Munster are finally in a position to finalise a successor to outgoing director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, according to reports on Tuesday morning.
It has been known for some time that Erasmus had activated his release clause to leave the Irish province and return to his homeland to resume duties with the South African Rugby Union.
After what has been called a “worldwide search” to find his successor, the Irish Independent are reporting on Tuesday that Western Force coach David Wessels is the man that Munster have chosen to take over from Erasmus when he departs in December.
Wessels, also from South Africa, has apparently been seeking new employment since the Australian side were controversially cut from Super Rugby last year. The report suggests that have talks have taken place between Wesels and Munster and while nothing has been finalised yet, an appointment doesn’t appear to be that far away.
The IRFU’s performance director David Nucifora confirmed on Monday that an appointment was close (and hinted that Erasmus’ successor would be a foregin appointment), and while he didn’t disclose a name at the time, he did suggest that there was only one candidate right now:
“Are we getting close to getting someone? Yes we are.
“I’m hopeful we will have an answer to this sooner rather than later so we can engineer a really well-delivered handover between the two coaching groups. You don’t usually get that chance, this is a coordinated approach.”
All going well, the 36-year-old could be announced early next week, with his arrival in the coming weeks designed to facilitate the transition of power as seamlessly as possible.
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