Munster will back McMillan transfer plans but focus is on home talent

Munster CEO Ian Flanagan has been speaking, in-depth, to Simon Lewis. 

Munster's Head Coach Clayton McMillan arrives ahead of the recent match with the Lions. Pic: INPHO/Bryan Keane

Munster CEO Ian Flanagan is prepared to back “world-class” head coach Clayton McMillan with quality overseas signings to match but he insisted the emphasis remains on developing homegrown talent to drive success on the field.

McMillan has begun his squad’s preparations for Saturday’s challenging trip to play South Africa’s Bulls in their URC quarter-final at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld, after a rollercoaster first season since joining from New Zealand’s Chiefs last summer.

Missing out on a home URC knockout clash was a blow to Munster, in need of finances in a difficult economic climate while a pool exit from the Champions Cup followed by a humbling Round of 16 defeat at Exeter Chiefs in the second-tier Challenge Cup were further indicators of a campaign of inconsistent performances which followed a promising start to the Kiwi’s tenure.

Flanagan welcomed qualification for next season’s Champions Cup, secured on the last day of the URC regular season with a win at Thomond Park and pointed to the array of academy graduates in McMillan’s injury-hit matchday 23 who helped secure victory.

He also told the Irish Examiner he believes his organisation is fortunate to have McMillan and points to the province’s willingness to bid for All Blacks’ tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax, available after the 2027 World Cup, as evidence of the support for the head coach.

“I think Clayton is an incredibly talented coach. A world-class coach. We're lucky to have him here,” Flanagan said. “He has my full support. The full support of the board. We absolutely believe he's the right guy to bring Munster forward and to get us to where we want to be on the pitch.

“It's his first season and I'm glad, obviously, that we secured Champions Cup qualification. We're obviously disappointed not to have had a home (URC) quarter-final and Clayton himself would say we're disappointed with how Europe worked out for us this year. All of that is pretty self-evident.

“What I will say is he's working morning, noon, and night to improve everything at the HPC. To improve the team for next season. To develop players because in our model, the key to improving performance is on the pitch and getting players into Irish shirts is largely how we develop our own players and bring them through.

“The team that started and finished the game (v Lions) is a really positive indicator of where that's going. All the positive work that's gone into changing and restructuring our pathway and our player development over the last five years since (general manager) Ian Costello returned.

“All of that takes time. And supporters, I appreciate, don't necessarily want to hear ‘stuff takes time’. But I think what our supporters really want to see more than anything is a team that leaves everything on the pitch and is 100 per cent effort and determination and grit. And I think the 80 minutes (v Lions) were 80 minutes of determination, grit and effort and hard work.

“Delighted to see youngsters make a big impact like Evan O'Connell, like Brian Gleeson, all those people. And Craig (Casey)'s first game as captain in Thomond Park as well. So a lot of positives.

“But we know the history. We know what we want to live up to. We know the expectations out there and we embrace them. That's our challenge, to get to that level where we're consistently fighting for silverware and challenging for trophies.

“That's why Clayton came. He embraces the challenge. He understands it is a challenge. He understands how our system works. We've taken some punches on the nose, as he said, but we're absolutely really looking forward to ending the season strongly.

“We still have a chance of a trophy and we're going to do everything we can to get past the Bulls and see where that takes us. But the focus entirely is on the end of the season, finishing it strongly, doing our best to make progress in the URC knockouts and then a strong focus on what pre-season looks like and our plans for next season.” 

Two of Munster’s three Non-Irish Qualified (NIQ) berths permitted per province by the IRFU will become free this summer with the departures of wing Thaakir Abrahams and veteran lock Jean Kleyn to Bulls and Gloucester respectively. New Zealand centre Alex Nankivell is the third overseas signing having signed from the Chiefs in 2023.

Scarlets’ South Africa-capped hooker Marnus van der Merwe has been signed to fill one of free slots while McMillan has prioritised a world-class tighthead prop as his target for the other NIQ spot.

“We’ve tabled an offer for Tyrel Lomax, because we have permission for an NIQ tighthead, so that is a key focus for us,” Flanagan confirmed.

“Simple fact, there's not a lot of guys out there, particularly in the year leading into a World Cup, so we're mindful of that and we're looking high and low for someone who could come in to strengthen the squad in that particular position.

“There's always ongoing dialogue with the IRFU and with (IRFU Performance Director) David Humphreys about NIQ positions and discussions around our depth chart. We would have met with David Humphreys last Monday to have exactly that kind of discussion, which is a regular discussion.

“But I think the fact Tyrel Lomax is out there shows people how ambitious we are, that we want to be as strong as possible, we want to be as competitive as possible, and we're doing everything we can to make the team as strong as possible for next season.”