COACH VAN GRAAN DEFIES HIS CRITICS
ON Munster’s recent mini-tour to South Africa, Johann van Graan made sure to find a gap in his busy schedule to spend time with the small band of supporters that had made the long journey from Ireland.
It was a typically good-natured gesture from a man who has quickly made his mark on the province.
When Van Graan was named Munster head coach back in October, critics of the South African’s appointment were easy to find.
After the messy end to the Rassie Erasmus era, the reasons for scepticism were easy to understand. He was not his predecessor’s first recommendation, he didn’t arrive with a glittering CV and, of chief concern, he had never held a head coach role prior to arriving at Thomond Park.
However, fast forward to the present day and the voices bemoaning his appointment have fallen silent.
The 38-year-old appears to be the right man, in the right place at the right time.
Munster travel to Bordeaux this weekend to take on Racing in the last four of the Champions Cup, but unlike fellow semi-finalists Leinster, such has been the progress made that defeat to the French giants will not be considered a failure. There is a sense that the coach is building something with the future in mind, a welcome development after the smash-and-grab reign of Erasmus, who announced that he would be returning home just a year after signing a three-year deal with the province. There are no such concerns with Van Graan.
While last season Munster beat the odds to reach the Pro12 final, after riding a wave of emotion following the passing of Anthony Foley, this time around they have been a more assured, stable outfit.
It is Van Graan’s attention to detail that has made the team a more potent threat, but from the outside, the South African didn’t quite look an ideal fit for a club so heavily soaked in tradition and history.
Back in 2014, he told a South African newspaper: ‘I believe in meticulous planning and that everything is in detail. Rugby players cannot always focus on emotion.’
That is not to say that he is dismissive of the unique aura that surrounds Thomond Park.
Upon his arrival, he said that the famous stadium had ‘magic’, and his willingness to embrace the attitude and culture of Munster Rugby ensured that he quickly got the supporters onside.
Put simply, he ‘gets’ Munster, and he certainly speaks their language.
Before knocking-out Toulon in the quarter-finals, he spoke of beating the Top 14 side ‘the Munster way’, adding: ‘rugby games are won in the hearts of men’ — a line it isn’t hard to envisage plastered on the walls of the Munster gym out in UL.
Place that last-gasp 20-19 defeat of the French up alongside the impressive 48-3 rout of Castres that had booked their place in the knock-out stages, and it is evident that Van Graan is forging a team capable of winning big games in more ways than one.
By all accounts, everyone at Munster, including the players, have been largely impressed by Van Graan, a serious yet quiet figure who marries a typically mannerly and gracious South African approach to life with a manic work-rate.
Of course, it was a brave step on Munster’s part to hire him in the first place considering the bad taste the departure of his compatriot Erasmus had left.
Remember the booing that rang around Thomond Park during the more difficult periods of Foley’s days in charge? If that can happen on the watch of a club legend, it wouldn’t be hard to see things turning ugly for an outsider if he failed to hit the ground running.
The fact that Munster are still fighting on two fronts is all the more impressive given Van Graan arrived mid-way through the season as Erasmus waited to take up a new role with the Springboks.
Being parachuted in last November meant it was always going to be difficult to put his imprint on the squad, but he set about the task admirably in the midst of a hectic schedule over the Christmas period.
One of his first objectives was to improve the squad’s attacking and passing game, and they are now starting to see the fruits of their labour on the pitch.
Erasmus, who was hired as Director of Rugby, admitted he found the coaching role difficult following Foley’s passing, but in Van Graan Munster now finally have what they truly
need — a hands-on coach who is comfortable with getting his hands dirty on the training pitch.
From the off, he has been clear that he sees the development of the squad as a team effort rather than a one-man job, and he hasn’t been shy to turn to his coaching team of ex-Munster stars Felix Jones and Jerry Flannery for advice.
Van Graan says he always knew he wanted to be a coach, taking the decision to hang up his playing boots at the age of just 21 in order to pursue a coaching career.
A year later he took on his first role with his former school in Pretoria, quickly rising up the coaching ranks and working as a video analyst and then a forwards coach with Super Rugby side the Bulls before graduating to the Springboks staff.
It was an impressive CV, but a head coach role was the position he really craved.
The South African Rugby Union batted away an approach from Bath in the 2015/16 season, but when Munster came calling the door was opened, despite Van Graan having two years left on his contract.
In his first press conference as Munster head coach, he acknowledged the gamble that had been taken on him.
‘For every new beginning in life you have got to fly on your own,’ he said.
‘Obviously the people that appointed me saw something in me that they liked, and hopefully I can repay that faith.’
So far, he’s certainly managed to do just that.