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Rowntree: Why the England gang of 2015 have 'prospered' in Ireland
By Liam Heagney
New Munster head coach Graham Rowntree has spoken about how the failed 2015 England coaching ticket is now a success in various roles in Ireland. Following the pool stage elimination from the World Cup seven years ago, head coach Stuart Lancaster and his three assistants – Rowntree, Andy Farrell and Mike Catt – were all released by the RFU to accommodate the new broom under Eddie Jones. The changeover left the ousted four coaches seeking out work elsewhere and the irony now is that all four are working in Ireland in jobs they are highly respected for.
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Having arrived at Munster as forwards coach in 2020, Rowntree will soon be promoted to head coach on a two-year deal in place of the Bath-bound Johann van Graan. Lancaster, meanwhile, has been a serial trophy-winner in his position as a senior Leinster coach since September 2016, Andy Farrell succeeded Joe Schmidt as Ireland head coach in 2019 having initially worked as his defence coach since 2016, while Farrell recruited Catt as Ireland’s attack coach in 2020 from Italy.
Given the success now being enjoyed by all four coaches in the Irish game, it would be understandable if there was some level of recrimination over them getting forced out by the RFU following the 2015 England World Cup disappointment, but Rowntree was nothing but magnanimous looking back on what happened seven years ago and what has since transpired.
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“That was a long time ago, we have all moved on, doing different things and since we have moved on England are doing well, they have been in a World Cup final, let’s not deny that,” said Rowntree, the new incoming Munster boss, during a guest appearance on this week’s edition of The Rugby Pod.
“We move on, all we can deal with is what is presented to you. I love life over here (in Limerick), I love the club I work with, the guys I am working with and I am very fortunate that from July 1 I am leading it. I can’t wait for it.
Camels passing in the night and Graham O’Wig Rowntree ?
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“It doesn’t define you,” he added about his England failure. “You drive on to the next role. It’s a business. Professional sport, rugby, it’s a business and what we achieved in 2015 is well recorded. It wasn’t good enough and what happened happened and we all drive on and we’re finding ourselves where we are now. All you can deal with is what is in front of you now. You learn a lot and nationally England have prospered under Eddie. Myself and the other guys, we have prospered in what we are doing so we are just marching forward.
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“I have signed a two-year deal, you don’t get much more than that these days and that is fair enough. It’s a business. I’m happy doing what I am doing now for at least the next two years.”
Rowntree added that the Munster player recruitment for next season is already over, Malakai Fekitoa being their headline signing in place of Damian de Allende, but he is moving quickly to finalise his backroom staff. “There is nothing more to be done recruitment wise. I am happy with where we are at. We have got a great squad, we have got a lot of good lads coming through. Right about now there is a load of lads pushing through.
“The guys within the organisation, certainly the players, know my style, what I want to do. The guys I want to bring in (as assistant coaches) are fairly similar to me. I need to get that nailed over the next couple of weeks and within a few days of pre-season they will know what we are doing, how I want to change things.”
Munster progressed to the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals with their win last Saturday over Exeter at Thomond Park and Rowntree had the height of respect for the challenge posed by the Chiefs. “They are a proper team. I didn’t know until we played Exeter pre-season there is such respect between the two clubs, real respect because of previous European games.
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“As a forwards coach, their scrum and their maul are a handful, they’re a bloody handful and our defensive breakdown was pretty special on Saturday. They are a proper team to play against.”
