'We can't be drawn into any of that stuff': Beirne and Munster keeping focus on-field

The seven-try performance in Treviso came against a backdrop of off-field events that threatened to derail Munster’s season. 

Tadhg Beirne of Munster is congratulated by teammates on scoring a second-half try. Pic: Tim Rogers/Sportsfile

Munster captain Tadhg Beirne refused to discuss Roger Randle’s appointment as attack coach for next season by insisting he and his team could not afford to be distracted as they chase a place in the URC knockout rounds.

Beirne led Munster to their best performance of the season in Italy last Saturday as they hammered Benetton 45-15 at Treviso’s Stadio Monigo to maintain their place in the all-important top eight of the league table. 

With three matches of the regular campaign to play Munster sit in sixth place, a point behind Ulster, whom they play in Limerick this Saturday, but just two points clear of Connacht in ninth place.

The seven-try performance in Treviso came a fortnight after an abject display in Exeter that saw Clayton McMillan’s side dumped out of the second-tier Challenge Cup at the Round of 16 stage and against a backdrop of off-field events that threatened to derail Munster’s season. 

The province has asked for voluntary redundancies, forwards coach Alex Codling looks set to depart for Toulon in addition to senior coach Mike Prendergast, who is heading to Bath, while controversy has greeted McMillan’s choice of a new attack coach after historic rape allegations against current Chiefs assistant Roger Randle resurfaced.

Randle has always denied the charges and criminal proceedings were quickly dropped in 1997 when the former All Black was playing for the Hurricanes on tour in Durban, South Africa, but Munster’s hire has been met by resignations from both its Commercial Advisory Group and its Professional Game Board, from which independent members and former players Billy Holland, Killian Keane and Mick O’Driscoll steeped down. 

The latter trio are understood to have found unacceptable the presentation of Randle’s appointment to the PGB as a fait accompli rather than as a point of discussion for the board’s approval, but concerns around the almost 30-year-old allegations have been raised from within Munster’s support base.

As for the players, captain Beirne on Tuesday insisted he could no be drawn into the ongoing debate around Randle, nor the rest of the “outside noise” swirling around his squad.

“You're always going to see that stuff, but we're just so focused on what's going on in the building in terms of our results and our performances,” Beirne said. “We can't be drawn into any of that stuff.

“We're just focusing on ourselves. Even in that players meeting that we had, we spoke briefly about outside noise and how we can't let anything distract us.

“I think this group has done really well in terms of doing that, in terms of not being focused on any of that stuff.” 

As for Randle’s upcoming arrival as attack coach this summer, subject to a work permit, the Munster captain said: “Look, as I said, I'm not going to get drawn into any of that stuff. I'm going to just be focused on the games that are coming up.

“It's an appointment that's been made and he has a very good track record in terms of his coaching ability. We'll be looking forward to seeing what he can bring in terms of his coaching here in Munster.” 

Beirne said head coach McMillan, Randle’s boss for four years at the Chiefs until his move to Munster last summer, had called a leadership meeting to tell senior players about the appointment, adding: “That's about it, yeah.

“As I said, I can't get drawn into this stuff at the moment. We have such a big game coming up in terms of how big it is for the club.

“I can't be getting drawn into what's going on with the club outside of what's in front of us as players. I think for me, my focus is solely on Ulster this weekend. I think the whole playing group is focused on that.

“That's where our heads are at. There's always going to be noise at the moment. You've got Roger, then you've got the redundancies. There's always going to be noise about certain things at any club level. We're leaving that all to one side and all we're doing is focusing on Ulster.” Beirne discussed his captaincy role in helping younger players to block out the external noise and stay focused.

“I suppose you'd be naive not to address it sometimes. Last week we met as players and we drew a line in the sand about it in terms of knowing that there's a lot of outside noise and knowing that players are probably going to be approached by people on the outside.

“Probably trying to even get inside their head in terms of creating negative thoughts or negative pictures and stuff.

“For us, it's pushing all of that to one side and just focussing on what our goal is as a group and what we want to achieve over the next few weeks.

“We addressed that, as I said, as a playing group. I've been around long enough, we've been around a lot of bad media in terms of multiple different things. It's easier for me to put it to one side and focus on what we want to achieve because that's what's most important for this club, achieving success on the field. Hopefully, the younger lads are able to see that now as well."

Beirne also addressed his description of negative thoughts being put in players’ heads.

“When there's bad press on anything, I'm not stupid, there's going to be bad press at the moment on the club, not just over one thing, but the redundancies.

“I know someone is going to come up to someone and say, ‘What's going on with Munster, they're in terrible shape.’ 

“That's straight away a negative comment, isn't it? That can feed into younger lads' heads, but that's not the situation at the moment. That's not the situation we're in.

“We have to be positive, we have to remain positive because if we get roped into that side of things, then all of a sudden it can feed into performances and feed into this group. Thankfully, it hasn't.

“That's why I say the outside noise, people coming up asking you questions, brush it off, just be focused on what's happening in this group, what's happening in this building, and what's happening in this building is very positive.

“The mood is very high, the energy is high. We are really looking forward to the next couple of weeks and the capability of what we're able to achieve.”