Rugby

Graham Rowntree departs as Munster head coach after two years in charge

Former England prop leaves province after difficult start to the season

Graham Rowntree
Graham Rowntree has left his position as Munster head coach "by mutual agreement" (David Davies/PA)
By Seamus Maloney

Munster are on the hunt for a new head coach after the province and the IRFU revealed on Tuesday that Graham Rowntree has left his post at the province “by mutual agreement”.

The former England prop, who joined Munster as forwards coach in 2019 and took over the top job from Johann van Graan ahead of the 2022-’23 season, departs just six matches into the current campaign. Munster, who won the United Rugby Championship in Rowntree’s first season in charge and topped the regular season table last season before a semi-final defeat to Glasgow, have stumbled so far this term and sit in 12th place as the league enters a break for the autumn internationals.

While the province have been bedevilled by injuries, defeat to bottom side Zebre, as well as three successive defeats, the most recent of which was a 41-24 loss to the Sharks in South Africa when Munster shipped 31 points before half-time, piled the pressure on Rowntree, who leaves days before a glamour clash with an All Blacks XV at Thomond Park on Saturday.

Munster’s head of rugby operations Ian Costello takes over as interim head coach with the recruitment process for a permanent replacement for Rowntree already underway.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Munster working with a very talented group of players and coaches,” said Rowntree, who won 54 caps for England and went on Lions tours in 1997 and 2005 as a player and in 2009, 2013 and 2017 as an assistant coach.

“I would like to thank the wider Munster family for all the support they have shown me in my time here but now is the right stage for my family and I to look forward to a new chapter.”

Munster Rugby CEO Ian Flanagan thanked Rowntree “for his passion and dedication to Munster Rugby over the past five years, and I would like to wish him and his family the very best for the future on behalf of Munster Rugby”.

“With the All Blacks XV coming to a sold-out Thomond Park this weekend and a number of big games on the horizon in November and December, our focus will be on continuing to support the coaches and the players for the season ahead,” Flanagan added.