Munster Team Talk Thread - Beirne After Reading

At some point you need to change something if nothing is changing. The sad reality is that the coach is the only real thing you can change at this level. Sure changes can be made to pathways and development set-ups etc but that’s below senior rugby. I’m not sure any coach would be doing better than JVG is now, and some could even be doing worse, but at some point there needs to be movement. If that’s a change to the game plan that doesn’t produce trophies then so be it. At least it’s a change. Munster have been stuck in this same spot for years now. How long do you wait before deciding this isn't working?

But Munster are deeper now than in years past! Aside from the backs were there are limitations, the squad is very deep, imo.

True there's not a whole gaggle of international quality players, but the players are comfortably better than 80% of other squads. Harlequins aren't loaded with international studs either and yet they are a top level team.

Munster have for the 1st time in eons, a very high quality back row option. There's no doubt that Coombes is at an international level. He's the best player on Munster, imo. Add Donahue and POM and that is a top unit. Then there's Hodnett and Kendellen! Serious talent in the pipeline.

The problem is probably in the front row. The players are good and can mix it up in the domestic league. Against top Euro sides they are left wanting.

I think a different coach could probably get a lot more out of this squad! Honestly, Leinster have been found wanting too at the top level. They were manhandled by LaRochelle for 50 minutes and dumped out on their arrest.

I hope VanGran leaves. I think he's not the fella to get Munster to that top end level. I think a more demanding type personality could improve the play.

Besides Saracens, there's not too many sides with world class players. Toulouse maybe?

Can’t disagree with any of that. Maybe a better way to phrase things is that there needs to be a reason behind the appointment of the next head coach. If Munster stick with JVG then why have they chosen to do that?

Appointing a different head coach automatically means that Munster want something different. That could be simply in terms of how Munster play the game as much as anything else.

Keeping JVG means that Munster want more of the same. And after that loss to the Ospreys it’s understandable that supporters will struggle with that. In the Rainbow Cup last season Munster had a great opportunity to end their trophy drought and fell short. Keeping JVG and more of the same means keeping that too. Is that the right choice for Munster? Is there a good case to be made for keeping JVG? Those are genuine questions and at this stage exactly the sorts of questions that need to be asked and answered.

Again, all fair. But that’s not the strongest case for keeping a coach. As with the Matt O’Connor era at Leinster, I would argue that a singular poor performance is on the players more often than not. Successive poor performances or a pattern of poor performances is on the coach. Now whether you class Munsters performances as poor or not is obviously subjective. And to be clear, I’m not stating that JVG should go either. I’m playing devils advocate more than anything. If you’re happy with Munsters performances by and large then that’s a reason to keep JVG.

Munster are a limited team at the moment and there’s only so much a coach can do. So maybe JVG is simply delivering on Munsters potential. And maybe there’s developmental milestones he’s meeting that make him worth retaining. Maybe there isn’t another willing and available option out there who could do better. All I’m really asking is what are the reasons for retaining him if that’s what Munster choose to do. It’s not a trap question or anything either. I’m just hoping to have a better quality conversation that the Irish out half one!

I think Munster too often revert to a team coached by JVG and not by JVG and Larkham etc.