EARLIER this week, Munster confirmed that highly-rated attack coach Roger Randle would be coming on board during the summer.
The Chiefs assistant had signed a two-year deal, thus reuniting with head coach Clayton McMillan in the process. Randle was the Munster head coach’s right-hand man during his prolific stint down in Hamilton, with the franchise making three consecutive Super Rugby finals on their watch.
When Mike Prendergast signalled his intention to leave Munster to take up a new challenge with Bath next season, McMillan sought out a trusted former colleague.
Randle, 51, had overseen a sparkling attack during their time with the Chiefs. He was lauded for his impact at the club, with current head coach Jono Gibbes stating that the former Chiefs and New Zealand Sevens wing would leave a ‘massive hole’ in the organisation.
‘Through his innovative and creative lens on the game, and his unparalleled work ethic, he is constantly chasing improvements in our attacking game,’ added Gibbes, who coached with Leinster and Ulster in the past.
Randle, who played 59 games for the Chiefs between 1998 and 2003 and made two appearances for the All Blacks in 2001, had an impressive coaching cv, taking in spells with the Chiefs, Maori All Blacks, both the New Zealand and Japan Sevens team and Waikato. He also served as an assistant coach for the Provincial Barbarians team which faced the British and Irish Lions during their tour of New Zealand in 2017.
Roger Randle (right) was Clayton McMillan’s right-hand man at Waikato Chiefs
On paper, Randle looked like a shrewd acquisition. A renowned attack coach with a proven track record. Crucially, a character who had worked alongside McMillan in the past. A bit of synergy on a Munster coaching ticket which looked thrown together following McMillan’s appointment.
And perhaps a bit of positive news for an organisation which has been in the crosshairs for many months?
Not in the slightest. Instead, the province now find themselves in the midst of yet another media storm.
When Randle emerged as a potential candidate to succeed Prendergast a few weeks ago, details of a case, which occurred almost three decades ago, began to circulate online.
The internet never forgets and soon details of an incident in Durban 29 years ago began to spread across social media like wildfire. In 1997, Randle was accused of raping a 31-year-old woman in Durban. Randle was playing for the Hurricanes at the time and he was on a night out following a Super Rugby game against the Sharks.
The charges were subsequently dropped, although the alleged victim never withdrew her allegation, and Randle has always maintained his innocence.
It’s worth stating that the fallout from that case has not prevented Randle from carving out an impressive 18-year coaching career since. He has been on the books at the Chiefs, a club which prides itself on its strong culture and values, since 2019. Munster didn’t pluck him from obscurity.
It is understood that McMillan, a former policeman, pushed hard for Randle’s appointment. An appointment which was ratified by CEO Ian Flanagan and Ian Costello, the province’s general manager.
It has since emerged that the decision did not go down well with the eight-person Professional Game Committee, with three members – who all represented Munster as players – stepping down this week in protest.
Munster have insisted that ‘due diligence’ was done before Randle’s appointment.
We won’t get into the weeds of Randle’s past and the upheaval behind the scenes at Munster HQ. These are complicated and sensitive issues.
But we can all agree that this is another monumental mess which Munster have created for themselves.
Did they not see this coming? The Munster hierarchy and, by extension, the IRFU, were more than likely braced for the blowback, hoping that it would blow over.
Munster crashed out of the Challenge Cup following a disastrous display against Exeter Chiefs
But why take the chance? There has already been too many bad results, bad vibes and bad PR around this operation for quite some time.
News of a voluntary redundancy scheme among the 100-strong staff, which keep Munster Inc ticking over, has cast a shadow over the entire organisation.
Then there’s the Prendergast situation. This was a homegrown coach, who lined out for Young Munster in the AIL and the province at senior level, with distinction.
Prendergast did all the right things. He went to France to widen his coaching knowledge, with gigs at Grenoble, Oyonnax, Stade Francais and Racing 92. After almost a decade learning his trade in the Top14, he was lured back home by then head coach Graham Rowntree in 2022.
The Limerick native had a transformative effect on the team’s attack. He was well liked by the players. When Rowntree left, Prendergast threw his hat in for the job and stated that publicly. He was shot down, with McMillan appointed instead.
It was no surprise that Prendergast, who must have felt sidelined throughout this process, is seeking pastures new with Bath. Again, it’s not a good look. And neither are reports that forwards coach Alex Codling is set to leave for a role with Toulon in the summer.
Things have been equally grim on the pitch, with Munster crashing out of the Champions Cup at the pool stage before being dumped out of the Challenge Cup following a disastrous display against Exeter Chiefs in the last-16 stage.
Tomorrow evening, this team will pitch up in Treviso to face Benetton in what feels like a make-or-break URC game. Lose that and Munster, who are currently seventh in the league standings, are likely to slide out of the top eight, leaving them with only three games remaining to get back into play-off contention and, crucially, securing Champions Cup rugby in the process.
So, with all that going on, surely Munster’s decision-makers, the people who earn the big bucks, might have examined the Randle situation and thought that it wasn’t worth the heat.
Once again, the optics around Thomond Park look dreadful. How is this latest sideshow affecting morale inside the building? If you are a prospective signing who is attracting interest from Munster, all this noise and controversy wouldn’t be filling you with optimism about making the move to Limerick either.
A few senior characters are voting with their feet and the fear is that more will follow.
Munster looks like an operation which is in freefall at the moment. They are getting too many things wrong, on and off the pitch. In a season of clangers, this was yet another own goal. They have created another rod for their backs.
It will be interesting to see how this Randle situation pans out in the coming months.
It could have been so easily avoided. Munster are making things very hard for themselves at the moment. Once again, the top brass have failed to read the room.
