Former Munster prop Horan is new Shannon coach

FORMER Munster and Ireland prop Marcus Horan has been appointed as Shannon RFC head coach for next season.

Horan, who played more than 220 times for Munster and won 67 caps for Ireland, is taking over from Ian Sherwin as head coach with AIL Division 1B side Shannon.

However, Sherwin is set to continue his involvement with Shannon’s senior side in a new role of backs coach.

Horan, who retired from playing two years ago, won four AIL and four Munster Senior Cup medals with Shannon as well as a Junior Cup medal from 19 years ago.

Marcus Horan said: “The aim for me is to try and give something back to the club. Shannon has a real good, young team at present. We are in a position (AIL 1B) that the club and a lot of the club officials are not used to.

“Every club wants to go up (to AIL 1A) and you see Garryowen going up this year. The main thing is to be able to stay up there when you are promoted, be competitive in the top division. It is tough because you have young players coming up against grown men and that is a difficult thing to do. You have guys coming straight out of school and playing senior rugby. That wasn’t the way it was maybe 15 or 20 years ago. That is an adjustment.

“But we are in a good position in Shannon where we do have a young team who have been blooded in the last year or so.

“We will hopefully add to that this year. If you can keep a bunch of players that are around the same age together that is a good thing. They will always fight for each other and play for each other. That is what we are trying to build.

“Ian Sherwin will be involved as backs coach, so there is a continuity which is fantastic. Ian has done fantastic work over the past two years.

“We have had great success this season measured in terms of being in the shake-up for trophies, but also on the number of players who have played representative rugby. That’s a great boost.”