Clayton McMillan

ROLE Head Coach

TEAM Munster

IN CHARGE SINCE Jul 2025

AGE 52

NATIONALITY New Zealander

MATCHES 25

Clayton McMillan is the head coach of Munster, the former New Zealand police officer who took four Chiefs sides to Super Rugby finals before moving to Limerick.

AS A PLAYER Number 8. Bay of Plenty from 1995 to 2003, captaining the province across 113 appearances, followed by three professional seasons in Japan. Never capped.

Tenure record

as of 30 May 2026

25PLAYED

13WON

0DRAWN

12LOST

52.0%WIN RATE

561 points scored · 581 conceded · -20 difference

RECENT LVodacom Bulls XV14–45 WFidelity ADT Lions24–17 LConnacht Rugby7–26 WUlster Rugby41–14 WBenetton Treviso45–15 LExeter Chiefs21–31

By competition

United Rugby Championship 19P · 11W · 0D · 8L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

Vodacom Bulls XV 30 May 2026 A 14–45 L Fidelity ADT Lions 16 May 2026 H 24–17 W Connacht Rugby 9 May 2026 A 7–26 L Ulster Rugby 25 Apr 2026 H 41–14 W Benetton Treviso 18 Apr 2026 A 45–15 W Vodacom Bulls XV 28 Mar 2026 A 31–34 L Sharks 21 Mar 2026 A 0–45 L Zebre Rugby 28 Feb 2026 H 21–7 W Glasgow Warriors 30 Jan 2026 A 22–31 L Dragons 23 Jan 2026 H 22–20 W Ulster Rugby 2 Jan 2026 A 3–28 L Leinster Rugby 27 Dec 2025 H 8–13 L Ospreys 20 Dec 2025 A 26–10 W Stormers 29 Nov 2025 H 21–27 L Connacht Rugby 25 Oct 2025 H 17–15 W Leinster Rugby 18 Oct 2025 A 31–14 W Edinburgh Rugby 10 Oct 2025 H 20–19 W Cardiff Rugby 4 Oct 2025 H 23–20 W Scarlets 27 Sep 2025 A 34–21 W

Champions Cup 4P · 1W · 0D · 3L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

Castres Olympique 17 Jan 2026 H 29–31 L RC Toulon 11 Jan 2026 A 25–27 L Gloucester Rugby 13 Dec 2025 H 31–3 W Bath Rugby 6 Dec 2025 A 14–40 L

Int. Friendly Games 1P · 1W · 0D · 0L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

Argentina XV 1 Nov 2025 H 31–28 W

Challenge Cup 1P · 0W · 0D · 1L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

Exeter Chiefs 4 Apr 2026 A 21–31 L

DATA NOTES

Clayton McMillan has overseen 25 completed Munster matches in our database since September 2025 — 13 won, 0 drawn, 12 lost. That is a 52.0% win rate, with 561 points scored and 581 conceded.

Records are computed from the WeTalkRugby match database and cover matches we hold data for within this tenure. They are not an official all-time record.

Coaching career

2020-2025 Chiefs Head Coach
2025- Munster Head Coach

Honours

2019 Mitre 10 Cup Championship (Bay of Plenty)

Players under Clayton McMillan

Full squad →

Alex Kendellen Forward Andrew Smith Back Conor Bartley Forward Ben O'Connor Back Conor Ryan Forward Ben O'Donovan Back Edwin Edogbo Forward Calvin Nash Back Evan O'Connell Forward Diarmuid Kilgallen Back

Jack O'Donoghue Forward Fionn Gibbons Back

About Clayton McMillan

Clayton McMillan is the head coach of Munster, appointed in July 2025 as successor to Graham Rowntree. Born in Perth in August 1974 and raised in Rotorua, he took an unusual route into the game’s top tier.

A number 8 for Bay of Plenty, he captained the province across 113 appearances and scored 22 tries before three professional seasons in Japan. He was never capped, and worked as a New Zealand police officer before coaching full time.

Bay of Plenty and the Chiefs

He was head coach of Bay of Plenty from 2015 to 2019, winning the Mitre 10 Cup Championship in his final season, coached the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians against the British & Irish Lions in 2017, and was named Māori All Blacks head coach the same year. He joined the Chiefs as an assistant in 2020, took over as interim in 2021 and was made permanent — then reached four Super Rugby finals in five seasons without winning one.

Munster

His first season in Limerick was turbulent off the field, taking in a collapsed attack-coach appointment and an independent review into the province’s governance, which McMillan publicly welcomed. He has since rebuilt his staff around Jared Payne and Jimmy Duffy.

Style

A direct, high-accountability man-manager, he favours an aggressive breakdown and a fast-tempo carrying game — a deliberate shift from the territorial rugby Munster had leaned on.