Clayton McMillan targets URC silverware and pledges Munster future

The Munster head coach said if the province's independent review is sufficiently thorough, then "everyone will come out with clarity around the way forward".

Asked if he will be at Munster next season, Clayton McMillan said: "Oh yeah, that's certainly my intention. It's always been my intention." Pic: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Clayton McMillan targeted silverware as Munster prepared for their URC quarter-final at Bulls on Saturday and pledged his future to the province beyond this season.

The head coach achieved a major objective for his first season by securing Champions Cup rugby for 2026-27 with a fifth-place finish in the league.

Watching last weekend’s EPCR finals double-header in Bilbao underlined how crucial it was for his side being in the top-tier competition next season, but the New Zealander also recognised the importance of the challenge facing them this Saturday. 

That finish has sent Munster to face the Bulls in Pretoria in a last-eight knockout fixture with the New Zealand telling the Irish Examiner he will not be satisfied with just reaching the URC play-offs.

“No, no way. Looking at the finals over the weekend you get another appreciation for European rugby, what a magnificent occasion that was for everyone involved, and you can understand why there's a level of importance that's put on qualifying for that.

“Forget about all the financial rewards from being at that level, it's just as a rugby player, as a coach those are the arenas you want to be in, so we're grateful we've achieved that and that we're in a quarter-final but you want to get to the final dance and a few more games to get through but I would just focus on the rugby in front of us.” 

In the wake of a failed attempt to bring his former attack coach Roger Randle for next season, McMillan called for changes to be made to give him the confidence he was the choice to lead Munster and welcomed an Independent Governance and Organisational Review commissioned as result of the controversy.

Asked if he envisaged being at Munster next season, McMillan said: “Oh yeah, that's certainly my intention. It's always been my intention.

“I guess the line I've talked about beforehand is just having confidence in a few things I think need to happen in this team and in the club to give me confidence we actually all want the same things and we're all heading in the same direction.

“And there's a review that's going to happen and I don't want to pre-empt anything that'll come out of that review, but I'd imagine if it's thorough that everyone will come out with clarity around the way forward and we'll get on with it.”