David Humphreys is hopeful that Munster's head coach vacancy will be filled within the next few weeks, but says the province and the IRFU won’t rush into a decision.
Ian Costello has been filling in as interim head coach for the 2023 URC champions since the end of October following the sudden departure of Graham Rowntree.
As performance director of the IRFU, Humphreys is working alongside Munster Rugby’s CEO Ian Flanagan and their Professional Games Committee to find a replacement, and he says the process is ser to ramp up over the coming weeks.
"We would hope it [an appointment] would be within a few weeks," Humphreys told RTÉ Sport.
"The whole thing in coaching and appointments is never making a rash decision. It's such an important appointment for Munster, not so much for the rest of the season because they have a very good coaching team in place with Ian Costello and Mike Prendergast who have managed them through the last few months with support from Chris Boyd (below) really well.
"From our point of view we have confidence with the people who are in the room, but it's making sure that the process we now go through ensures we are giving Munster the best chance to be successful and continue to be competitive."
The province’s attack coach Mike Prendergast is the only candidate to have publicly made their pitch for the job, and it would appear to be a good endorsement of his credentials that he has linked up with the Ireland squad in Portugal this week, ahead of coaching Ireland 'A’ against England next month in Bristol.
In the last two months, Munster have had experienced New Zealander Chris Boyd working with their coaches as a performance consultant, and the former Northampton Saints boss has been reporting back to both Humphreys and the province around his recommendations for how they should structure their coaching staff going forward.
Humphreys believes it’s imperative to get that structure right to maximise the province’s potential.
"We know with the squad that Munster have coming through it's making sure that any appointment is in place for a longer term.
"I absolutely believe in the continuity of the coaching team being one of the fundamentals to delivering longer-term success for the players."
If Prendergast doesn't get the job, the former Munster scrum-half will still be at the province next season, having extended his contract as attack coach by a further two years, while defence coach Denis Leamy and skills coach Mossy Lawler have also signed on until 2027.
But Humphreys (above) insists that the IRFU and Munster have not limited their ability to attract candidates to the head coach job by putting the backroom team in place already.
"I don't think it says anything about the person we're looking for, it's more a reflection of how highly Munster and the IRFU regard the coaching team that's in place there," Humphreys added.
"The question is whether or not that group has got all the attributes that's required to take Munster forward or whether in the period going forward, that some additional support is required.
"The IRFU have stepped in in that period and Alex Codling's come in [as forwards coach] and the feedback has been he's made a huge impact in terms of not just the lineout but in the broader coaching piece.
"So I have absolutely no doubt that by the time we're ready to make an appointment, it will put Munster in a very good place going forward."
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