Boks assistant Van Graan emerges as man to replace Erasmus at Munster

MUNSTER are set to appoint Springbok assistant Johann van Graan as their new director of rugby.

The relatively low-profile career coach (right) has emerged as the front-runner to replace departing coach Rassie Erasmus when his commitments with South Africa come to an end at the conclusion of the Rugby Championship.

It is something of a left-field appointment from the province who wanted to pair Van Graan with David Wessels who instead opted to remain in Australia to coach the Melbourne Rebels.

The Munster job will be his first job as a top man having been linked with jobs with Bath and the Blue Bulls in the past year.

The son of Bulls chief executive Barend van Graan, he started out as a video analyst with the Super Rugby franchise but caught Heyneke Meyer’s eye and followed him to the Springbok set-up.

His attention to detail, work ethic and technical coaching have been lauded by those who worked with him and he is the only surviving member of the coaching team that reached the semi-final of the 2015 World Cup.

He has Erasmus’s seal of approval and will work with the departing coach who is set to leave in December before taking over in his own right.

A forwards and attack coach under Alister Coetzee, it is likely that Van Graan will add a defence specialist to a back-room team that already includes Felix Jones and Jerry Flannery.

Current defence coach Jacques Nienaber is also returning to South Africa with Erasmus who will take up his position with the South African Rugby Union in January.

Van Graan’s focus for now is on coaching the Boks in their first match since the 57-0 hammering at the hands of New Zealand against Australia in Bloemfontein, while Erasmus is looking for a response from his Munster charges after a humbling loss of their own against Glasgow last weekend.

He has called on Lions Conor Murray, CJ Stander and Peter O’Mahony for the first time this season for today’s clash with Cardiff Blues at Thomond Park.

Ex-Leinster lock Mark Flanagan could make his debut off the bench against the much-changed Welsh side. Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell and John Ryan also make their seasonal bows.

Meanwhile, former Ireland lock Dan Tuohy has joined Leicester Tigers on loan from Bristol.