Anybody who plays for 17 years in the professional game and can be called a one-club man clearly has a strong sense of loyalty. The affinity which Graham Rowntree has developed with Munster rugby has been increasingly evident since the former Leicester prop relocated to the province after the 2019 World Cup, and his ascension to his first head coaching role is further evidence of that.
When Rowntree spoke of his decision being a no-brainer, of he and his family putting down roots in Munster with “no desire to move anywhere else” in the release confirming his promotion, it wasn’t just a soundbite for his audience.
“I’m proud, for such a famous club, such a fan base, such a following, such a great group of players. I’m proud,” he told the media yesterday, and then declared: “It’s my dream job, this, and I’m looking forward to getting into it next season.”
Munster have an illustrious past, not least in the golden generation of the noughties who took them to the promised land of Heineken Cup glory in 2006 and 2008. Hence the lack of a trophy since the 2011 Magners League weighs heavily on the province, but as to whether the rich history is in any way a burden, or an inspiration, Rowntree has no doubts.
“Inspiration. We’re proud of those achievements, we all are, all the players. We’re proud of our heritage as a club. That’s why it’s such a special place to be. It’s why I’m so proud to be leading them next season.”
Not that this was part of any grand design when he first arrived.
“Having played against Munster and understanding their rich history, I was just delighted and proud to be employed as a forwards coach. This was never the plan, but this is where we are now and I’m delighted.”
All changed when Johann van Graan’s decision to join Bath was announced in December.
“I had a think about it, spoke to my wife and thought, ‘yeah, why not?’ I threw my hat in the ring and here I am,” he said, with a proud smile.
In 15 seasons as a scrum and forwards coach with Leicester, England, Harlequins, Georgia and the British & Irish Lions, the 50-year-old has accumulated a huge amount of experience and he could easily have remained in the bunker, rather than putting himself in the firing line.
“Yes, I know that, but you’ve got to know when in your career that you’re ready for it and I feel at the moment I am. The experience, it’s the right fit for me, this club. So I know the pressure’s going to be greater but that’s for me to deal with and me to get the right people around me to help me deal with that.”
Rowntree was reasonably coy about what his philosophy would be, even declining to name which coaches have been the biggest influences on him.
“Oh no, that would be telling you all my secrets. I have been very lucky from an early age in my coaching career to work with some great coaches, [but] I’m not going to try and be fancy and name drop them all.
“I’ve learned a lot from Johann, a great man, a great coach. His game knowledge is exceptional. You’ve got to take a bit from everyone you work with and learn from them but be yourself. I’ve got a certain coaching style and the one thing I don’t want to change with the increased pressure, I’ll still want to be me because I still love being on the field coaching every day.”
While he is not dissimilar to van Graan in overall outlook, Rowntree added: “Obviously as a head coach, you have your own mark on things but that’s for me to finalise in the next few months. And that will be obvious in the coaches that come in under me.”
He already has people in mind to fill the vacancies as attack, defence and forwards coach next season.
Delivers insight
Yet, after quipping that the Guinness was better in Munster and the weather better in Leicester when asked to compare the two, Rowntree gave an insight into what his approach will be.
“I think [with] the new Leicester there’s certain traits very obvious – power game, kicking game. I think to win any game now . . . you’ve got to play. You’ve got to challenge teams. Look how Leinster challenged us a couple of weeks ago. You’ve got to play.
“That’s the way I see us having progressed this year, particularly under Steve [Larkham], you’ve got to have that all-round game. So that’s what I think will win games.”
In the meantime, the week-to-week challenge doesn’t change, beginning with a huge, season-defining game in their Heineken Champions Cup second leg tie against Exeter, which they trail by 13-8, at Thomond Park next Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
“Winning every week, that’s all that matters until the end of the season with things as they are currently. That’s all that matters. Obviously, I’m not going to lie, I’ve got a great deal of planning to do for next season but that’s not going to divert me away from the day job and winning each game as it comes every week because hopefully we’ll have a massive challenge every week for the rest of the season.”
In the meantime, Rowntree had a message for the Munster fans.
“Stick with us. Stick with us. You know, we’ve not been far off. It’s finishing off, isn’t it? We have been in finals and semi-finals. Stick with us. We are going in the right direction. What more can I say than that? Why do I believe? It’s the group of players we’ve got here and the guys coming through.”
