Tony McGahan will be Munster Head Coach until end of 2011/2012 season.

thomond2006

http://www.munsterrugby.ie/news/6846.php

Munster Chief Executive Garrett Fitzgerald today confirmed that Tony McGahan will continue on in his role as Director of Coaching for the next two seasons (2010/2011 & 2011/2012).

The 37 year old McGahan took over from Declan Kidney at the start of last season having joined the Munster set up in February 2005 as Defence Coach. That role that had expanded to Defence/Backs/Skills coach when Munster won Heineken Cup titles in 2006 and 2008.

Comment on the re-appointment, Fitzgerald said, " We're obviously delighted that we have come to agreement with Tony for the immediate future. He has shown, in his short space of time as a head coach, that he has all the attributes to keep Munster Rugby to the forefront of the international club game while at the same time ensuring players have the required skill sets for the international game.
"We have already enjoyed considerable success in the course of his short tenure and we believe that Munster Rugby can only continue to prosper under his direction."

The news comes at a most opportune time as McGahan welcomes back his international contingent ahead of crucial matches in the Magners League and Heineken Cup. As he put the final touches to plans for a two day squad get-together he said. " I'm very pleased to be remaining on here for the next number of seasons.

"It's been a privilege to be involved with a group of players, management and officials such as are involved in Munster. I'm really looking forward to the immediate future, with crucial Magners League and Heineken Cup games in the offing, but I'm also delighted, both personally and professionally, to be remaining in Munster in the short term."

I think it's deserved. Munster played some amazing rugby under him last season and bar "that" game, Munster were very consistent.

We do need to pick up form right now though, some wins in the ML are needed to keep up there and the crucial back to back against Perpignan in the HEC is not far away either.

SomeFool

Leinster for Bradley so.....:)

ScrubsfanChris

Deckie must have decided to keep his new job then?

[Jackass]

I think a lot of people have been very hard on McGahan...last season was the best rugby I've ever seen Munster play and if it wasn't for that one game in Croke Park, Munster would have done a double in his first season and have played some of their best rugby doing it...

Munster are having a very tough time of it this season, but I think he's a top quality coach and it's the type of season where if he can turn it around in the second half and Munster walk away with silverware, people will be singing his praises again...

Put it in context, I know Munster are one of the best sides in Europe, but a league title and European Cup semi final is a very good season by anybody standards. Expectations have to be realistic and Munster are still in the hunt for all trophies this season...

Risteard

I'm happy with that. We have played a better brand of rugby in general under him ut our forwards have lost their bite or at least they're not doing as well as they used to.

However this is not McGahan's area of expertise but Fisher's. Interesting to note that there's no mention of his contract. Though tbf, the forwards' skills have improved.

Aidric

Any word on Fisher?

danthefan

[Jackass] wrote: »

I think a lot of people have been very hard on McGahan...last season was the best rugby I've ever seen Munster play and if it wasn't for that one game in Croke Park, Munster would have done a double in his first season and have played some of their best rugby doing it...

If there was ever a comment that deserved 'if my Auntie had balls...' it's this one. I also think there's a bit of a rose tinted view of Munster's season, Montauban at home, both the Clermont games and then the SF were all varying degrees of not great performances. That's half the games Munster played in the HEC. Walked the league obviously, by far the best ML team over the course of the season. Not sure McGahan has a clear plan for what he wants to do with Munster, he's trying to implement a gameplan away from Munster's strengths, he doesn't seem to be bringing through younger guys preferring to import (Earls aside) and he hasn't really put together a good coaching team. Munster will get by on the strength of their players and squad but I don't think McGahan is a great coach.

Podge_irl

[Jackass] wrote: »

I think a lot of people have been very hard on McGahan...last season was the best rugby I've ever seen Munster play and if it wasn't for that one game in Croke Park, Munster would have done a double in his first season and have played some of their best rugby doing it...

The warning signs were there from the Munster-Leinster game in Munster though, and it was the very same issues that caused Munster to lose the semi (coupled to Leinster playing better obviously). Even in the HEC, as Dan mentioned, they lost to Clermont away and scraped home against 14 men.

I honestly think their HEC last season was pretty comparable to ours the year we lost to Munster. We played brilliantly at times, but we were never going to win playing like that.

irishbucsfan

I think this contract extension could end up seeing McGahan overseeing a recession in Munster rugby unless they start finding replacements for some of their ageing (or starting to age) veterans.

zenmonk

danthefan wrote: »

If there was ever a comment that deserved 'if my Auntie had balls...' it's this one. I also think there's a bit of a rose tinted view of Munster's season, Montauban at home, both the Clermont games and then the SF were all varying degrees of not great performances. That's half the games Munster played in the HEC. Walked the league obviously, by far the best ML team over the course of the season. Not sure McGahan has a clear plan for what he wants to do with Munster, he's trying to implement a gameplan away from Munster's strengths, he doesn't seem to be bringing through younger guys preferring to import (Earls aside) and he hasn't really put together a good coaching team. Munster will get by on the strength of their players and squad but I don't think McGahan is a great coach.

