Munster Rugby has confirmed it has commissioned an independent review into the organisation's governance structures, as the fallout from the Roger Randle saga continues.
The review will be conducted by The Governance Company, an independent consultancy specialising in corporate governance, and it will be overseen by an external independent chair, to be appointed in the coming days.
A statement from the province says this review will "assess the organisation’s governance, leadership, culture and communications structures and to provide recommendations back to the Board".
The review comes after a chaotic couple of months for Munster Rugby, who recently backtracked on the appointment of New Zealander Roger Randle as their new attack coach.
Randle had previously agreed a two-year deal to become an assistant coach at the province, which sparked backlash from a section of supporters due to allegations of rape against him, dating back 19 years.
Munster Rugby has commissioned an independent review into the organisation's governance structures, as the fallout from the Roger Randle saga continues #RTERugby #RTESport pic.twitter.com/r6uPJ7gAlX
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He had been accused of raping a woman while touring with his previous team, Hurricanes, in South Africa in 1997.
He was initially charged with rape, but the case did not proceed as the complainant dropped the charges. Randle has always denied the allegation against him.
Additionally, the process of the appointment led to resignations by three former players – Billy Holland, Killian Keane and Mick O’Driscoll - from the province’s Professional Games Board, while members of the voluntary commercial advisory group also stepped down.
At the time, Munster Rugby insisted "due diligence" had been carried out prior appointing Randle, before his move was cancelled two weeks later.
The Randle saga also played out against the backdrop of possible redundancies at Munster.
In March, the province confirmed they were seeking an unspecified number of voluntary redundancies, but after the uptake for those packages proved lower than hoped, some compulsory redundancies will now be made.
"It is clear that the past number of weeks have been difficult for staff, players, coaches, supporters, and everyone who cares about Munster Rugby," CEO Ian Flanagan said in a statement.
"We recognise the impact that recent events and decisions have had on our stakeholders. This independent review is an important step in ensuring we can learn from past events and strengthen how we can positively operate going forward.
"We look forward to working fully with The Governance Company and independent Chair to support an effective review process. The primary and clear objective of this important exercise is the overall wellbeing of Munster Rugby."
Neither Flanagan nor general manager Ian Costello have spoken to the media since the initial news of Randle appointment, with head coach Clayton McMillan twice facing questions over the matter.
Last week, the New Zealander hinted at uncertainty around his own position as head coach, saying that a number of people in the organisation should be "doing a fair bit of reflection" on events of previous weeks.
"There are changes that I think that need to be made to give me the confidence that I have the support to be able to do the job that's needed," he said.
News of this governance review comes a Munster head into the final week of the URC regular season, with their campaign on the line.
A 26-7 defeat to Connacht last Saturday means the province may need to beat the Lions this weekend at Thomond Park in order to guarantee a spot in the play-offs, as well as Champions Cup rugby for next season.
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