Johann van Graan On Coaching Departures

13th May 2019 By The Editor

Johann van Graan at today's Press Conference at the High Performance Centre.

Munster Rugby’s Press Conference ahead of Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final against Leinster took place at the High Performance Centre in Limerick today.

It was the first time that Munster Head Coach Johann van Graan has spoken to the media since Munster Rugby announced last week that Assistant Coaches Jerry Flannery and Felix Jones will depart in the summer.

Paying tribute to Flannery and Jones, van Graan said: “I’m very disappointed and sad that they’re leaving. Two fantastic coaches and, more importantly, two brilliant Munster men.

“From a personal point of view, it’s two guys that I have worked really well with and unfortunately they are moving on.

“Now we have a few voids to fill. First up is the semi-final with Leinster [this weekend] and then the process will be on-going to find their replacements.

“Luckily, we have already done our pre-season planning in terms of what we need to do. We have got a fantastic medical and S&C staff that will handle the first part of the pre-season. Because of the World Cup, the PRO14 will start so much later so we have got a bit of time.

“I am not going to sit here and say it is ideal but it is what it is now and we have got to deal with that and see the positive out of it. There is massive opportunity in this disappointment and hopefully we can see the bright side of it.

“There will be a lot of names thrown around but [our aim is to] hopefully finish the season on a high over the next two weeks and then follow the process to continue getting quality people into Munster Rugby.”