Munster’s new head coach Clayton McMillan has already praised the atmosphere and support of the ‘Red Army’, attributing the province’s world-renowned fanbase as one of the reasons as to why he took on the job.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, McMillan, who joined the province in the summer after a successful stint with the Chiefs in Super Rugby, spoke about how the atmosphere at Thomond Park played a key role in his decision to up sticks.
McMillan was head coach of an 'All Blacks XV' side that played in Thomond Park last November, in what would turn out to be a bit of a sliding doors moment for both parties, with the game taking place just days after Graham Rowntree’s shock departure.
"Having witnessed the passion of the supporters and the talent on the side, it ultimately ended up being the reason why I decided to come", the Kiwi told RTÉ Sport.
"When I left here after the All Blacks XV game, having played Munster, I left the Castletroy Park Hotel up the road and probably thought that would be the last time I'd ever see that place. Now I live probably 500 metres up the road.
"The world moves in mysterious ways and over the {southern hemisphere} summer I got a call to see if I was interested in looking at the job and had to think deep and hard about it," he added.
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McMillan was seen as one of the most sought-after coaches in the game, following a stint with the Chiefs which saw them reach three consecutive Super Rugby finals. This, coupled with the balance of moving a young family, made the decision to relocate to Limerick a tricky one.
That said, he praised the wider Munster Rugby club for their support in helping him, Brad Mayo and Martyn Vercoe with the long-haul change of scenery.
"The club have done an amazing job", McMillan said.
"We couldn't ask for more from the club around assisting families transitioning from one side of the world to the other.
"It's been a really smooth transition. Outside of flying to the other side of the world, you could almost lose sight of the fact that you've actually done that. There's a lot of similarities and it's been made to feel like home".
Now that he has settled in as the man in charge, McMillan wants to create memories with the 2023 URC winning club. As a proud Māori who is admittedly big on culture, the 51-year-old now wants to reconnect with the faithful.
"From the outside looking in, I think Munster as a club is well respected around the world, and equally the supporters are", he said.
"When we talk about the ‘Red Army’, I don't see it being them and us; I see us all being part of that army.
"To have that, we need to connect to our people, not just on game day but when we get another opportunity to do that.
"So, you would have seen that in our preseason, we have been very deliberate around getting to different parts of Munster to help grow that connection, especially with young boys and girls – the future of the game – because when you do that, people see that you actually care about them and they might come along and support you on weekends."
Munster are aiming to host open training sessions across the six counties of the province in the coming weeks and months, having already ventured down to Rockwell College in Tipperary and Ennis RFC in Clare.
For now however, their eyes are firmly set on the final furlong of preseason, and the start of the their URC campaign.
Victorious test Lion Tadhg Beirne, who was named the Player of the Series, is due back in training next week, with an aim for a return to action in time for the Croke Park showdown with Leinster on 18 October.
The province are also hopeful that their Irish internationals who featured on the summer tour of Georgia and Portugal will be re-integrated into selection this weekend against Bath or in time for their round one clash with the Scarlets on 27 September.
In a further boost, the province confirmed that there were no fresh injury concerns following their clash with Gloucester last weekend, with Shane Daly, Jeremy Loughman, Ethan Coughlan, Oli Jager and Lee Barron coming through unscathed following their respective absences.
Meanwhile, Jean Kleyn, Diarmuid Barron, Edwin Edogbo and Roman Salanoa are all increasing their training load ahead of the new campaign.
