It is perfectly plausible when Rassie Erasmus explains that after all the Munster organisation has been through over the past 13 months, the departure of a director of rugby is no reason for emotion.
The redness of his eyes as he explains his reasoning, though, tells a different tale.
The bags are packed, the family is already back home in South Africa and Erasmus and his faithful assistant Jacques Nienaber have overseen their final game as part of the Munster management.
All that is left is to welcome incoming head coach Johann van Graan and wish their former charges well as their new roles at South African Rugby await.
Simple and straightforward? Well, no actually. Saying goodbye to a province he helped through the trauma of losing Anthony Foley has proven more difficult than Erasmus could have imagined when he handed in his notice to quit Munster this summer, just a year into the job.
His time in Ireland and at Munster Rugby, which saw him forced to take a more hands-on approach on the training field after Foley’s sudden passing, has had a huge impact on the 45-year-old and that is dawning on him in increasing measure as his exit draws near.
So much so that after Munster’s 49-6 PRO14 victory over Dragons at Musgrave Park on Friday night, Erasmus said his experience at the club was the best 18 months of his life.
Asked if it had been difficult to keep emotions in check during his final game in charge, he added: “Yeah, look, I think the players have gone through so many emotions over the last year, a little thing, or maybe not a little thing but a thing like me and Jacques departing... last year we had really tough things we had to go through.
“So nothing was emotional during the week, the players are professional and I think the performance showed tonight.
“But for me and Jacques, it’s very emotional. We went through a lot this year and learned a lot about ourselves and about how people can support one another.
“Yeah, it was tough but, you know, so proud of saying ‘I coached Munster’. It’s a nice thing to say and I coached them in good times, so that’s nice.”
By Simon Lewis
Rugby and Golf Correspondent Irish Examiner
