Munster Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby Match Programme

v EDINBURGH | SAT 10 TH OCT 2020 | THOMOND PARK | 7.35PM

MUNSTER v EDINBURGH | 10.10.20 | THOMOND PARK

1

READY

FOR THE

Faithful

MUNSTER TRAINING WEAR 20/21

© 2020 adidas AG

2 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

to the day when once again we will hear that

Munster roar ringing around Thomond Park

and Irish Independent Park.

On the domestic front, there is an incredible

amount of work being done at club level to

make sure in this ever changing season, as

many games as possible are played. No words

can say enough on the effort, dedication, time

and desire to make all this happen. All I can

humbly say is well done and thank you.

Normally at this time I would be welcoming

everyone to the first home game of the

Guinness PRO14 in Thomond Park, but as you

are all aware we are not living in normal times.

Unfortunately the terraces and stands will be

empty on Saturday but thankfully on the field,

both teams will be giving it their all.

A big Munster welcome to Head Coach Richard

Cockerill and his Edinburgh team. After Round

1 last weekend in which Munster claimed a win

against the Scarlets in dramatic fashion with a

monster kick at the death and Edinburgh losing

to a powerful Ospreys side, this game no doubt

will be a close encounter and something to look

forward to, albeit from our living rooms.

On your behalf, I would like to wish our Head

Coach Johann, his coaching team and the

entire squad every success for the season

ahead. While we can’t be there at the moment,

come kick off Saturday we will be shouting for

you and will be there in spirit. We look forward

To all involved in the organisation, there is a huge

amount of work going on, mostly behind the

scenes and for the most part going unnoticed.

But once again thank you and hopefully when

all this passes, we come out of it an even better

Munster.

To all our sponsors, in particular our main

sponsor Bank of Ireland, adidas our kit supplier,

thanks for your continued support in this

extremely tough time, your support is vital and

very much appreciated.

Looking forward to the day when I can welcome

you all back, in the meantime stay positive, stay

strong and stay safe.

To the brave and faithful nothing is impossible.

Sean McCullough

President Munster Branch IRFU

President: Sean McCullough | Vice President: Ger McNamara | Junior Vice President: Michael Carroll

Hon. Secretary: Muiris Mahon| Hon. Treasurer: Tom Kinirons

Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Ian Flanagan | Head Coach: Johann van Graan | Team Manager: Niall O’Donovan


3

EVERY FIXTURE

EVERY TRY

EVERY TACKLE

ALL IN

ONE APP


WHY IT

MATTERS

ASHTON HEWITT | DRAGONS

When you decide to speak out on a sensitive topic,

there is often a fear of how what you say will be

received by both people you do and do not know.

Whilst it’s not always easy to be

confronted with opinions you do not

agree with, as well as the overwhelming

abuse dished out by Twitter trolls,

I’m pleased to be able to say that the

positivity that has come as a result of

speaking out about racism outweighs

the negativity.

You may know me as a Dragons rugby

player and, more recently, you may have

seen conversations around racism that I

have been encouraging on social media.

Being a 25-year-old, mixed-race man, born

and raised in Newport, with both Welsh

and Jamaican heritage, you can imagine

that the topic of racism is something that

I am extremely passionate about. This

passion was amplified by the Black Lives

Matter movement and the recent peaceful

protests that took place across the world.

I’d like to take this opportunity to explain

what ‘black lives matter’ means to me. It

is a simple statement, calling

for black people to be treated

equally and for the social

problem that is racism to be

solved. Therefore, when myself,

family, friends or teammates

stand (or kneel) in support

of black lives matter, it is the

movement and not the organisation that is

being supported. I support the movement

because there are many people in my life

that I care about who have far too often

been victims of racism and knowing

how it feels, it is something that has to be

addressed.

From a young age, I have experienced

racism on the street and in sport. This has

come as a shock to many of the people

in the rugby community that I have had

conversations with on this topic – with

many of them not expecting a player

such as myself to be faced with racism.

