Munster: Peter O’Mahony looks for clarity on next season’s coaching staff

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony admits it is challenging not knowing who will make up next season’s coaching team.

Head coach Johann van Graan and senior coach Stephen Larkham have already announced their departures from the province at the end of the season. Van Graan will be heading to Premiership side Bath whilst Larkham is set to return to Australia.

Clarity is needed

Munster turn their attention to their Champions Cup clash with Exeter this weekend and O’Mahony believes clarity would help simplify their already frenetic situation.

“It’s obviously not ideal, but from a player’s point of view, from my point of view, I certainly have enough on my plate, and we have enough on our plate with regard to obviously reviewing the game last weekend and then getting on to a hugely exciting and an incredibly big test in Europe, going to Exeter this weekend,” O’Mahony told reporters.

“You know rugby is about being big in the moment and rugby is about being in the week that you’re in, and there’ll always be noise and there’ll always be people talking about this and that, and there’ll be some players talking about it, I’d imagine, worrying about it, but I think the good guys, good players, they focus on the week and the task that’s ahead, and they don’t get their attention taking away from what really matters.

“And I think luckily we have a huge group of that calibre of player involved with us that we won’t be taken off task.

“I’m not going to sit here and say that it’s ideal. I’d love to have the whole ticket named for next year, but that’s not the way life or these things work, and there’s a huge process in the background to get these things sorted.

“I’m sure the people who are put in charge of that are doing the best they can and trying to get it done, so we just have to worry about Saturday.”

Adding to the pressure is a growing injury list that includes Gavin Coombes, Tadhg Beirne, David Kilcoyne and Andrew Conway. However, O’Mahony sees it as an opportunity for players to put their hands up.

“There is plenty of guys banging on the head coach’s door for however many months or years and guys get a shot now and guys have got to take the opportunity and put their hand up,” he said.

“It’s no different now, you need a squad, you need a squad effort. These things are inevitable, you never play off a full deck. Very rarely if ever, you have a full deck. You’ve got to have guys ready to play at the weekend in these big games.”

It will not be the first time O’Mahony has led an inexperienced side into battle as the captain referred to an impressive win last year where a young Munster beat Wasps 35-14 in the Champions Cup.

“I think that week will be important for the club for a long time. Obviously it was a very one-off scenario. It doesn’t happen very often but moments like that and weeks like that don’t just happen and go away,” said O’Mahony.

“That will stay with those young guys, that will stay with the older lads, and it will stay with that coaching group for a long time. It will stay with the club and past players. It was like winning something in itself that day, and those things matter going forward. For I don’t know how many years people will be talking about that.

“So that’s something we’ll always reference and go back to. I’m sure our academy guys, going forward will be showing clips of how young guys performed on one of the utmost high pressure environments.

“When you’re called up, when you need to do a job, there’s some things that you can do which are special and that was a special week. That’s very important to us, yeah.”

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