Van Graan insists that he is going nowhere amid Bulls interest

Johann van Graan’s future lies at Munster according to the man himself despite being linked with the vacant head coaching job at former club the Bulls. The South African stated that he “is loving every moment” of his time at Munster following the province’s dramatic 25-24 Pro14 victory over Glasgow Warriors at Thomond Park last weekend.

Despite trailing Glasgow 24-10 as the game entered the final quarter, van Graan still felt his side were well in the game, explaining that Munster never know when they are beaten. He was proved right in stunning fashion on this occasion. “I was pretty composed after an hour. I knew we had the wind on our backs.

“This club doesn’t know how to give up, that’s what Munster’s renowned for, we’re never beaten until we get back in the changing room. We’d three big wins at home and we knew a close one was going to come, I didn’t believe it was going to be that close, but this game keeps you humble and tonight the luck was on our side.”

Rory Scannell’s last ditch kick gave Munster the stunning win over a Glasgow side that has become a major rival in recent years. Van Graan added after the game that he chatted with his kickers during the week and that long distance efforts and match winning moments were part of that discussion.

“I had a bit of a joke with Rory a few days ago. He put a few long ones in and a I said that the time is going to come for one. It came sooner than we thought. I have never been a kicker but I think as a kicker you want those types of kicks. He wanted it. They made the call on the field and what a brilliant kick to win the game.”

Van Graan described the clash with Glasgow as anything but ‘a regular game’. Glasgow were the better side for large parts during the contest but tries from Alex Wootton and Alby Mathewson brought Munster back into the game, before Scannell’s long range effort secured the victory that keeps the province third in Conference A, behind Ospreys and Glasgow.

“You saw from the first minute of the game what it meant to both sides,” said van Graan when asked about the game’s early dust up. “All 30 players were in there and that’s the rivalry between Munster and Glasgow. They gave us a bloody nose a few weeks ago and we knew we had to fight back. We knew that we were definitely not going to blink and I said to Dave (Rennie, Glasgow coach) after the game about the respect the two teams have.

“It was a massive game in our calendar. It’s so difficult to get the guys up again after two games in Europe, after the Leinster game and after the Ulster game before that. This five week block has been massive for us as a group. With a lot of guys leaving for Ireland, we won’t see them again until December, so it was very important for us as a team to get through this one and thankfully we did.”

Munster now head to South Africa for their next PRO14 where they take on a Toyota Cheetahs team that they have already beaten this season at Thomond Park. The game in Bloemfontein kick’s off on Sunday at 2:45pm at with injuries and players away with the international side, numbers are thin on the ground. Nonetheless, van Graan is excited for the trip.

“I’m looking forward to it. We are going to Johannesburg for it this year. Last year we went to Cape Town on a two week trip. It’s very important with the game at altitude that we prepare in altitude for this week. Last year we had the sea and the beautiful Cape Town. This year it’s Johannesburg and showing them a bit of the Bush Velt. The Cheetahs team will be hungry and it will be a big challenge for us. We will have a very young side going down to South Africa.”