Even in the rugby environment, hearing

racist nicknames and stereotypical jokes

would make me feel isolated and unable

to be myself in a space that I should be

completely comfortable in. Some incidents

occurred more when I was younger, but

it never goes away entirely and that is

what’s jarred most with people I speak to.

Whether it be monkey chants targeted at

me from the side-lines whilst I played as

a child, to being stopped and searched

countless times. These conversations

often consist of them being able to count

the number of encounters they’ve had

with the police on one hand (or finger)

and that they couldn’t even imagine being

stopped and searched whilst walking

their dog!

This is one of the main positives that came

as a result of speaking out. It encouraged

these conversations that otherwise

probably wouldn’t have happened, and

helped others understand my experiences

and how racism, in all of its different

forms, has made me feel.

I’m proud to say that these conversations

have led to more positivity, with teammates

calling and texting to find out more

and gain greater understanding of the

deep-rooted social issue that they now

recognise. Also, it’s not only players that

have been supportive of everything I have

been doing. I have to thank the Dragons

as a club for the way they have supported

me over the last few months. From David

Buttress (our Chairman) to Dean Ryan

(Director of Rugby) and James Chapron

(General Manager), who have all been

great in supporting me and allowing me

to be myself. I know that this is not the

case at every other organisation and in

every other sector – with black people

often concerned that they will face

consequences for being so vocal on such

a topic.

I also have to extend my thanks to the

community team at the Dragons, who I

know are coming up with ways to actively

improve inclusivity and diversity at the

grassroots level by trying to engage with

more black and minority children.

Furthermore, I can’t express how

encouraging the support from fans

has been. It has truly shown how great

the game of rugby is, with it not only

being Dragons fans sending me positive

messages and shutting down the trolls

of Twitter in my defence, but rugby

fans from all over (although some have

wished for a bad performance when

playing their team!).

I’d also like to shed light on, and thank,

Positive Futures for all of the work that

they do within my community. Myself and

team-mate Leon Brown (you know, the

rather large tight head that enjoys finishing

30m tries) are proud ambassadors of

the organisation that works with young

people from disadvantaged backgrounds,

trying to combine sport and

education with rugby often being

used to develop core values

and encourage inclusivity. With

racism and discrimination often

being an issue that the young

people they work with face in

their day-to-day lives, Positive

Futures actively do what they can to

tackle the issue.

I’d like to finish by saying that I don’t

expect everybody to agree with

absolutely everything that I say and I

can’t force anybody to do so. But I’d like

to think that most would agree to taking

a stand against racism. I’d really love,

and appreciate, if everybody just asked

questions and gave a little time to learn

a bit more about the issues and the ways

in which they can be tackled. If you do,

then please educate others – that is what

is going to help others not to feel isolated

because of their skin colour, wherever it

may be - and encourage change.

Thank you for reading.

Ashton


5


WELCOME

TO THE GUINNESS PRO14 SEASON 2020/21

I am privileged to welcome you to an

exciting new season of the GUINNESS PRO14

Championship. We are a proud and committed

partner of this competition and GUINNESS

as a brand strongly identifies with the power,

strength and communion which underpins the

sport of Rugby. We look forward to an exciting

season coming off the back of last year’s

sensational offering.

Last season was another thrilling season of epic tackles, running

rugby and history-making tries that culminated with Leinster Rugby

defeating Ulster Rugby in an exciting Final in the Aviva Stadium.

It goes without saying that 2020 has been a year unlike any other,

one that none of us could have predicted and one that continues

to challenge us all daily. Over the course of the year, the absence of

sport left a gap in so many people’s lives. The return of rugby has

been so welcome, as we reignite our passion and a hope for the future

when we will all be able to be together again in the stands.

We are delighted that fans of the GUINNESS PRO14 will be able to

continue to watch all 152 matches played live with our broadcast

partners and are looking forward to the introduction of Monday night

rugby into the GUINNESS PRO14 schedule.

Finally, we are so proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with a

competition that continues to grow so fearlessly. We savour the

memories and wait excitedly for the feats of the future to make

themselves known.

