The Munster coaching team for the next few seasons continues to take shape with skills and assistant attack coach Mossy Lawler the latest to sign a contract extension.
Similar to other former Munster players Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy, Lawler has committed his future to the province without knowing who is going to hold the most important position in the management team.
Lawler said the head coach role would sort itself out and for now he had little hesitation in signing up for his native province, having returned home last season after a lengthy stint up the road in Galway where he held a variety of positions with Connacht over eight years.
“I am delighted to sign and stay on. I love it here. It is home. As a young kid growing up, I had the privilege to play for the province and I don’t take for granted the opportunity I was given last year to come back here and coach. To be asked to re-sign is a massive honour and I am happy for my family too,” said Lawler, who played 67 times on the wing for Munster.
Lawler, like Prendergast and Leamy, has signed a two-year contract extension which will keep him with Munster until the summer of 2027.
He works closely with Prendergast as it stands, and has backed his long-time friend and colleague to take over the top job following the departure of Graham Rowntree.
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“It would appeal but that won’t be my decision and there is something that has not really been talked about,” added Lawler. “The powers that be will decide what happens there. The one thing I do know is that I love working with Mike every day. He is one of the main reasons I re-signed.
“He is a top-class attack coach and from a principle side of things we see the game very similar. It is an easy decision for me and how we work day-in and day-out in terms of what we see on the pitch.
“Simply put, I am there to support what Mike wants to achieve on the pitch. If Mike is talking about big picture stuff, I am there to help with the micro detail, in terms of how we set ourselves up, how we deliver our pass release, and all the little small things that make all Mike’s big things happen.”
The top priority at the moment is bouncing back from last weekend’s defeat in Castres as Munster prepare to head north for a Friday night showdown in Belfast.
They will do so without Lawler’s nephew Craig Casey, who suffered a meniscus injury in the 16-14 Champions Cup loss in Castres. The scrumhalf will see a specialist this week for knee surgery.
“Nobody wants any injuries in the game,” added Lawler. “Unfortunately Craig picked up that one at the weekend so there is no timeline in terms of how long he will be out for or when he will be back. But it is a huge loss to our squad in terms of the energy he gives around the place and the leadership he has.”
And with Conor Murray still sidelined with an elbow injury, it leaves Munster with just Paddy Patterson and Ethan Coughlan available at scrumhalf heading into the festive derbies against Ulster and Leinster, although Lawler is hopeful Murray will be back next week.
“In Munster Rugby we are blessed with the quality of nines we have at the moment. If you look at our roster, Craig, Conor, Patsy [Patterson] and Ethan; any club would bite your hand off for that. Conor will hopefully be back next week, but Patsy and Ethan are two top-class players who are constantly pushing at the heels of Craig and Conor, which only makes those two better.
“Patsy, you can see how technically solid he was at the weekend and the danger he has around the breakdown from his snipe and strike ability. Then you have Ethan, who is a really quality technician. It is an area where we don’t want to lose anybody. We have full faith in what is coming behind.”
Winger Thaakir Abrahams is undergoing scans this week to see if he needs surgery after a shoulder dislocation, and short-term prop signing Dian Bleuler is out after failing a HIA.
Hooker Diarmuid Barron passed his HIA and will be assessed later this week, as will Peter O’Mahony for a calf injury, while Springbok Jean Kleyn will see a specialist concerning a thigh injury.
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