Gerry Thornley: Munster have the chance to address years of underperformance with a reboot

When Ian Flanagan last week announced his decision to step down as chief executive of Munster at the end of the month, it represented big news. Yet after a season of upheavals and negative headlines, it also wasn’t the least bit surprising. It was time for Flanagan to do the honourable thing.

However, pending the outcome of an independent governance and organisational review by the Governance Company, commissioned by the Munster Branch, there’s an even bigger question than the identity of Flanagan’s replacement.