Hillary Quinn

Marketing Director | Diageo Ireland


7

Loved in Munster.

Followed the world over.

Always represented.

© 82020 adidas AG

WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE

NEWSROUND

FIVE MUNSTER PLAYERS

NOMINATED FOR AWARDS

Munster’s Andrew Conway, Shane Daly, Louise

Galvin, Billy Holland and Amee-Leigh Murphy

Crowe are all in the running for accolades at

the 2020 Irish Rugby Players awards.

The award winners will be announced on

Saturday, October 17.

Conway, John Cooney, James Lowe and

Garry Ringrose are amongst the nominees

for the much sought-after Players’ Player of

the Year Award. Conway enjoyed one of his

best campaigns for both club and country,

becoming established as a frontline player

for Ireland following the Rugby World Cup in

Japan.

NEW MUNSTER ALTERNATE

KIT AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

The new Munster Rugby 2020/21 Alternate

adidas kit is now available for pre-order

exclusively from LifeStyle Sports, the exclusive

retail partner to Munster Rugby.

Worn by the team in their win over Scarlets

last weekend, the grey jersey takes its

inspiration from the rocks of the Burren. The

jersey is also made from adidas Primeblue - a

high-performance recycled material made

in part with Parley Ocean Plastic—upcycled

plastic waste, intercepted on remote islands,

beaches, coastal communities and shorelines,

preventing it from polluting our ocean.

Products made with Primeblue use a minimum

of 40% recycled content.

Shane Daly is nominated for the Nevin Spence

Young Player of the Year Award along with

Caelan Doris and Ryan Baird.

The retiring Louise Galvin is joined on the

shortlist for Women’s 7s Player of the Year by

Kathy Baker and Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe,

who has won the award on three previous

occasions.

Player of the Year nominees Conway and

Cooney will also contest the Try of the Year

award. Conway’s pace at the Ospreys in the

Champions Cup and Cooney’s individual

brilliance at home to Clermont in the same

competition are joined by Robin Copeland’s

last-ditch effort against Gloucester.

The Zurich Contribution to Society Award

recognises those who have gone above

and beyond the call of duty to bring about

impactful change. Nominees this year include

Ultan Dillane, Billy Holland and Andrew Porter.

MUNSTER v EDINBURGH | 10.10.20 | THOMOND PARK 9

FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION ON

PRO14.RUGBY

YOUR GUINNESS

PRO14 HOME

LATEST NEWS, LIVE MATCH

CENTRES, STATS & MORE

VISIT NOW

WWW.PRO14.RUGBY


SHARP ALL SEASON

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11


MUNSTER v EDINBURGH

ROUND 2 PREVIEW

Replacement Ben Healy was the hero for

Munster last weekend as he came off the bench

to strike the winning penalty for Munster in a

30-27 triumph at Scarlets.

And while Johann van Graan will be pleased

by the spirit of his team, who trailed right up

until Healy’s decisive penalty, he will be hoping

for a less nerve-shredding display against

Edinburgh.

Following their defeat to Ospreys last time out,

Edinburgh are on a run of three consecutive

Guinness PRO14 defeats – a stat they will

want to put to bed when they visit Limerick on

Saturday.

Nigel Owens is the man in charge, in his 185 th

competitive game .

Munster have a formidable record at Thomond

Park, but Edinburgh were victorious when the

two sides last met in Cork last November, with

Richard Cockerill’s men prevailing 18-16.

CONFERENCE B TABLE

POS TEAM PL W D L BP PTS

1 Cardiff Blues 1 1 0 0 0 4

2 Connacht 1 1 0 0 0 4

3 Munster 1 1 0 0 0 4

4 Scarlets 1 0 0 1 1 1

5 Benetton 1 0 0 1 0 0

6 Edinburgh 1 0 0 1 0 0

HEAD TO HEAD 26 8 O

Munster wins

MATCH FACTS

Edinburgh wins

Draws

• Edinburgh Rugby have slipped to three

successive Guinness PRO14 defeats – with

Glasgow, Ospreys and Ulster all claiming

victories.

