MUNSTER’S TWO senior players, Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell were involved in the vetting process leading up to the appointment of Rob Penney as the incoming head coach. The international pair met with the New Zealander individually before he was given the job.

Penney also told Setanta’s iTalkSport that he was head hunted for the position by Munster officials and that he also had a conversation with Anthony Foley about the former Ireland and Munster player’s disappointment at not being given the job.

“I was fortunate enough to have half an hour or so with each of them,” said Penney on meeting O’Gara and O’Connell. “They’re very impressive men, and you can see the fire burning in them to get Munster to the forefront of Irish rugby again. They’re very passionate, dedicated rugby men and that was inspiring for me.”

“I got a call and was asked whether I’d be interested,” he said of the first contact with Munster. “For us in New Zealand, it doesn’t get much bigger than Munster in terms of European clubs. So I was really flattered for someone to think that maybe I should be applying.

“The interview was very thorough. I was really impressed with the calibre of the people that I spoke to throughout. On the back of that, I was fortunate enough to get an invite to go over and meet the people of Munster and I was appointed. For me to get the job at Munster is really humbling.”

Penney added that after speaking to Foley he was satisfied that the former player would be an important influence in terms of his knowledge of European rugby. He explained that he understood the frustration on being passed over for the job but that part of the broader brief was to groom Foley for coaching duties in the future.

“Yes that was alluded to me early on,” explained Penney. “I really committed to that being part of my thinking. I think it’s really important to have that continuity and the ability to have someone who’s got the experience of European rugby, or established relationships with the group. I indicated to them that it would be something that I would be very supportive of, if Anthony was retained.”

To that end Penney spoke to Foley shortly after the appointment. “I had a telephone conversation with Anthony,” said Penny. “I was really impressed with the calibre of the man, even though it was only a short conversation.

“He’s going to be a critical part of our coaching. He has vast experience. His experience of the European championships is going to be invaluable. He’s going to be a crucial cog in the mix.”

Far from it being a slick public relations to pacify Foley, who in a relatively brief period has come to win the respect of the Munster and Irish players, Penney sees him as a central figure within the team, while Foley has also offered his explicit support.

“I understood that there would be a degree of frustration on his behalf,” added Penney. “But I wanted to allay any fears he had about being pushed to the side. That certainly won’t be the case. He’ll be a critical part, given his experience and his relationship with the players. Ultimately, his final comment was that he’s 100 per cent supportive.”

It was also made clear to the Kiwi that Munster is a team in transition and an important part of his brief is to manage that process quickly and efficiently, something in which he has had experience while coaching in New Zealand

“My task is to try to get a winning group as quickly as possible. The reality is that it is a transitioning side. I’d like to think that I’ve had a bit of experience doing that, and I think that the two can be done hand-in-hand.

“But I’ll be learning a lot from Anthony and the other support staff that have been retained, because I haven’t coached in the European championship before and there will be some learning for me.”