In Munster’s latest week of drama and need, Ian Costello has answered the call again.
Back in December 2021 he helped cobble together a callow side, amid a Covid outbreak which laid low the senior coaching staff and most of the playing squad, to orchestrate a famous Champions Cup win over Wasps.
This week he steps into the breach in the aftermath of Graham Rowntree’s sudden exit to guide Munster against an All Blacks’ XV.
But while that remarkable win over Wasps was behind closed doors, next Saturday’s marquee fixture, heavily laden with history, takes place at a jam-packed Thomond Park, where additional seating has increased the capacity to 26,267.
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Unfortunate circumstances again. But if Costello was ever to whet his beak again, this isn’t the worst game to do so.
“I shouldn’t say anything about Wasps because I love Wasps, obviously being there for three years,” said Costello of his time there as defence coach.
“But there’s a bit of a difference isn’t there? A full Thomond Park, and it’s kind of a pressure and a privilege, isn’t it? Coaching Munster has large pressure associated [with it], but it’s also an incredible privilege, whether it’s for one game, whether it’s for a month or a season.
“And I’m trying to practice what I preach. I stood up in front of the lads and said: ‘We want freedom. We want to embrace the occasion. We want to enjoy it’. But I’ve had to have a few chats with myself as well to go: ‘Come on, you’ve got to try and enjoy it as well’.
“Because you can be lost in everything else rather than being present, so I know that I’m really going to try and enjoy the occasion because it is going to be pretty special.”
Under Rowntree, Munster won their first trophy in a dozen years two seasons ago and topped the URC table last season.
“But I think it was his presence, wasn’t it?” said Costello. “He was such a figurehead for the organisation, the amount of events that he went to, he spread himself out in terms of supporters’ nights, speaking at different events. He was a large character and I couldn’t say enough positive about him personally or professionally.”
Part of Rowntree’s popularity among the fan base was the manner in which he essentially “got” Munster. As Munster’s Head of Operations, Costello will have a role in the process of identifying the next full-time head coach in tandem with the Munster and IRFU PGCs (Professional Game Committee) and the Union’s performance manager David Humphreys
“It’s really important that we know who we are and what we’re about. We have an identity, we have a culture and whoever comes in adds to that, not changes that.
“I think during our recruitment process we’ll be looking for someone that understands us. They might know how to make us better, they might know how to evolve certain things, but someone needs to understand us and what makes us tick. That was pretty special about Graham.
“The balance, then, is do you want someone who thinks a little bit differently as well? Like any workforce, any team, you want to have a certain number of home-grown and a certain number of diverse [people], so the balance of your coaching group is really important as well.”
Costello added: “There’s a lot of interest, so we’ll take our time and get it right.”
However long Costello is the interim head coach, be it one, three or seven months, he has ruled himself out of the succession stakes to continue his role as Munster’s Head of Operations.
He was not prepared to comment any further on Rowntree’s departure other than to say the decision was mutually agreed between Munster, Rowntree and the IRFU and following the touring squad’s return from South Africa on Monday, the players received the news remotely on Tuesday.
While understanding the dismay among many Munster fans, Costello said this and the players’ gratitude toward their supporters (witness Saturday’s sell-out) had been addressed internally.
“That would be the approach, name it, talk about it and don’t be afraid to talk about it. We left lots of space for that, and one of the big things the lads really wanted to focus on was a performance that the fans could really identify with, to show that they were still really united, and to play with a real sense of freedom and passion, and we’ve built the occasion around that.
“I hope if we get it right, that’s what the fans will see, and they’ll see through the lads’ performance that they really, really appreciate what they do week in, week out. And that’s what we’ve tried to focus on because we had to turn this around really, really quickly, obviously, with two days prep for this game.”
Munster have made nine changes to their starting line-up from the 41-24 loss to the Sharks last Saturday in Durban for Saturday’s game, and helpfully, without their other five Irish squad members and amid their latest injury crisis, one of those sees the timely return of Peter O’Mahony for his first game since he sustained a hamstring injury on his seasonal return against the Ospreys four weeks ago.
Diarmuid Barron captains a side which will also feature an injury-delayed debut for winger Diarmuid Kilgallen. Shay McCarthy will start on the right wing as one of six Academy players in the 23-man squad, with Evan O’Connell in line for his first Munster cap.
The All Blacks’ XV contains five Test players in their starting XV and another two on the bench.
Munster: Mike Haley: Shay McCarthy, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Billy Burns, Ethan Coughlan; John Ryan, Diarmuid Barron (C), Stephen Archer; Fineen Wycherley, Tom Ahern; Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes. Replacements: Niall Scannell, Kieran Ryan, Ronan Foxe, Evan O’Connell, Ruadhán Quinn, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Ben O’Connor.
All Blacks’ XV: Shaun Stevenson* (Chiefs/North Harbour); Chay Fihaki (Crusaders/Canterbury), AJ Lam (Blues/Auckland), Quinn Tupaea* (Chiefs/Waikato), Kini Naholo (Hurricanes/Taranaki); Harry Plummer* (Blues/Auckland), Finlay Christie* (Blues/Tasman); George Bower* (Crusaders/Otago), Brodie McAlister (Crusaders/Canterbury), George Dyer (Chiefs/Waikato), Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay), Fabian Holland (Highlanders/Otago), Oliver Haig (Highlanders/Otago), Du’Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes/Wellington, capt), Devan Flanders (Hurricanes/Hawke’s Bay). Replacements: Bradley Slater (Chiefs/Taranaki), Xavier Numia (Hurricanes/Wellington), Marcel Renata (Blues/Auckland), Naitoa Ah Kuoi (Chiefs/Bay of Plenty), Corey Kellow (Crusaders/Canterbury), Noah Hotham* (Crusaders/Tasman), Josh Jacomb (Chiefs/Taranaki), Ruben Love* (Hurricanes/Wellington).