• The Scotsmen have won five of their last

eight away games in all tournaments.

• Edinburgh beat Munster 18-16 in Cork last

November and have only achieved backto-back

victories over the Irishmen once

before, in April 2004.

• Edinburgh have won just twice at

Thomond Park in October 2006 and

September 2014.

• Munster’s last three outings include a win

over Connacht, defeat to Leinster and

victory over Scarlets last weekend.


13


GETTING TO KNOW…

JACK

D.O.B: 13/01/2000

Height: 1.83 m

Weight: 88kg

Position: Fly Half

CROWLEY

Outhalf Jack Crowley is one of the new recruits

to join the Greencore Munster Rugby Academy

this year. The 20-year-old Innishannon man

won the U18 Munster and All Ireland titles

with Bandon RFC in 2018 and also lined out

for Bandon Grammar in the Munster Schools

Senior Cup. The outhalf starred for the Ireland

U20s in the 2020 6 Nations, scoring 36 points

in three games as Ireland cliched the Triple

Crown before the campaign was cut short

earlier this year. He also played a leading role

for Cork Constitution in the AIL in the 2019/20

season and lined out for Munster A in the

Celtic Cup. Most recently, he appeared in both

Munster A clashes with Connacht.

On his rugby pathway…

“I started playing when I was about 5 or 6 with

Bandon Rugby Club and played there until I

was about 18. I stuck with schools rugby with

Bandon Grammar for my final year and gave

that a crack. After that I was lucky enough

to play Munster U19s and then Ireland U19s

after the Senior Cup. I was lucky to go over

the France with them and joined the Munster

sub-Academy. Then I joined Cork Con, went

into the Ireland U20s and then I was fortunate

to get an Academy slot."

On winning the Triple Crown with

Ireland U20s…

“It was brilliant. I was very happy to get the

Triple Crown but I would have been a lot

happier and fulfilled if we had finished off the

campaign. It kind of feels like we were a good

team but we didn’t quite win anything as such.

It would have been lovely to get the Grand

Slam and play those final two games."

On training with the Senior team…

“It’s been good. I’m fortunate enough to be

in a squad training. At the same time you are

learning off the seniors but also competing

with them, making it as competitive an

environment as you can. It’s been brilliant – the

first taste of rugby in months, and I’m looking

forward to getting on with playing."

On competition for places…

“Training with the seniors has given the

opportunity to get back training but it is

competitive at the same time. That healthy

competitive atmosphere is what drives the

squad and creates depth. It would be unreal to

get a cap – whatever or whenever that might

be. I’m driving on with that competitiveness in

training and seeing where that takes me.”


15

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17

STEPHEN ARCHER

Prop

29.01.88

H: 1.88m

W: 120.91kg

Hons: Ire (2 caps)

Hooker

06.08.99

H:1.83m

W: 98kg

Hons: Ire U20

DIARMUID BARRON

TADHG BEIRNE

Lock / Back Row

08.01.92

H: 1.98 m

W: 113.18 kg

Hons: Ire (13 caps)

Flanker

15.02.91

H: 1.76 m

W: 98 kg

Hons: ~

CHRIS CLOETE

Back Row

11.12.1997

H: 1.98m

W: 110kg

Hons: Ire U20

GAVIN COOMBES

JAMES CRONIN

Prop

23.11.90

H: 1.80 m

W: 113 kg

Hons: Ire (3 caps)

Lock / Back Row

03.08.85

H: 1.91 m

W: 111 kg

Hons: Ire (1 cap)

BILLY HOLLAND

DAVE KILCOYNE

Prop

14.12.88

H: 1.83 m

W: 112 kg

Hons: Ire (39 caps)

JEAN KLEYN

Lock

26.08.93

H: 2.03 m

W: 125 kg

Hons: Ire (5 caps)

