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Walsh says Munster will play game that suits psyche and culture of team

Munster’s new coaching ticket won’t be introducing an “all singing, all dancing” brand of rugby, new assistant coach Brian Walsh says.

The ex-Cork Con coach, who joins the province to work on attack play, says the new backroom team under Anthony Foley will be a “nice balance of ambition and pragmatism.”

He told the province’s website: “We’ve always backed ourselves down here to make the right coaching decisions. The success of Munster in the past is testament to that, and now it’s up to us as a new coaching team to prove ourselves.

“It won’t be all singing, all dancing from the off, this is something that will be built over time and for now it’s about us putting the foundations in place to allow us to build into the future and arrive into the latter end of the season with a game that can stand up against the best in Europe.”

Munster’s back play has been the subject of much scrutiny in recent seasons with the charge levelled that the province are too pedestrian in attack.

“My approach to any team is — to play a game that suits the psyche and culture of the team and to play a game that fits the skillset they have — allowing them to put their best foot forward,” said Walsh.

“Munster have always had a great understanding of pressure and applying pressure, so that will be key, while still ensuring we have a balanced approach to our game.

“There are some very good things about the way Munster played in the last couple of years, and yes there are things you’d change, but that’s the same with every coaching set up.

People would have looked at teams that I’ve coached in the past and thought exactly the same thing.”

Walsh has swapped his day job in banking for the boots and shorts of professional rugby.

“It’s great to go to work with capable guys who you know well, and guys who will still be very tight when the pressure is on. We all understand the history, tradition and standards that have gone before us and we see this opportunity as a massive responsibility and honour.

Knowing both the players and management has helped make it a seamless transition. If anything the strangest thing for me now is going to work in a pair of shorts rather than a suit, but I can assure you it’s not something I complain about.”

The Cork man looks forward to nurturing the talent coming through.

“The likes of Andrew Smith and Tyler Bleyndaal coming into the side, allied with the young talent coming through our Academy system puts us in a good place. A number of these young players represented themselves very well in the Junior World Cup earlier this summer and now the onus is on us to blood them into senior rugby — if they’re good enough they’re old enough. This in turn shows other young players around the province that there is a pathway into first team rugby with Munster.”

Munster open their preseason away to Gloucester on Saturday at 3pm before playing London Irish in the SEAT Challenge at the Waterford RSC on Friday August 29th at 7:30pm. Tickets at www.munsterrugby.ie

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