Two games into his new role at Bath, Mike Prendergast has the air of a man enjoying his work.
Now working under another former Munster figure in Johann van Graan, Prendergast swapped Thomond Park for The Rec last summer, leading the backs and attack at the west country club.
A fortnight into the new campaign, Bath have two wins, 73 points on the scoreboard and 10 league points that has them joint top of the table. Early days and all that, but with the likes of Finn Russell and Santi Carreras running in scores, it’s easy to see why an attack coach would enjoy such surroundings.
All of which explains the pull of a side like Bath, but not the push factors that opened up the opportunity. When Prendergast left Munster, he still had a year left on his contract. He was on the coaching ticket when Munster won the 2023 URC.
While overlooked for his home province’s head coach role, Clayton McMillan instead proving the final choice, Prendergast was held in sufficient regard to be asked by the IRFU to coach Ireland A back in 2025.
Clearly, there was a reason for the former scrumhalf to decide to leave Irish rugby. One theory was that in any walk of life it can be difficult to work with someone appointed to a role for which you unsuccessfully applied, but Prendergast quickly pushes back on any such notions.
Irish 10s steal the limelight on an encouraging URC weekend
“It was nothing to do with that in terms of Clayton getting the job and me not,” he says. “It’s like anything in professional sport, if you sit around and feel sorry for yourself, that will be picked up very quickly. I’m a professional coach, I’ve got to do what’s best for myself and the team and that’s what I did last season.
“I had four years back in Munster, I played there, it was my home club. I’d brilliant memories, good success as a player. I went off to France for 10 years, came back to Munster and really enjoyed the first couple of years. The last season or so was less enjoyable and I probably felt I needed a change personally.
Bath attack coach Mike Prendergast during the warm-up. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
“I knew Johann [van Graan] through coaching against him, I knew Finn [Russell, the two previously worked together in France with Racing] and had that connection. I had conversations and felt that at this stage of my career it was the right move for me.”
Prendergast was subsequently asked why the last year was not as enjoyable as what went before. Was it a problem with the style of play or something away from the coaching ticket? Munster have dealt with a number of off-field matters in recent times, not least an independent review into their governance and the recent resignation of chief executive Ian Flanagan.
“I’ll be honest with you, certain people in the club wanted to go one direction and that wasn’t the direction I wanted to go in,” says Prendergast, without naming individuals.
“I had no muddied waters with anyone at all. I went in and spoke to the club, spoke to Clayton and I said I think it’s time for a change. He said ‘Look, I know you’ll work to the end of the season and move on’ and that’s the way it was. There was a direction certain people were going in and that’s not the direction that I wanted to go in as a coach.”
Once the decision was made to leave, the link to Van Graan and Bath came into view, even if Prendergast never actually overlapped with the former Munster boss in Limerick. Russell also proved a useful sounding board, given the strong relationship between an attack coach and outhalf who have previously worked together.
“I’ve known him [Van Graan] for a couple of years, we had a chat about it,” explains Prendergast. “He outlined exactly what was here in the club, the set-up etc, the squad. It appealed to me quite a lot.
“With an attack coach, the 10 is always someone you’ll have a close link with. I still keep in contact with number 10s that I coached back in Grenoble 10, 12 years ago. I’m sure most attack coaches will tell you the same, they’re nearly like your little son as such. You always keep those relationships and I’ve a very strong relationship with Finn.
“He spoke highly of the club and I see that now I’ve been over here in the last couple of months.”