Prop

06.04.99

H: 1.85m

W: 115kg

Hons: ~

KEYNAN KNOX

Prop

22.07.95

H: 1.85 m

W: 120 kg

Hons: Ire U20

JEREMY LOUGHMAN

Hooker

12.10.92

H: 1.84 m

W: 108 kg

Hons: NZ U20

RHYS MARSHALL

Hooker

16.04.91

H: 1.80 m

W: 107 kg

Hons: Ire U19

KEVIN O’BYRNE

Prop

13.07.95

H: 1.78 m

W: 110 kg

Hons: Ire U20

LIAM O’CONNOR

TOMMY O’DONNELL

Back Row

21.05.87

H: 1.85 m

W: 107 kg

Hons: Ire (12 caps)

JACK O’DONOGHUE

Back Row

08.02.94

H: 1.91 m

W: 107 kg

Hons: Ire (2 caps)

PETER O’MAHONY

Back Row

17.09.89

H: 1.91 m

W: 106 kg

Hons: Ire (67 caps)

Back Row

01.10.98

H: 1.88m

W: 100kg

Hons: Ire U20

JACK O’SULLIVAN

JOHN RYAN

Prop

02.08.88

H: 1.83 m

W: 117 kg

Hons: Ire (21 caps)

Prop

28.10.97

H:1.83m

W: 123.18kg

Hons: USA U20

ROMAN SALANOA

NIALL SCANNELL

Hooker

08.04.92

H: 1.85 m

W: 109 kg

Hons: Ire (20 caps)

RG SNYMAN

Lock

29.01.95

H: 2.06 m

W: 116 kg

Hons: SA (23 caps)

CJ STANDER

Back Row

05.04.90

H: 1.85 m

W: 114 kg

Hons: Ire (41 caps)

Lock

11.12.97

H:1.93 m

W: 111.82 kg

Hons: Ire U20

FINEEN WYCHERLEY

FORWARDS

Munster Rugby Squad - 2020/21 Season


JOEY CARBERY

Fly Half

01.11.95

H: 1.83 m

W: 85kg

Hons: Ire (22 caps)

Scrum Half

19.04.99

H: 1.65 m

W: 75kg

Hons: Ire U20

CRAIG CASEY

ANDREW CONWAY

Full Back / Wing

11.07.91

H: 1.80 m

W: 89 kg

Hons: Ire (21 caps)

LIAM COOMBES

Full Back / Wing

01.05.97

H: 1.91m

W: 89 kg

Hons: Ire U20

Scrum Half

08.12.92

H: 1.73 m

W: 83 kg

Hons: Ire Clubs

NEIL CRONIN

Wing / Centre

19.12.96

H: 1.91 m

W: 91 kg

Hons: Ire U20

SHANE DALY

DAMIAN DE ALLENDE

Centre

25/11/1991

H: 1.91 m

W: 105 kg

Hons: SA (47 caps)

KEITH EARLS

Universal Back

02.10.87

H: 1.78 m

W: 90 kg

Hons: Ire (84 caps)

CHRIS FARRELL

Centre

16.03.93

H: 1.93 m

W: 110 kg

Hons: Ire (9 caps)

Full Back

26.10.96

H:1.85m

W: 95 kg

Hons: Eng U20

MATT GALLAGHER

Centre

10.12.94

H: 1.85 m

W: 100 kg

Hons: Ire U20

DAN GOGGIN

Full Back

28.06.94

H: 1.91 m

W: 93 kg

Hons: Ire (1 cap)

MIKE HALEY

RORY SCANNELL

CALVIN NASH

CONOR MURRAY

ALEX MCHENRY

NICK MCCARTHY

JJ HANRAHAN

Fly Half / Centre

27.07.92

H: 1.83 m

W: 93 kg

Hons: Emerging Ireland

Scrum Half

25.03.95

H: 1.8m

W: 84 kg

Hons: Ire U20

Centre

07.10.97

H: 1.88m

W: 95kg

Hons: Ire U20

Scrum Half

20.04.89

H: 1.88 m

W: 94 kg

Hons: Ire (81 caps)

