Brian Walsh – From Suits To Boots

We talk to Munster Assistant Coach Brian Walsh on his decision to join the province, swapping out the suits of his day job in banking for the boots and shorts of professional rugby.

Although new to his current role (Assistant Coach with responsibility for attack), as a former Munster player with coaching credentials that include Head Coach of Cork Constitution for 8 years and coach of the Ireland Club International squad, Walsh is already well versed in the workings of the province and its players.

“I’ve been involved in rugby for a long time – played for the province, coached within it and was brought up on the rugby that’s played down here. If I’m honest I didn’t think the decision to join Munster was one I’d ever have to make, but when the offer came to join the professional ranks it was easy to say yes.

“It’s great to go to work with capable guys who you know well, and guys who will still be very tight when the pressure is on. We all understand the history, tradition and standards that have gone before us and we see this opportunity as a massive responsibility and honour.

“The majority of the current team have played All Ireland League, some of the players I coached at that level (Simon Zebo, Peter O'Mahony, Duncan Williams, Billy Holland and Stephen Archer), and those I didn’t, we would have played against them. Knowing both the players and management has helped make it a seamless transition. If anything the strangest thing for me now is going to work in a pair of shorts rather than a suit, but I can assure you it’s not something I complain about.

“We’ve always backed ourselves down here to make the right coaching decisions. The success of Munster in the past is testament to that, and now it’s up to us as a new coaching team to prove ourselves. Within the coaching group there’s a nice balance of ambition and pragmatism. It won’t be all singing, all dancing from the off, this is something that will be built over time and for now it’s about us putting the foundations in place to allow us to build into the future and arrive into the latter end of the season with a game that can stand up against the best in Europe.”

With responsibility for attack, how will Walsh look to approach Munster’s back play, an area of their game that has been heavily scrutinised in recent years?

“My approach to any team is – to play a game that suits the psyche and culture of the team and to play a game that fits the skillset they have – allowing them to put their best foot forward. Munster have always had a great understanding of pressure and applying pressure, so that will be key, while still ensuring we have a balanced approach to our game.

“There are some very good things about the way Munster played in the last couple of years, and yes there are things you’d change, but that’s the same with every coaching set up. People would have looked at teams that I’ve coached in the past and thought exactly the same thing.”
While coaching at Cork Constitution, Walsh witnessed first-hand a number of the club-side’s players rising through the ranks of the Munster Academy. Now part of the provincial set-up, the Corkman looks forward to nurturing the talent coming through.

“The likes of Andrew Smith and Tyler Bleyndaal coming into the side, allied with the young talent coming through our Academy system puts us in a good place. One of the key concerns for us is that we leave sufficient room for good young players to come through. A number of these players represented themselves very well in the Junior World Cup earlier this summer and now the onus is on us to blood them into senior rugby – if they’re good enough they’re old enough. This in turn shows other young players around the province that there is a pathway into first team rugby with Munster.”

Munster open their preseason action away to Gloucester this Saturday, KO 15:00, before playing London Irish in the SEAT Challenge at the Waterford RSC on Friday August 29th, KO 7:30pm. To purchase tickets online please click here.