CLAYT THE GREAT

O'Donoghue hails impact Reds boss has had

- BY GARRY DOYLE

THE first thing Clayton McMillan did when he arrived in Munster wasn't shout, thump tables or talk about revolutions.

He listened. He watched. And then, quietly, he started giving his players permission - permission to trust themselves, to lead in their own way and to believe that the jersey still carried weight.

Jack O'Donoghue felt that shift immediately. There was no dramatic handing over of responsibility now that Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray had moved on.

Instead, leadership at Munster began to spread through a squad that had been waiting to be trusted.

"For me, it was about my leadership," O'Donoghue revealed. "Clayton said, 'Lead this group in your actions and in your ability and they'll follow you."

That tells you everything about where Munster are now. Less noise. More clarity. Less hierarchy. More ownership.

O'Donoghue has never been a man for speeches. His currency is work. Contact. Accuracy. Doing the hard things properly. Under McMillan, that approach has been amplified.

"He brought energy and confidence to the group," O'Donoghue said. "But what stands out is his calm. In the heat of the battle, he's incredibly composed."