Wing

08.08.97

H: 1.78 m

W: 90 kg

Hons: Ire U20

Centre

22.12.93

H: 1.80 m

W: 98 kg

Hons: Ire (3 caps)

Wing

05.05.93

H: 1.85 m

W: 95 kg

Hons: Ire (3 caps)

DARREN SWEETNAM

BACKS

Munster Rugby Squad - 2020/21 Season


19

MUNSTER RUGBY

STARTING XV

Mike Haley Andrew Conway Alex McHenry Rory Scannell Matt Gallagher

Ben Healy

Craig Casey

CJ Stander (C)

Tommy

O’Donnell

Jack

O'Donoghue

Tadhg Beirne

Fineen

Wycherley

John Ryan

Rhys Marshall

Jeremy

Loughman

#MUNvEDI

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Replacements

16. Kevin O’Byrne 17. James Cronin 18. Roman Salanoa 19. Gavin Coombes

20. John Hodnett 21. Conor Murray 22. Jack Crowley 23. Dan Goggin


EDINBURGH RUGBY

STARTING XV

Damien

Hoyland

Darcy Graham

Mark Bennett

George Taylor

Duhan

van der Merwe

Jaco

van der Walt

Nic Groom

Nick Haining

Hamish Watson

Jamie Ritchie

Grant Gilchrist

Co-Captain

Ben Toolis

WP Nel

Stuart McInally

Co-Captain

Rory

Sutherland

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)

AR1: Sean Gallagher (IRFU)

AR2: George Clancy (IRFU)

TMO: Joy Neville (IRFU)

Replacements

16. Mike Willemse 17. Pierre Schoeman 18. Simon Berghan 19. Andrew Davidson

20. Mesulame Kunavula 21. Dan Nutton 22. Nathan Chamberlain 23. James Johnstone


21

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The Ireland Coaching Team have named a

35-player squad to complete the final two

rounds of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations

Championships.

Eight Munster players, including the uncapped

Shane Daly, are named in the 35-man squad

with Craig Casey and Fineen Wycherley also

set to train with the squad.

23-year-old Daly has been selected after an

impressive first season in the senior squad

that saw him feature on the wing and full-back,

scoring four tries in 14 appearances.

as they prepare for games against Italy at the

Aviva Stadium on Saturday 24 October and

France in Paris the following Saturday (31

October).

Ireland currently sit fourth on the Six Nations

table one point behind Scotland and 4 points

behind England and France who have all

played an extra game. Back in February Ireland

recorded wins over Scotland (19-12) and Wales

(24-12) before losing to England (12-24) at

Twickenham.

Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Conor Murray,

Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony, John Ryan

and CJ Stander will all link up with the squad


25

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STAND UP

AND FIGHT


27

The newly-formed Kerry RFC

women's team.

RUGBY DEVELOPMENT NEWS

WIN FOR KERRY RFC WOMEN’S TEAM

Last weekend, the Women’s Munster Senior

Conferences kicked off with wins for UL

Bohemians and newcomers Kerry in

Conference 1,

Kerry defeated Ballincollig 24-5 in Abbeyfeale,

with Méabh McElligott scoring two tries and

Laoise O’Driscoll added a try and three penalties

for the home side. Christine O’Sullivan scored a

first half try for Ballincollig.

KERRY WOMEN’S RUGBY

In the other Conference 1 game, UL. Bohemians

proved too strong for a Shannon-LIT

combination running out 57-0 winners. Aoife

Corey scored three tries for the winners, Laura

O’Mahony two and Niamh Kavanagh, Ciara

O’Halloran, Louise Galvin, and Sarah O’Gorman

got one each. Niamh Kavanagh kicked six

conversions.

In Conference 2, both the Ennis v Kilrush and

Thurles v Skibbereen games were cancelled,

with all teams awarded two points.