Quelle surprise!

Actuall Kidney discovered Earls and had him on the bench in the 2008 HCup final.

Delighted to see Mc Gagan kept, has really injected alot of freshness of thought into the Munster set up. Certainly a few bad games wouldn't have me calling for his head. Mc Gahan's Munster last year really adapted to the ELV changes more than any other team in the initial months of the season and of all teams in the world everyone feared wht could happen to Munster without the maul etc.
Not Mc Gahan's fault that the IRB changed things around again this year and the adjustment is taking time.
I would rather see us peak later in the season than earlier as happened last year.
Of course Perpignan home and away will define our season over the next few weeks and Mc Gahan is certainly up against it with the strength in our group.

danthefan

Not sure Kidney 'discovered' Earls, everyone knew about him when he was in school. Think DK gave Earls a few minutes of rugby that season and that was it, he didn't start a game anyway, came off the bench maybe 2 or 3 times all season. McGahan has given him all his starts.

anonymous_joe

danthefan wrote: »

If there was ever a comment that deserved 'if my Auntie had balls...' it's this one. I also think there's a bit of a rose tinted view of Munster's season, Montauban at home, both the Clermont games and then the SF were all varying degrees of not great performances. That's half the games Munster played in the HEC. Walked the league obviously, by far the best ML team over the course of the season. Not sure McGahan has a clear plan for what he wants to do with Munster, he's trying to implement a gameplan away from Munster's strengths, he doesn't seem to be bringing through younger guys preferring to import (Earls aside) and he hasn't really put together a good coaching team. Munster will get by on the strength of their players and squad but I don't think McGahan is a great coach.

That's a bit harsh on the Red cousins.

The Ospreys game etc indicated a new game style. Admittedly you need to take about 20 points off that result to negate how shíte the O's are, have been and appear determined to forever be.

At the end of the day, Munster's team is quite old, but the only lads they need to replace really badly are Hayes and Wallace. In the wings they have Buckley and Ronan, and both need to step up if they're to replace those two.

O'Connell and O'Callaghan have at least another season or two at their current levels of performance in them.

Anyone know what sort of contacts/knowledge level McGahan has of S14, etc?

Hyperbullet

As a munsterman i'm happy with this news. I think Munster are going through a transition of sorts and I think he has been a great coach. Yes the season has started poorly enough by our standards, but thats mainly down to the number of injuries we've had in the forwards and things will improve after Christmas. I think Sexton's top class performances lately will light a fire under ROG and i think McGahan will have no illusions that this has to happen.

danthefan

anonymous_joe wrote: »

That's a bit harsh on the Red cousins.

The Ospreys game etc indicated a new game style. Admittedly you need to take about 20 points off that result to negate how shíte the O's are, have been and appear determined to forever be.

At the end of the day, Munster's team is quite old, but the only lads they need to replace really badly are Hayes and Wallace. In the wings they have Buckley and Ronan, and both need to step up if they're to replace those two.

O'Connell and O'Callaghan have at least another season or two at their current levels of performance in them.

Anyone know what sort of contacts/knowledge level McGahan has of S14, etc?

I haven't criticised any Munster players at all.

The Ospreys came to TP with the worst gameplan I've ever seen, they refused to contest rucks preferring to fan out across the pitch, then didn't make their first up tackles. It was a recipe for disaster from the start, also worth pointing out while Munster racked up a cricket score most of it was from the boot. Obviously a brilliant win but people get too carried away over it.

anonymous_joe

danthefan wrote: »

I haven't criticised any Munster players at all.

The Ospreys came to TP with the worst gameplan I've ever seen, they refused to contest rucks preferring to fan out across the pitch, then didn't make their first up tackles. It was a recipe for disaster from the start, also worth pointing out while Munster racked up a cricket score most of it was from the boot. Obviously a brilliant win but people get too carried away over it.

Hence my knock 20 points off it comment.

Munster were decent last season.

I do think they would have benefitted from losing to Montauban or Clermont, but still, there were signs of progress.

At the end of the day, they're in a much better place than we were when Cheika took over, and McGahan seems to get the team and have an idea of where to go.

Most of his signings have been alright, except for De Villiers I reckon.