Guinness PRO14 Round 3 |We take a look back at the weekend's action from Ireland with both the men and women's teams recording wins against Italy in Dublin. Read about young Academy hooker Scott Buckley, and today's opposition Cardiff Blues. Keep up to date with everything that's going on around the province and catch up on Munster's recent 7s Interprovincial involvement.
v CARDIFF BLUES | MON 26 TH OCT 2020 | THOMOND PARK | 8.15PM
MUNSTER v CARDIFF BLUES | 26.10.20 | THOMOND PARK
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READY
TO Rise
Again
A thousand voices.
A thousand places.
One club.
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
and great credit is due to all involved. Hopefully,
all of this hard work and effort will stand to us in
the weeks and months ahead.
On the good news front, at a Branch meeting
last week it was announced that the Munster
Schools Senior Cup is to be renamed in honour
of our former CEO Garrett Fitzgerald. This was
welcomed by all involved and a fitting tribute
to a man who gave so much to Munster. To his
wife Áine and all the family I hope it shows that
while sadly Garrett is no longer with us, he is far
from being forgotten.
On behalf of everyone in Munster I would like
to welcome Cardiff Blues head coach John
Mulvihill and his team to Thomomd Park for
tonight’s Round 3 game in the Guinness PRO14.
Tonight’s game sees yet another first in this
extraordinary year – it is the first ever Monday
night PRO14 game and what a game it promises
to be. Both Munster and Cardiff have won their
first two games with Cardiff getting maximum
points last weekend and sitting on 9 points, just
one point clear of Munster heading into this
round.
Tonight’s winner will top Conference B and
though it is early days both teams will no doubt
want that top spot.
Again tonight night we will be shouting on
Johann and his team from our living rooms. We
might not be in Thomond Park, but I am certain
all the Munster family will be there in spirit.
Our thanks once again to our main sponsor
Bank of Ireland, our kit supplier adidas and all
of our sponsors for their continued support.
Every day is a day closer to when we will meet
again. Stay positive, stay strong and stay safe.
To the brave and faithful nothing is impossible.
Sean McCullough
President Munster Branch IRFU
On the domestic front, unfortunately all games
are suspended with limited training taking
place in accordance with the guidelines. The
amount of work going on behind the scenes
is incredible, every day brings new challenges
© 2020 adidas AG
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
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EVERY FIXTURE
EVERY TRY
EVERY TACKLE
WHY IT
MATTERS
KELLY BROWN | GLASGOW WARRIORS
“I had a script I’d written; I’d planned it all out, I stood
in front of 100 or so kids, and I completely froze. I just
couldn’t say a word. The sound of silence was defeaning.”
ALL IN
ONE APP
I’ve become a patron of Stamma, the
British Stammering Association. I’ve been
asked for the last couple of years if I’d
become a patron, and I feel it’s important
to raise awareness around the issue. It’s
something I’ve managed my whole life
and it’s something that I feel like needs
to be talked about more. A lot of people
don’t really understand stammering
and perceive it as nerves or a weakness
– I want to raise awareness and make it
easier for stammerers in the future.
My first memory of stammering was a
school assembly when I was about 11 or
so. I’d been on a school ski trip the week
before, and I was asked if I would stand
up in assembly and speak about it. I had
a script I’d written; I’d planned it all out,
I stood up in front of 100 or so kids, and
I completely froze. I just couldn’t say a
word. The sound of silence was deafening.
My dad also stammers, so neither of us
were very sure about the best course
of action – I had a bit of therapy off and
on, but it never really bothered me to be
honest. I was fortunate enough that I was
never bullied because of my stammer,
probably because I was quite a big lad!
A big turning point for me, though, was
the 2010 Six Nations. I’d been picked to
start for Scotland in the first game against
France, and the BBC had asked to do
an interview with me. I did it, and it was
absolutely dreadful. It was so bad I went to
the Scotland media manager and asked to
make sure the interview never got shown.
That was a real catalyst for me.
Part of the reason I enrolled in 2010 was
that I didn’t want my stammer to hold
me back. I felt like I could be a captain,
and I could do x,y and z, so that’s why
I decided to do something about it.
I worked incredibly hard on it, and I
continue to do so. I work on my speech
every day and challenge myself, because
I know that when I do that I’m in control
of my stammer instead of my stammer
controlling me.
