Clayton McMillan defends new Munster hire Roger Randle after allegations resurface

The decision to hire Randle has been met with disagreement within the Munster rugby community due to a 1997 allegation in Durban.

Munster head coach Clayton McMillan (right) alongside Tadhg Beirne at a training session in UL. Picture: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Clayton McMillan has launched a strong defence of Munster’s decision to appoint fellow New Zealander Roger Randle as the province’s attack coach next season, despite an historic rape allegation against the former All Blacks wing.

Randle, the current Chiefs attack coach, was confirmed as Munster’s replacement for the outgoing Mike Prendergast, who will join English champions Bath this summer after four years on the coaching staff of his home province. 

An announcement made on Wednesday said the Kiwi had signed a two-year deal and was excited to be joining Munster.

The new man in was McMillan’s attack coach at the Chiefs during the Munster boss’s four-year spell as head coach at the Hamilton-based Super Rugby franchise between 2021-25. 

But the decision to hire him has been met with disagreement within the Munster rugby community following a 1997 incident in Durban, South Africa when Randle was a Chiefs players and was charged with an alleged rape, for which the complaint and legal process was dropped.

Three independent members of Munster’s Professional Games Board (PGB), ex-players Billy Holland, Killian Keane and Mick O’Driscoll, have resigned their positions on that committee as a result of the hiring but McMillan, a non-voting member of the PGB, on Thursday stood by the decision to appoint Randle and gave a glowing testimonial of his friend’s character.

“I'm well aware of how our supporters and people in the rugby community are feeling about Roger's appointment,” the head coach said when he faced the media following his team announcement ahead of Munster’s URC visit to Benetton on Saturday.

“I fully respect that people will have an opinion, but it's not an opinion that is shared by me. I've known Roger for a long time. I think he's an outstanding human, well loved by family and people that have worked alongside him for a long period of time.” 

McMillan added: “I'm aware that there's some former players on the PGB that resigned as a result of this decision and like our supporters, I respect that they all have their reasons for why they did that.” 

Roger Randle has signed a two-year deal with Munster. Picture: Getty Images

Asked if he had anticipated such a backlash to Randle’s appointment to his Munster coaching staff, McMillan said: "It's a hard question to answer. I can't jump into the minds of other people. I can only speak for the person that I know and that I've worked alongside.

“As I said before, this is a person who has had an allegation made against him. It didn't proceed to a legal process, dropped pretty quickly. But the stigma of that has remained with him.

“But I admire the way that he has, as a rugby player and a coach and a father, dealt with that challenge.

“He's played all around the world. He's coached at the elite level for a long period of time in Italy, France, Japan, New Zealand, Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games, played for the All Blacks.

“This is a guy who's highly respected in many parts of the world.” 

'He can come here and help our team'

McMillan also had a message for Munster supporters with concerns about his new assistant coach.

“I would ask people to put their trust in me and other people. I think if you jumped onto the Chiefs website, for example, and you read the comments about Roger Randle, you'll see glowing reports of a man that's loved by a huge cross-section in New Zealand, a family man, an honest man, and one that I trust unequivocally.

“Again, I can understand that people will have an opinion, but it's not one that I share, and I honestly believe that he can come here and help our team and players develop and excel.” 

The Munster boss said he had talked to Randle since the controversy reignited and added: “I feel a huge sense of responsibility in terms of making sure that he's looked after and that he comes here and it's an environment where he feels like he's welcome.

"Clearly there's some challenges and Roger is aware of those challenges, but it says a lot about him that he is still excited about the opportunity to come here and contribute.

"The challenge for any coach or player coming into the environment is that you have to earn the trust and respect of people, but it helps when people have an open mind and he comes in without his hands tied."

The Randle appointment has added to troubled waters at Munster, who last month announced they would be seeking voluntary redundancies from non-professional players and coaching staff members due to its current economic situation.

Speculation has also surfaced about the future of forwards coach Alex Codling, linked this week in the French media to a switch to Top 14 powerhouse Toulon when his contract expires at the end of the season.

McMillan all but confirmed Codling’s exit on Thursday.

"That's not my story to tell. But, what I can say is that coaching is a bit of a transitional occupation.

"You live a little bit contract to contract. Codders is someone that we wanted to keep around for another year, but sometimes a better offer is put on the table and if the rumours around Toulon are accurate then we'll be disappointed because he's been a huge contributor in his time here.

"We'll wish him well and like everybody in the building, players and staff, he's totally committed to the here and now and devoting all his energy to the players to set them up for success."