{"id":505504,"date":"2026-02-26T14:32:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/505504\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T14:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:32:14","slug":"munster-issue-statement-on-mike-prendergast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/505504\/","title":{"rendered":"Munster issue statement on Mike Prendergast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

mens<\/p>\n

united-rugby-championship<\/p>\n

Craig Casey of Munster, left, and Munster senior coach Mike Prendergast before the Investec Champions Cup match between Bath and Munster at The Recreation Ground in Bath, England. (Photo By Harry Murphy\/Sportsfile via Getty Images) https:\/\/www.rugbypass.com\/news\/disappointed-munster-issue-statement-on-mike-prendergast\/ <\/p>\n

Munster<\/a> general manager Ian Costello admits that the province are disappointed that their attack coach Mike Prendergast, who has been linked with Gallagher PREM champions Bath, is leaving at the end of the season.<\/p>\n

Bath<\/a> boss Johann van Graan wants former Munster scrum-half Prendergast, 48, to replace Martin Gleeson, whose short-term contract at the Rec isn\u2019t being renewed this summer.<\/p>\n

Van Graan has been looking for a permanent attack coach since Lee Blackett left to join Steve Borthwick\u2019s coaching staff at the end of September, and it now looks like he has got his man.<\/p>\n

Limerick-born Prendergast will reunite with Scotland<\/a> and Lions<\/a> star Finn Russell<\/a> in the West Country after they had previously worked together at Racing 92.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family and I have absolutely loved our time back home since we returned to Munster in 2022. To coach the team I represented as a player has been an incredible honour, and this has been a very difficult decision.<\/p>\n

Fixture<\/p>\n

United Rugby Championship<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Munster <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Zebre <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in lots of different environments coaching and playing over the years, but Munster will always hold a special place in my heart, and it has been a really enjoyable four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with the players and coaches has been an absolute pleasure, but I believe now is the right time for a new challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor my family, it has been a really special time back home. Working alongside my brother Gar (Academy & Pathway Manager) for the past three years has been a particular highlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will be giving it my all to ensure that the club can be as successful as it can be as we approach the business end of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ian, Clayton, the coaches, players and Munster fans for all of their support,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Munster general manager Ian Costello said: \u201cWhile we are disappointed that Mike has decided to depart Munster Rugby, we fully respect his decision and are incredibly grateful for the contribution he has made over the past four seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth Mike\u2019s coaching and his character have had a profound impact on our environment, and he played a key role in some of our most memorable moments in recent years, including our URC title win.<\/p>\n

\u201cMike will always be a proud, passionate Munster man, and he leaves with the utmost respect and admiration of all the players and staff. We wish Mike and his family every success and happiness in their next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Munster head coach Clayton McMillan added: \u201cSince arriving in Ireland<\/a> last summer, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to work closely with Mike, and it\u2019s clear why he is so highly regarded. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a brilliant coach with a sharp rugby mind and an ability to connect with players in a way that brings the best out of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis contribution to our coaching group and to the wider environment will be a loss. While we are sorry to see him move on, I have no doubt he will thrive in whatever challenge comes next.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of the coaching team, I want to wish Mike and his family every success for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"mens united-rugby-championship Craig Casey of Munster, left, and Munster senior coach Mike Prendergast before the Investec Champions Cup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505505,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-505504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}