Alex Nankivell hails Martyn Vercoe's quiet influence as Munster gear up for Gloucester

INFLUENCE: Alex Nankivell has paid tribute to the behind the scenes influence of Munster’s new team manager Martyn Vercoe ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup pool clash with Gloucester at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Alex Nankivell has paid tribute to the behind the scenes influence of Munster’s new team manager Martyn Vercoe ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup pool clash with Gloucester at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Vercoe and new Head of Athletic Performance Brad Mayo were close associates of Clayton McMillan and the trio joined Munster during the summer, the manager following the head coach from the Chiefs while their fellow New Zealander’s previous role was head of athletic performance at the Hurricanes.

All Blacks XV centre Nankivell had joined from the Chiefs in 2023 having spent every year of his professional career with Vercoe as his team manager, from Tasman to the Chiefs, where McMillan was his head coach for his final two seasons in Hamilton.

The 29-year-old knew what to expect but he has been impressed by their instant impact at Munster.

“I think just what (Clayton) brings, like he just connects people really well, and he finds a deeper purpose,” Nankivell said. “That was already in Munster, but he just really finds a way to tie it in and bring it to the current squad and get them to buy into it.

“So I knew he would do something like that, but I wasn't quite sure what it was. But it's cool where he kind of dived into Munster as a province, around the history of like the Rock of Cashel and different things like that but then also the Red Army and the people of Munster… I guess he gives you a deeper purpose than just playing rugby, which is really cool.

“And then the other two lads, I haven't worked too much with Brad, but I've seen him around, but Martyn Vercoe was my manager every year that I played professionally in New Zealand.

“We're very close, I've known his kids since they were, geez, seven, eight years old, his oldest. He's a great man.

“He's probably a bit more than just a traditional manager. He's really good at lifting morale around the group and standards, and he's just so organised around different things.

“He even has his own little segment during the week around getting to know the different players in the team and, I guess, for us as players, getting to know them on a deeper level than just that kind of surface-level stuff.

“He chucks them up the front, sits next to them, and goes through a few different stories about their life or their upbringing, or things like that. So he's a great man, and I know the lads have felt the same, that he's been awesome.” 

Nankivell is thankful he is yet to experience the Vercoe interview in front of his peers, adding: “It is very vulnerable, yeah. Geez, I don't know. I've said to him if I go up there and he brings up certain parts of my life, I might get a bit emotional, so I don't know.

“I'm pretty innocent to be fair, but there's a few things that probably could set me off, I'd say, but... the lads have been pretty good at it, they actually handle it pretty well. Like when they've been talking about family or things that are really close to their heart, they've been really good about talking about that stuff, but geez, I don't know if I would...

“No, it's cool, because he does it in a way, it's not like serious. It's very light-hearted, there's a bit of joking about, and like at the start, he gets up there, he's doing this little dance, and he tries to get the other person to do it.

“Yeah, it is cool, but he's seriously impressive.”