Munster head coach Clayton McMillan said he was proud his players in how they coped with the fallout of the cancellation of the appointment of Roger Randle as attack coach.
McMillan addressed the media for the first time on the issue today but Alex Kendellen and Gavin Coombes were asked for their feeling on the matter earlier this week.
Currently fifth in the United Rugby Championship table, Munster face an important clash with Connacht on Saturday night in the Dexcom Stadium, knowing victory would go a long way to ensuring they get a home match in a play-off.
At the same time a poor end to the season could bring huge trouble down the road.
A turbulent period which has seen proposed redundancies, six losses in 16 in the URC and an early exit from the Champions Cup was only compounded by the fallout from Randle's appointment, which ultimately ended in a mutual agreement for it not to proceed.
McMillan made a point of watching Tuesday’s press conference in which the players were asked about the Randle saga and was "proud" of their response.
Munster boss Clayton McMillan says he 'honestly believed [Roger Randle] was the person who could come here and add value to our environment and help us get better' #RTERugby #RTESport pic.twitter.com/EXmbHBvlHD
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 7, 2026
Speaking this afternoon, McMillan said: "I'd heard through the grapevine that the press conference had been a little bit chaotic. I took the liberty of having a bit of a watch and I was extremely proud of the way that they conducted themselves.
"There was some tough questions but I think they acquitted themselves well. It is probably a reflection on how we're operating in our environment at the moment, I know it's probably hard for other people outside the building to believe that, but the guys actually are just coming in each week with a smile on their face.
"It helps after you've won a couple of games in succession. They know the challenges ahead of us, have been working hard for 10 months to put ourselves in a position to contest finals.
"The only way of doing that is to focus on what's directly in front of us. So, for those blokes, there's no hidden agendas. They're just speaking honestly and transparently around how things are operating within our building."
Ahead of the Connacht game, McMillan is very aware of the enormity of the fixture and what it impact it could have in the season.
The province have been dealt a blow ahead of the game with Jack Crowley ruled out with a leg injury.
Crowley (above) joins captain Tadhg Beirne, second row Jean Kleyn, props Michael Milne and Oli Jager, centre Tom Farrell and wing Calvin Nash in missing out.
Despite that, McMillan is feeing optimistic because of the atmosphere in the build-up this week.
"The vibe has been fantastic. There's a lot at stake for both teams. There's a lot at stake for a lot of teams over the weekend and the next couple of weekends. So you can imagine that that brings a focus and an edge.
"We're looking forward to the encounter. We don't have the luxury to feel sorry for ourselves around the injuries. They happen.
"We just happen to get a whole lot at the same time, and that creates opportunity for others to step in and show what they've got.
"It's an admirable trait of these Munster men. I think I've spoken about it numerous times. I love that there's fighters within the environment.
"There's opportunity for growth within the environment to ensure that we are more consistent in our performance so we don't have to bring the jeopardy into the backend of the season.
"But you know we're going to need that fight over the next couple of weeks where we can finish anywhere from the top four to out of the eight."
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