Johann van Graan will remain as head coach of Munster Rugby until at least the summer of 2022 after signing a two-year extension to his contract, the province have announced.
“I am very happy and grateful to be in this position, knowing that I can continue to work with this incredible group of people and play my part in shaping Munster’s future,” Van Graan said.
“Coming to Munster I wanted to become part of the community, and every day I get to experience that sense of belonging with my family and I settled in from the very beginning.”
Van Graan joined the province in November 2017, leaving his role as the forwards coach of the South African team to make the move to Limerick.
“Moments and scenes such as last Saturday week in Edinburgh with the Munster supporters, players and management make for amazing memories, they can never be taken for granted.
“This is a special place, a special club to be part of and I look forward to continuing the journey together,” he added.
Munster Rugby Acting CEO Philip Quinn said there was interest from other clubs to try and pry the Van Graan away from the southern province.
“We are delighted Johann has committed his future to the province. There was a significant amount of interest from other clubs so it was always going to be a challenge to retain the services of a coach of Johann’s calibre,” he said.
“Johann brought with him a wealth of experience and a track record with the Springboks and the Bulls in Super Rugby. He has put his own stamp on this squad over the past 18 months and has enhanced the Munster environment further.”
The news comes less than a fortnight before Munster’s European Champions Cup semi-final clash with Saracens. Before that, the province travel to Italy to face Benetton in the PRO14 on Friday night.