'It's my dream job' - New head coach Rowntree excited by Munster's future

Munster are unlikely to hire a director of rugby to work alongside Graham Rowntree, according to the incoming head coach.

Rowntree will next season step up from his forwards coach role to the head coach position, after being confirmed as Johann van Graan's successor.

The former Leicester Tigers prop had been viewed as the likely candidate for some time, having expressed his interest in the job earlier this year.

There had also been speculation the province were looking to bring in a director of rugby to work alongside a head coach, with suggestions that former Munster boss Declan Kidney could be prised away from his current position at London Irish.

However, that move now looks less likely, with Rowntree suggesting the structure of the coaching team will be "similar looking" to their current ticket under Van Graan.

"A similar looking coaching setup, that's for me to finalise in the near future," he told media yesterday, ahead of Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup last 16 second leg against Exeter in Limerick.

"I've got some plans, I've spoken to certain people. But in answer to your question, it will be a similar looking coaching ticket."

The 50-year-old's new role at Munster will be his first as a head coach, after 15 years experience assisting England, Georgia, Harlequins, Munster and the British and Irish Lions.

"It's my dream job, this, and I'm looking forward to getting into it next season,"

And although he says he hadn't planned to become Munster's head coach when he first arrived in Limerick in 2019, he's excited about the prospect and the extra pressure it may bring.

"You've got to know when in your career that you’re ready for it and I feel at the moment I am. The experience, it’s the right fit for me, this club.

"So I know