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Munster make announcement on Denis Leamy's future amid coaching exodus

Munster defence coach Denis Leamy before the United Rugby Championship match between Ulster and Munster at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Munster defence coach Denis Leamy has signed a two-year contract extension with the province.

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The former Ireland and Munster No 8 has taken charge of the 2023 United Rugby Championship winners’ defence for the last two-and-a-half years after joining Graham Rowntree’s coaching staff in 2022 following the Englishman’s appointment as head coach.

The shock sacking of Rowntree in October has thrown the Munster coaching team into turmoil though, with forwards coach Andi Kyriacou also departing Thomond Park recently. 

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Munster have got their rebuild underway, however, and have announced Leamy’s new deal a day after Alex Codling was announced as their forwards coach consultant.

Leamy has masterminded the most frugal defence in the URC over the past two seasons since arriving from Leinster, conceding the fewest points in both the Championship-winning season and last campaign, where they crashed out in the semi-finals.

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United Rugby Championship
Munster
14:35
30 Nov 24
Lions
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Munster are yet to announce who Rowntree’s successor will be, though head of rugby operations Ian Costello has held the role on an interim basis.

The two-time European champions are currently sat in 12th place in the URC ladder with only two wins from their opening six matches. They host the Lions on Saturday as they look to arrest a three-match losing streak.

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Following the match against the South African outfit, the province will face Stade Francais and Castres in the Investec Champions Cup.

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Go behind the scenes of both camps during the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2021. Binge watch exclusively on RugbyPass TV now 

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M
M.W.Keith 2 hours ago
'Let's not sugarcoat it': Former All Black's urgent call to protect eligibility rules

I understand that there are choices to be made in professional sports and choices have consequences, but it does seem strange that a professional athlete who plies their trade in order to make a living cannot represent their country at test level. All talk of loyalty and so on is an outdated argument, we live in a global economy. It makes the armchair critic feel nice and so on, chatting smack about loyalty to a jersey and so on, but to think that someone like Mounga is not loyal to NZ just bc he is taking a paycheck - which as a professional athlete he is entitled to do - is a quite silly. No one is calling PSDT or Handre Pollard disloyal to SA bc they are taking a better paycheck somewhere else. No one accuses Cheslin Kolbe of being disloyal to the Green and Gold just because he missed out on years of eligibility by playing in France. Since Rassie opened the selection policy, the overseas players have more than proved their worth. Anyone who says otherwise is deluded and is living in an outdated version of reality. South Africans understand that the ZAR is worth very little and so no one in the country criticises a South African for leaving to find better economic opportunities elsewhere.


This is the same for anyone, anywhere. If there is an economic opportunity for someone to take, should they lose national privilege because they are looking for a better paycheck somewhere else? What a silly idea. The government doesn't refuse your passport because you work in another country, why should you lose your national jersey for this? If a player leaves to a so-called lesser league and their ability to represent their national jersey at a high level diminishes bc of it, then that should say it all. If Mounga were to return to the ABs and his playmaking is better than D-Mac and BB, then he is the better player for the position. If BB and D-Mac eclipse him, then they are the better players and should get the nod. Why is this so difficult to understand? Surely you want the best players to play in the national team, regardless of who pays their monthly salary? Closing borders is historically a silly economic idea, why should it be any different in national level sports?


The old boys tradition in rugby has created a culture of wonderful sportsmanship, it is why we all (presumably) prefer the game to football. But when tradition gets in the way of common sense and sporting success, perhaps traditions should change. Players have the right to earn money, there is no need to punish them for it. Rugby needs to think globally if it wants to survive.

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