Munster make key backroom staff appointments before Clayton McMillan's arrival
Munster have confirmed that Ireland women's forwards coach Alex Codling will be joining the Reds full-time for next season - after the Women's Rugby World Cup.Codling impressed after joining the Munster set-up in a consultancy role in November after the departure of Andi Kyriacou. The influence of lineout expert Codling was missed when he was on Ireland duty, particularly in Bordeaux in April when the province's set-piece badly malfunctioned.The 51-year-old is a former Newcastle Falcons head coach and he has also coached with the senior England men's team, Harlequins and Oyonnax, but he will be a big loss to Scott Bemand's Ireland set-up after the World Cup.New Munster boss Clayton McMillan, who arrives at Munster next month, will be pleased to have Codling on board but until then the Kiwi will cover his role, along with the Reds' elite player development officer Tommy O'Donnell.It has also been confirmed Brad Mayo has been appointed as the province's new head of athletic performance, having worked alongside McMillan as S&C coach for the All Blacks XV during their Northern Hemisphere Tour last year.
Mayo has worked with the Brumbies, Bay of Plenty, the Chiefs, Glasgow Warriors and most recently was head of athletic performance with The Hurricanes.Munster's general manager Ian Costello said: 'Alex's impact since he began working with us in November has been excellent and we are delighted that he will be back with us for the 2025/26 season.'We also look forward to welcoming Brad to Munster this summer. Brad has worked in elite environments all over the world and I'm sure he will be a huge addition to the high-performance team.'Securing the services of Alex and Brad in conjunction with the arrival of Clayton adds to a top class coaching and performance support team as we look forward to the new season.'
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