Ian Costello, Munster’s Head of Operations who has taken over as the province’s interim head coach following the departure of Graham Rowntree, has ruled himself out of any shortlist to become their next permanent head coach.
Speaking to the media ahead of Munster’s sell-out fixture against an All Blacks XV at Thomond Park on Saturday (kick-off 5.30pm), Costello was asked if the full-time position would potentially interest him. “No. No, I’m very comfortable with that,” he responded.
“We’re going to start the process of looking for the next head coach but take our time. We’ll make sure we find the right person and the right fit. My role is structured very much around long-term, strategic positioning in terms of the club, succession planning, depth charts and it’s very heavily linked to performance management.
“I’m really enjoying it if I’m honest and it’s one that I think suits me, and I think it’s one that’s important for the club as well, and it’s evolved very, very nicely.
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“So, I’m very comfortable and I’ve said this to the lads internally and that won’t change. So from the outset we’ll start that process of looking for a head coach until we find the right fit.”
Costello was not of a mind to comment on the reasons for Rowntree’s departure “beyond what we released in terms of mutually agreed” but was of a mind to speak about the legacy which the former head coach had left.
“We won a trophy, we finished top of the league last season and he was the coach of the year last season. I think that it’s fair to say that he’s one of the most recognisable coaches of any province. He lived the true values of Munster constantly and I think he was a guy that was loved by the supporters, by the community and had a huge connection to the province.
Does Munster’s new coach need to be Irish?
“On a personal level I couldn’t say enough positive about Graham. He’s been really good to me, good to the club, and I think that’s why there has been such a reaction to the news this week.”
After returning from South Africa on Monday, the squad were informed of the news remotely on Tuesday as that was decreed a day off.
Costello, who previously assumed the role of interim head coach for one Champions Cup match against Wasps in December 2021 when Covid struck Munster’s travelling party in South Africa, admitted that Rowntree’s departure came as a surprise.
[ Sad that Graham Rowntree could not script dream ending in Munster theatreOpens in new window ]
“Yeah, I think it’s not something that you expect. It’s a big deal, it’s a major transition in terms of your head coach and it’s something that we’ve had to work through over the last couple of days, and that’s what we’re trying to do now obviously with a really big occasion at the weekend.
“But it’s been a tough couple of days, and we’ve managed it as well as we possibly can and tried to turn the page in moving on to a game this weekend.”
“We got together as a group, staff and players, and we took the morning to talk through it and what the impact was. I supposes that was my initial job, to talk through it and then outline what the next steps looked like.
“Then we had a day and a half to prepare for a big game at the weekend, so the second half of the day was about setting the scene for what is a massive game at the weekend.
“We gave people space and time, there was a good bounce back today in training at Thomond Park.”
Costello will himself be part of the decision-making process in identifying the next head coach, along with the Munster Professional Game Committee, their IRFU counterparts and the Union’s performance manager David Humphreys.
That process will start “in due course” after the All Blacks game, nor has any deadline been imposed on anointing a new head coach.
“The key will be the right person, the right fit and at the moment, we are lucky that there are some quality staff, coaches and support staff (in the building),” said Costello.
“Stability and consistency will be key going forward, and then we will look at the rest after the game on Saturday.”
Noting that Rowntree was “a big part” of the alignment and integration from top to bottom in the club, Costello said: “It’s become a real point of difference. Our academy pathway and senior players are really well aligned and integrated.
“So when we look for a new head coach we want them to come in and add to what we’re doing rather than come in fundamentally change it. That includes our culture and we have a very very clear identity.
“So consistency will be a very important part of that, it will definitely be something that we’ll be looking for.”
Munster had 17 players ruled out of last week’s defeat to the Sharks but Costello said Peter O’Mahony was back in training this week and Thaakir Abrahams should be fit for the URC game at home to the Lions in four weeks’ time, and likewise for David Kilcoyne, with Edwin Edogbo returning from his Achilles injury towards the “back end of November or the start of December”.
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