Rob Penney appointed the new Munster boss – Rugby News Update
Rob Penney, the coach of Canterbury will be joining the Irish team, Munster, after he finishes his coaching duties with the New Zealand Under-20 side in the 2012 Junior World Championship in June that is going to be played in South Africa.
The move to appoint a new coach started when Tony McGahan, the current head of coach Munster decided to quit his post and join the Wallabies, the Australian rugby team at the end of the current season. He will be joining Robbie Deans as a coaching co-ordinator.
Speaking about the appointment of Penney, the Chief Executive Officer of Munster, Garrett Fitzgerald said, "We conducted a thorough search to find a replacement for Tony McGahan and were delighted with the calibre of the candidates. Rob Penney's record speaks
for itself and we look forward to welcoming him to Munster."
After it was confirmed that McGahan will vacate the post, there were three candidates who were leading the race to be appointed the head coach. This included the current assistant coach of Munster, Anthony Foley, the former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga
and Rob Penney.
However, even early in the race Canterbury was willing to let go of Penney and providing him the opportunity to coach elsewhere if such a situation arose. The Canterbury Rugby Football Union chief executive Hamish Riach, speaking on his release, said, "He
let me know midway through last week he has got this opportunity and has been upfront about it. During his time here he has given us longevity, success and his contribution has been outstanding."
Rob Penney will come to Munster at the back of a winning team and habit, which will be important for Munster. He has won four consecutive ITM cups, formerly known as the Air New Zealand Cup from 2008 till 2011. He also has the experience of Super Rugby,
as he acted as an assistant coach to Robbie Deans when they were the Crusaders in 2005.
Penney will now wait visa and work permit clarification before he can move to Ireland. The club has also announced that any changes to the backroom staff will be made once the new coach assumes his role.
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