After it was announced that Munster were going to hire a new director of rugby, the question became "What's going to happen to Anthony Foley?". Even when Foley was asked about it once Erasmus was confirmed, he didn't seem to know what his role entailed.
What is the head coach there for if there is a director of rugby?
Well finally, Munster have given us an answer. Yesterday was Erasmus, first real meeting with the media, and the South African move to clarify what he thought Foley's role would be:
For me, Axel is still the head coach. He worries about the day-to-day things and setting up the team for the next opponent. I put the tactics in place and make sure we have the right strategies, but he puts it into action.
That does seem a little clearer, and does seem like a big downgrade in the responsibility for Foley.
Erasmus was keen to emphasise the importance of Foley, Felix Jones, and Jerry Flannery to keep the Munster culture. He's not looking for wholesale changes, he's keen to play 'the Munster way', and doesn't want to change things too much - but has set some big targets for himself.
The most important thing is to have Munster guys helping drive the culture. You get myself and Jacques coming in and if you were looking at another assistant or five different players you would bugger up the Munster culture.
Target wise, I would be naive to think if we don’t have a massive improvement on last year, I’m not naive enough to think people will say, ‘Oh we’re trying hard, we’re improving slowly, don’t worry, you’ll be there’... I’ve been there and if we don’t see a massive improvement we’ll all be under pressure.
That sounds like the right things that Munster fans want to hear. We'll see what happens in the season though.
[Irish Examiner]
See Also: Munster Could Be Forced Into More Signings After Another Injury Crisis
Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile
