just that, it's how he teaches and how he coaches. The young lads in particular are thriving, so we wanted to make sure that worked at least until the end of the season for now.

"We've Tommy O'Donnell in the building as well and the IRFU have been very supportive around resource as well around scrum and lineout, they help us out as well.

"If Alex was away for the game or away for half a week at a time, (O’Donnell) can lead that with Alex still connecting remotely.

"That's the best option and we're just working through that at the moment. But yes he is going to continue both.”

The potential for Prendergast’s promotion to head coach would put skiils coach Lawler in position to replace him in charge of the attack, and the existing coaching group being retained on a permanent basis, though Costello kept his own counsel on that likelihood.

“It's a possibility. Mike has put his name in the ring but like anything we want to get this right. There will be a worldwide search to make sure we get the right person with the right fit for Munster, and I'd probably be at pains to say that we have to have the confidence that what we've done over the last few years has really moved us in the right direction.

“Again, there's discussions around our squad depth. When we're healthy we have an outstanding squad, and what's coming underneath is in such a healthy place right across all positions now.

"Some, a little bit behind, but what we've done in the last three and a half years, we've got to build on.

“We need a head coach, in our opinion, that understands our culture, identity, our integrated model, the way we're linked in with the Academy, and comes in and adds to that and that evolves rather than fundamentally changing it.

“So that'll be one of the key requirements or key factors when we hire a head coach.”