Johann van Graan is seeking to develop a Munster brains trust at the province to guide him through his opening months as head coach, with Paul O’Connell a possible member of his think tank. They steered Munster to a bonus-point Guinness PRO14 victory at Zebre last Sunday, but van Graan, 37, has hit the ground running since the return from Italy. A new defence coach, van Graan said yesterday, was “one of our big focus points”. “There are some pretty amazing people here in Limerick that I’d also like to get involved at some stage. “I spoke to a few players outside of Munster at other provinces, what would be their perception of Munster and it’s all pretty amazing.”Nor did van Graan rule out giving double Heineken Cup-winning coach Declan Kidney a call.

Source: Irish Examiner November 29, 2017 00:11 UTC