Roger Randle no longer expected to become Munster attack coach · The 42

ROGER RANDLE IS no longer expected to become Munster’s new attack coach.

Earlier this month, Munster announced the appointment of the New Zealander on a two-year deal that was set to begin in July, subject to obtaining a valid work permit.

The appointment of Randle caused external controversy and internal issues, including resignations, at Munster.

But, as first reported by the Irish Independent, it is no longer expected that Randle will join Munster and that the move will not go ahead.

When Munster confirmed that they had signed Randle on 15 April, a historic allegation against him quickly resurfaced publicly.

Randle was accused of raping a woman in South Africa in 1997 when he was there as a player. Randle denied the allegation and has always maintained his innocence. He was initially charged with the crime, but that charge was later dropped.

The appointment of Randle not only attracted concern from outside Munster but also caused internal issues.

Three former Munster players – Billy Holland, Killian Keane, and Mick O’Driscoll – resigned from their positions as independent nominees on the province’s Professional Game Committee (PCG).

It’s understood that the deal with Randle had already been done before it was presented to the PGC, which caused frustration.

There were further resignations from Munster’s voluntary Commercial Advisory Group (CAG) in the wake of Randle’s appointment.

While the IRFU distanced itself from the appointment of Randle, publicly stating that Munster did not require union approval to sign an assistant coach, The 42 understands that the announcement was greeted with strong concern.

It’s believed that the IRFU expressed its reservations over the deal to Munster.  

Despite the resignations within the province and the backlash publicly, Munster head coach Clayton McMillan stood by the decision to appoint Randle, who he had previously worked closely with in New Zealand.

Speaking after the resignations from Munster’s PCG, McMillan asked the province’s supporters to trust the decision to appoint Randle, whom he praised as “a family man, an honest man, and one that I trust unequivocally”.

Last week, following the resignations from Munster’s CAG, McMillan said he hadn’t changed his stance.

“Yeah, I stand by the comments that I said last week, yeah,” said McMillan.

However, it now appears that Randle will no longer join Munster.

When contacted by The 42, a spokesperson for Munster Rugby said the organisation had no comment to make on the matter.

The U-turn on Randle’s move may cause further disruption within the province, given that key decision-makers like CEO Ian Flanagan and general manager Ian Costello could now come under more pressure.

McMillan is also understood to have pushed as strongly as possible for the appointment of Randle behind the scenes.

All of this comes at a time when Munster Rugby are undertaking a process of voluntary redundancies within the organisation amid financial challenges.

It’s understood that there hasn’t been as much uptake on the voluntary redundancy offers as hoped for in recent weeks, meaning the process may need to move to involuntary decisions.

On the pitch, Munster dropped out of the Champions Cup in the pool stages this season, then lost to Exeter at the first hurdle in the Challenge Cup round of 16. The southern province are fifth in the URC table with two regular-season games to go.

With Randle no longer in line to join as attack coach, Munster will also need to relaunch their search for a new attack specialist to succeed the exiting senior coach Mike Prendergast.