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Clear favourite emerges for Munster job amid Graham Rowntree exit
By Neil Fissler
Mike Prendergast has emerged as the preferred choice to become the next head coach of the troubled Irish province Munster, who parted company with Graham Rowntree earlier this week. Rowntree left Munster after leading them to a fourth defeat in the opening six games of the United Rugby Championship season against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
On his return, the former England and British and Irish Lions prop was met by IRFU performance director David Humphreys and relieved of his duties as the search for a replacement gets underway.
The IRFU aren't expected to look far for his replacement with Limerick-born Prendergast, the 47-year-old who became attack coach on a three-year contract when Rowntree became head coach in 2022, set to be offered the job.
During his playing days, scrum-half Prendergast had two spells at Munster between 2001 and 2006 and then 2008 and 2009 before starting his coaching career in France with Grenoble, Oyonnax, Stade Francais and Racing 92.
Almost as soon as Rowntree began clearing his desk, the Irish rumour mill began working overtime with Ronan O’Gara one of the first names linked and dismissed almost in the same breath.
The Munster legend is under contract to the Top 14 giants La Rochelle until 2027. He has already expressed an interest in coaching Ireland with Andy Farrell’s deal running out at the same time, or even France.
Felix Jones was also linked to Munster, but the RFU are determined to make him see out the whole of his 12-month notice period after he tried to quit Steve Borthwick’s coaching set-up following the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand.
The only scenario in which Jones, a long-term target for Leinster, will be allowed to take up another job before August is if the Lions come calling, leaving him free to then look for another job after returning from Australia.
Munster’s head of rugby operations, Ian Costello, has been appointed interim head coach and a lack of cash means that, in our understanding, the job is Prendergast’s if he wants it.
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You have to have dreams to reach for the stars, but without believing it, it won't ever happen. It's one thing to say things to the media, quite another to believe what you regurgitate just for the journalists and the public. No one is fooled, and it's the one game they knew Wales will get smashed. The Boks won 10 games without being at their best. Even on their baddest day they will smash this Wales team.
I don't really blame the players. I blame the WRU. Their best players is not available due to restrictions, small change as pay and an overly believe in their own power that amounts to nothing. Get rid of them and Gatland, and maybe their will be an upwards curve. They will lose against the Boks, and also all the games in the 6N if they keep the current board. Italy will be able to smash them.
Go to commentsFrance is starting to look like they are finally over their WC headache, although they were lucky that NZ had a very bad game. The Argies as usual is one game good, the next bad. If they can sort that out and be more consistent, they could become contenders for the WC.
NZ, Argentina (if they are more consistent), and now the Wallabies too is in an upward curve (can they be consistent?), as well as Fiji(as inconsistent as Argentina) looks like possible contenders. The Boks will be as usual a huge threat to defend their title. Things are looking up for the South, so the North should rightfully beware of the Southern Hemisphere threat.
With the French looking dangerous, the English with their close runs (mostly a mindset problem) and the Scottish seems to be the NH main contenders. The Irish is good, but not excellent anymore. They are more overbearing and with their glory days mostly gone with old players hanging on by a thread, by 2027 if they don't start adding in the younger players, they won't make it past yet another WC Quarter final. The problem is that their youngsters, while good is nothing special.
That is just 8 teams without the Irish that can become real WC contenders. Lots of hickups to be sorted still for these teams, excluding the Boks to become a threat. Make no mistake, the top Tier is much closer than people realise and the 2027 WC will be a really great WC, possibly the best contended WC ever.
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