Johann van Graan has hit back at Peter Stringer and insists there will be no war with Munster fans over his contract u-turn.
The Reds supremo has felt the heat since it was revealed he is joining Bath in the summer.
Van Graan took advantage of a clause in his IRFU contract to break the two-year contract extension he had agreed in October.
Since then, criticism has ramped up of the South African's tactics, led by a number of ex-Munster stars.
Former Reds great Peter Stringer claimed on RTE TV last Saturday night: 'I think he doesn’t really want to be here'.
Van Graan responded: “I absolutely want to be here. I’ve committed until the 30 th of June with this club.
"My heart is certainly in this club. It has always been in this club.
“Coaches make decisions. You would see that very clearly in my press release, I absolutely want to be here.
"We’ve got big dreams for this group, nothing has changed there. I take you back to what Dave Kilcoyne said, I’ve been open with this group.
"I will continue to do so and to put every bit I have into this club until I leave on the 30 th of June.”
Van Graan is preparing the province for Friday night's Champions Cup clash at Castres.
He revealed that along with the expected return of Peter O'Mahony and Jean Kleyn from injury, Conor Murray and Keith Earls are available after missing the weekend win against Ulster for personal reasons.
Simon Zebo, who was red-carded on Saturday, faces a disciplinary hearing today and a suspension.
But the main topic of discussion was around van Graan himself.
“You've got to make sure that you listen to the right people. The right people are inside the HPC," he stressed.
“Throughout my whole life, I've said, 'listen with two ears and one mouth, keep balanced'.
“The important thing from my side is it shows that Munster means a lot to people.
“I understand that people are incredibly proud of this club and want this club to perform and to win.
“I'm the exact same. All the staff, all the players are the exact same. We all want the best for Munster.
“I've got a job to do. I'm very privileged and proud to do that."
Asked if he was expecting 'a war' in terms of supporter dissatisfaction until his departure, van Graan responded: 'I certainly don't see it as a war.
"The fans have been incredibly good to my family and I. We're very happy living in Ireland.
"I understand that when you're the coach of such an amazing club that if things don't go that well that it's your responsibility.
"That's something that I've taken with the other coaches, with the staff and with the players.
"It's important to note that we as a club are united.
"We're all in this together, one of our core values is community. I believe that you should always see the best in people.
"I understand that some people are not happy with some of our performances and we've taken responsibility - not because they think that way but because of our own standards.
"We try to improve week on week. I'll continue to do so over the next six months."
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