Credit: Kerry Sports Hub


During a hugely successful

nine-week period, over 50

clubs engaged with the rugby

development department as part

of the #MunsterRestartsHere

programme. The programme

included Munster development

department staff hosting training

sessions with the clubs’ boys

and girls age-grade teams and

mini sections. The most recent

sessions took place at Abbeyfeale

RFC, Bantry Bay RFC, Fethard RFC,

Newcastle West RFC, Kilrush RFC,

Kinsale RFC, Muskerry RFC, St.

Mary’s RFC, Thomond RFC and

Tralee RFC.

Brenda O'Connor with Fethard RFC's U12s

Euan Gee with

Tralee RFC minis

SEPTEMBER COACHING

WEBINARS COME TO

A CLOSE

On Wednesday last, the Rugby

Development Department held a

‘Mini Rugby Regulations’ webinar,

completing the September series

of online knowledge sharing. This

week’s webinar focused on the

IRFU mini rugby regulations to

develop clarity and understanding

amongst the coaching community.

A Mini Rugby coaching webinar

was held on September 17 last

while on September 23, the

Munster Rugby Development

Department hosted a ‘Coaching

the Cornerstones’ webinar. The

webinar series has proven hugely

popular with almost 600 coaches

registered for the previous two

webinars.

MUNSTER v EDINBURGH | 10.10.20 | THOMOND PARK 29

GREENCORE MUNSTER

RUGBY ACADEMY UPDATE

Ben Healy kicking the match-winning penalty

in Parc y Scarlets last Saturday

The Greencore Munster Rugby Academy

players have been making an impact in recent

weeks, both in the two Munster A games

against Connacht and in Munster’s first

Guinness PRO14 outing of the season with 3rd

Year Academy player Ben Healy kicking the

winning penalty and lining out for Munster this

weekend in the No. 10 jersey.

Thirteen Academy players were involved in the

first game against Connacht, with Ben Healy

scoring a try and kicking two conversions and

a penalty. His Academy team mates, Diarmuid

Barron and newcomer Scott Buckley were also

try scorers.

Buckley joined the Academy ahead of this

season along with Alex Kendellen and Jack

Crowley. Speaking after the first game game,

Elite Player Development Manager and

Munster A Head Coach Peter Malone was very

positive about their contribution:

“Alex has come straight out of school and he

was very comfortable playing at No. 8, Scott

[Buckley] had a good 25 minutes and Jack

Crowley covered 10 and 12 for us so good

experience for him as well. We were very

happy with all of them.”

In the second game, Ben Healy, Josh

Wycherley, Thomas Ahern, Jack Daly, Jack

Crowley and Jake Flannery were all involved,

with Healy converting three tries.

Malone also spoke about how the Academy

has been closely aligning their activity with the

senior squad

“The alignment we have had over the last

six months [during the lockdown period and

pre-season] has been excellent. Even though

we were doing our pre-season in Thomond

Park, we kept in touch with everything through

Microsoft Teams meetings with the senior

coaches.

“The Academy players and staff have

integrated back into training at the HPC and the

plan is to stay as one bubble here in the HPC

with the senior team and then review it every

few months.”

Two of the Academy players are out of action

currently with lock Eoin O’Connor undergoing

a significant operation on his knee in August

which rules him out for the season. James

French (prop) has also had a minor operation

on his neck but is expected to be back in the

frame in December.


31


THE LOWDOWN

Richard Cockerill

his side to 15 PRO14 regular season wins

in his debut season, finishing in third place

in Conference B, and reaching the PRO14

knockouts for the first time in May 2018. In

the 2018/19 season Edinburgh reached the

Champions Cup quarter-finals. Cockerill was

rewarded for an outstanding 2019/20 season

by winning the Guinness PRO14 Coach of the

Season accolade.

The Form Guide

Last season’s Conference B toppers were one

of the standout outfits of the 2019/20 season,

winning 11 of their 15 games and bagging a

semi-final berth against Ulster. However, the

Ulstermen halted Edinburgh’s bid for their

first ever title with a 19-22 win in the Scottish

capital in September.

