McMillan Announced As Munster Men’s Head Coach On Three-Year Deal

Currently head coach of New Zealand Super Rugby side, the Chiefs, McMillan has a wealth of coaching experience over the past 20 years. He has led the Chiefs to three Super Rugby finals in four seasons.

He began his coaching career while still playing professionally in Japan, and had a number of positions at age-grade and club level before becoming head coach and director of rugby at Bay of Plenty in 2015, leading the province to the Mitre 10 Cup Championship in 2019.

In 2017, he coached the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians for their clash with the British & Irish Lions, and later that year he was appointed head coach of the Māori All Blacks.

McMillan progressed to the role of assistant coach of the Chiefs in 2020 and moved up to the position of interim head coach in 2021, before being appointed to the position permanently later that year.

A former police officer in New Zealand, he lined out for Whakarewarewa along with captaining the Bay of Plenty as a number 8 during his playing days, scoring 22 tries in 113 appearances for the province.

McMillan, who played in Japan for three years before transitioning into coaching, is no stranger to Munster or Irish Rugby.

He coached the Māori All Blacks against Ireland during the 2022 summer tour to New Zealand for Andy Farrell’s men, leading his team to a win and a defeat. He also led the All Blacks XV to a win over Munster at Thomond Park last November.

Following a review of the existing high performance structure within Munster Rugby, their head of rugby operations, Ian Costello, has been appointed to the newly-created role of general manager at the province.

As general manager, Costello will oversee high performance rugby at Munster. He will be responsible for developing and leading the strategy for the professional game and player pathway to ensure excellence, alignment and integration.

The role includes responsibility for the progression of the province’s professional team, players, coaches and performance staff. He will remain as interim head coach until the end of the current season.

Attack coach Mike Prendergast will move up to the position of senior coach from July, and working closely with McMillan, he will now have a more central role in team preparation, strategy, selection, and recruitment.

Prendergast, who returned to Munster Rugby in 2022, made an immediate impact as the province played some fantastic rugby on their way to a thrilling BKT United Rugby Championship title win in 2022/23.

The attack continued to flourish last season with Munster topping the URC table before bowing out at the semi-final stage. Earlier this month he was the Ireland ‘A’ team’s head coach for their match against England ‘A’.

Speaking about his move to Munster in the summer, McMillan said: “I am humbled to be given the opportunity to lead Munster, an iconic team steeped in history.

Leading the All Blacks XV against Munster last year gave me insight into the immense pride and passion of the province’s players, staff and wider rugby community. It was an incredible atmosphere and left a lasting impression.

“I am excited by Munster’s ambition and core values. They align strongly with my own, and I look forward to joining the team in July.

“It has been an absolute privilege to work with the Chiefs and NZ Rugby. I am eternally grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded, and for the support of those I’ve worked alongside.

“The decision to leave wasn’t easy – I love my job, the people we represent, and what we value as a club. But I take real comfort in knowing the team is in great hands moving forward, with a talented playing group, coaches, and staff.

“Whilst I look forward to the challenge at Munster, I am solely focused on giving everything I have to the Chiefs as we build on a promising start, with the goal of being genuine contenders at the business end of the season.”

Munster Rugby CEO Ian Flanagan commented: “After a thorough recruitment process, we are delighted to secure Clayton as our new head coach.

Throughout our conversations with Clayton, what really stood out was his experience and how his coaching philosophy and values align with what we want to achieve at Munster Rugby.

“His understanding and knowledge of Munster Rugby was very impressive, and his skillset will complement our very talented coaching group. We have huge confidence in our new high performance structure which will be led by Ian, Clayton, and Mike.

“We look forward to welcoming Clayton to Munster, and we wish him the best of luck for the remainder of the Super Rugby season.”

Costello, Munster’s head of rugby operations and interim head coach, stated: “In the last four months, we looked at both recruitment of a head coach and how we develop an optimal high performance structure to ensure both short-term and long-term success at Munster Rugby.

“The new high performance structure will enable us to develop and maintain systems to deliver consistently excellent performance and sustained success at Munster Rugby.

“Clayton has a wealth of knowledge and experience and a track record of developing young players, and we believe that he will be an excellent addition to what is already an outstanding coaching and performance support team.

“I’m privileged to be appointed by Munster and the IRFU to the role of general manager, and I’m excited and extremely positive about working closely with Clayton, Mike, and the rest of the performance staff to drive continued success at Munster.”

IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys added:

In a high calibre field of applicants, Clayton’s knowledge, energy, and vision for the future of Munster Rugby shone through, and we believe that he will be a successful appointment.

“He has worked in a successful franchise in New Zealand, and is excited about working in Munster and developing the next generation of players.

“On behalf of the IRFU I would like to congratulate Clayton on his appointment, and wish him the very best of luck with this role over the coming seasons.

“As part of this new coaching structure, I am delighted that Ian Costello will continue his long association with Munster Rugby.

“In the newly-created role of general manager, he will help strengthen the ties that binds Munster from grassroots up whilst building a structure which will ensure the long-term success of the province.

“As somebody who is engrained in the fabric of Munster Rugby, I believe that this is a key appointment.”