Concern for New Zealand Rugby as new Munster boss admits he ‘always intended’ to leave Chiefs
Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan.
Munster Rugby and the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) have confirmed the appointment of Clayton McMillan as the province’s new head coach on a three-year contract.
The New Zealander is set to take over the coaching reins in July once he has completed his duties as the head coach of Super Rugby Pacific outfit the Chiefs.
New challenge
McMillan is no stranger to Munster as he also coached the All Blacks XV against them last November and is looking forward to his upcoming stint at the United Rugby Championship (URC) outfit.
“I am humbled to be given the opportunity to lead Munster, an iconic club steeped in history,” he said.
“Leading the All Blacks XV against Munster last year gave me insight into the immense pride and passion of the club’s players, staff and wider rugby community. It was an incredible atmosphere and left a lasting impression.
“I am excited by the club’s ambition and core values. They align strongly with my own, and I look forward to joining the team in July.
“It has been an absolute privilege to work with the Chiefs and NZ Rugby. I am eternally grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded, and for the support of those I have worked alongside.
“The decision to leave wasn’t easy – I love my job, the people we represent, and what we value as a club. But I take real comfort in knowing the team is in great hands moving forward, with a talented playing group, coaches and staff.
Keen to finish Chiefs stint on a high
“Whilst I look forward to the challenge at Munster, I am solely focused on giving everything I have to the Chiefs as we build on a promising start, with the goal of being genuine contenders at the business end of the season.”
While he admitted that it was not an easy decision to depart the Chiefs, McMillan revealed that he was always planning to leave the club when his contract expired in 2026 and had informed his current bosses of that decision some time back.
“I’ve been really transparent with the club, the players and New Zealand Rugby that it was always my intention to leave after the next Super Rugby season,” McMillan told reporters on Thursday.
“And I didn’t go looking for this opportunity, it literally landed on my doorstep.”
The 50-year-old will take over as Munster boss on a permanent basis as the Irish province have been under the interim control of Ian Costello since Graham Rowntree stepped down from the head coaching position last October.
McMillan revealed that he was contacted over the Munster position several months ago.
“I got a call over the summer break, around any interest in the role,” he explained.
“And it didn’t really progress anywhere for probably a month until it was revisited, and there needed to be a number of things that needed to be fleshed out before it became a real option.
“But I was real impressed with the process that they went through, and I got a really good feel for the passion of the Munster people, their aspiration, and they talked a lot about their vision for the club, and goals, and they aligned really strongly with mine, so we eventually came to the decision that we have.”
McMillan is an experienced coach who has guided the Chiefs to three Super Rugby finals in four seasons since taking charge of the Hamilton-based outfit in 2021.
Apart from his coaching stint at the Chiefs, where he started out as an assistant, McMillan also held several positions at age-grade and club level before he became Bay of Plenty’s head coach and director of rugby in 2015, leading the province to the Mitre 10 Cup Championship in 2019.
He was also in charge of the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians for their encounter against the British & Irish Lions in 2017 and later that year was appointed as the Māori All Blacks’ head coach.
His departure from the New Zealand Rugby system will be a concern for the union going forward as the top coaches in the country continually head abroad whether that be to Europe or Japan.
Munster set for further backroom changes
Meanwhile, Munster have announced that following a review of their existing high-performance structure, Costello has been appointed to the newly-created role of general manager while their attack coach Mike Prendergast will take up a new position of senior coach.
“As general manager, Costello will oversee high performance rugby at Munster. He will be responsible for developing and leading the strategy for the professional game and player pathway to ensure excellence, alignment and integration across the club,” read a statement on the Munster’s official website.
“The role includes responsibility for the progression of the professional team, players, coaches and performance staff.
“Costello will remain as interim head coach until the end of the 2024/25 season.
“Attack coach Mike Prendergast will move up to the role of senior coach from July and working closely with McMillan, will now have a more central role in team preparation, strategy, selection and recruitment.
“Prendergast, who returned to Munster Rugby in 2022, made an immediate impact as the province played some fantastic rugby on their way to a thrilling URC title win in 2022/23.
“The attack continued to flourish last season with Munster topping the URC table at the end of the regular season before bowing out at the semi-final stage.
“Earlier this month, he led Ireland A as head coach in their clash with England A.”
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