In the first round of the new season last

weekend, it was visitors Ospreys who claimed

the win in Murrayfield, winning 25-10 and

scoring three tries in the process.

Richard Cockerill’s men will be hoping to turn

things around this Saturday in Limerick, no

doubt drawing inspiration for their excellent

16-18 win over Munster in Cork in November

last year, ending a two year unbeaten run for

Munster at the venue and giving Edinburgh

their first win in Cork in 15 years.

The Coaching Ticket

Former Leicester Tigers and England hooker

Richard Cockerill was appointed Head Coach

of Edinburgh ahead of the 2017/18 season,

making the move from Toulon and steering

ONE TO WATCH

One to Watch

DARCY GRAHAM

23-year-old winger Darcy Graham caught the

eye last weekend by beating 8 defenders,

making 96 metres and two clean breaks. A

nephew of former Scotland international Scott

Macleod, the former Scotland U20 has made

33 appearances for Edinburgh, scoring 16 tries.

He has also played 10 times for Scotland since

his debut against Wales in November 2018 and

has scored 5 tries.


33

READY

TO Rise

Again

A thousand voices.

A thousand places.

One club.

© 2020 adidas AG


LEVEL 3 RESTRICTIONS - IRFU GUIDELINES

In light of the Level 3 restrictions announced

earlier this week, the IRFU Rugby Committee

voted unanimously to reduce the number of

matches permitted in all four provinces.

The decision has been made based on the

latest medical and public health advice.

The following are the only domestic rugby

matches permitted in all four provinces.

• Men’s Community Series – All

Conferences.

• Women’s Community Series – Connacht

Conference 1, Leinster Conference,

Munster Conference 1, Ulster Conference

per government guidelines.

The committee wish to clarify that the

following matches are also no longer

permitted in Level 3.

• Adult Provincial Qualifying League

Matches

• U20 Premier matches

• Conference 2 matches in the Energia

Women’s Community Series

These measures will remain in place for all

competitions until October 27th, after which an

update will be provided.

No other adult or underage fixtures including

competitive or friendly matches are permitted.

Rugby training at all levels of the game may

continue with protective measures in place, as

Munster Rugby would again like to thank

clubs for all of their hard work in keeping the

community safe and for taking all necessary

measures to ensure compliancy with public

health measures.


35

5,000 FREE Memberships for

Junior Munster Rugby Supporters Club

Open Now - Don’t Miss Out!

Proud Sponsors of Junior Munster Rugby Supporters Club

www.inverenergy.ie


MRSC NEWS

JUNIOR CLUB MEMBERSHIP OPEN

We are delighted to announce that registration for the Junior MRSC is once again FREE with

thanks to our fantastic sponsors Inver and we’ve got some great events and competitions planned

for the coming year. You can register for the Junior Club here and places are filling up fast!

Junior Club members will avail of the following benefits

• A membership pack delivered for Christmas which includes a personalised membership card

• Exclusive Junior Club videos throughout the year

• Lots of exclusive competitions with great prizes throughout the year

• Loads of chances to engage with our great club

• Tips and drills throughout the year to stay fit and healthy

You need to have registered by October 26th to receive your FREE Christmas pack! You can still

register after this date, but you will not receive a pack. Thanks for your support!

BE THERE!

Munster Rugby are offering supporters

the chance to have a cardboard cut-out of

themselves in Thomond Park for the opening

games of the Guinness PRO14 season. The

cut-outs will remain in place while the stadium

capacity is limited.

MRSC members can also choose to have the

MRSC logo on their image – a badge of honour

for those who are always behind the team.

In such an uncertain time for the club, this is a

great way for supporters to be there, be part

of match day, and to show their support for the

team.

Supporters can buy a single cardboard cut-out

for €19.95 or three for €49.95.


37


Ready for

Munster

Munster businesses need the best

support they can get right now.

We have in-store experts like

Steven in our Cork store, who

knows everything from Gigabit

Broadband to tailored business

plans, to help get your business

ready for the future.

Contact your local

Business Advisor today.


39


Munster Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby Match Programme

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