The rugby family has been brilliant.
Stammering has never been an issue for
me throughout my life in rugby, apart from
one time. I was waiting to call the coin
toss with Nigel Owens when I captained
Scotland against France in 2013, and
[France captain] Thierry Dusautoir flipped
the coin. I started trying to say ‘heads’ but
had a block, and the coin bounced – I think
it’s the only time in Six Nations history
they’ve had to do the coin toss twice! I
said the same the second time, and guess
what? It was tails…
It felt like the right time to become a
patron for Stamma. I felt like I owe it to
myself and to everyone that has ever
helped me and been supportive of me to
speak out about it, because it’s something
I’m hugely passionate about. Whilst I’ve
been fortunate enough to never have been
bullied because of my stammer, there are a
lot of people who do. A lot of stammerers
hide away because of the adverse reaction
they receive from other people. It’s
twofold, really – it’s about trying to raise
awareness so other people understand
what’s going on, as well as encouraging
those who have a stammer to accept and
embrace that as a part of themselves.
You should never let it hold you back,
because only you are responsible for your
own destiny.
- Kelly Brown
I enrolled in the McGuire Programme,
and that was massive. Their big thing is
assertive self-acceptance, which is a key
message to get across. Stammering is a
part of who you are, so to accept that is
huge. Acceptance, and understanding of
others is also important – you shouldn’t
think less of others because they stammer,
or look down at them. Learning to accept
both yourself and those around you is key.
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MUNSTER v CARDIFF BLUES
ROUND 3 PREVIEW
Munster and Cardiff Blues meet tonight for the
very first Monday Night Rugby game of the
championship.
Munster will be keen to build on wins over
Scarlets and Edinburgh, with the boot of Ben
Healy instrumental in helping Munster to claim
two from two in the opening rounds.
while visitors Cardiff Blues haven’t won away to
an Irish province since September 2017.
But Blues impressively saw off Connacht last
time out after beating Zebre in Round 1 and will
be desperate to seal their first win at Thomond
Park in all tournaments, having lost on all eight
previous visits.
Munster have only lost twice in their last eight
Guinness PRO14 encounters - both to Leinster -
CONFERENCE B TABLE
The Referee tonight is Andrea Piardi from Italy,
with Frank Murphy and Eoghan Cross on the
touchlines.
POS TEAM PL W D L BP PTS
1 Cardiff Blues 2 2 0 0 1 9
2 Connacht 3 2 0 1 1 9
3 Munster 2 2 0 0 0 8
4 Scarlets 3 1 0 2 1 5
5 Edinburgh 3 0 0 3 2 2
6 Benetton 3 0 0 3 1 1
HEAD TO HEAD 20 13 0
Munster wins
Cardiff Blues wins
Draws
MATCH FACTS
• There have been 23 previous Monday
fixtures in the history of the Guinness
PRO14 but all were played over the
Christmas and New Year period.
• Munster’s solitary defeat at Thomond Park
since St. Stephen's Day 2017 was against
Leinster in December 2019.
• Cardiff Blues have won their last three
Guinness PRO14 matches since their 12-32
defeat to Scarlets in Llanelli on 22 August.
• The Blues most recent victory on a visit
to an Irish province was when they beat
Connacht 17-15 in Galway in September
2017.
• Munster have won their last two matches
against the Blues since the Welshmen’s 37-
13 victory at the Arms Park in September
2018.
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NEWSROUND
RECOVER LIKE A PRO
Louise Galvin
Conway on his way to scoring against
Ospreys last season
CONWAY, GALVIN & HOLLAND
HONOURED AT AWARDS
PRESS-UPS FOR EPILEPSY IRELAND
Good Luck from all of us at
Medicare & Physiologix
Available in Leading Pharmacies Nationwide
PROUDLY SUPPORTING MUNSTER RUGBY
Medicare First Aid and Physiologix Sports Supports are the official
medical supplies and sport support partner to Munster Rugby
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Munster’s Andrew Conway was awarded
the Try of the Year at the Irish Rugby Players
awards last week for his outstanding
effort away to the Ospreys in the Heineken
Champions Cup last season. The winning try
was started off by a superb Jeremy Loughman
pass to release Chris Farrell who popped it for
Conway to scorch clear.
Retiring Irish 7s player Louise Galvin from
Kerry claimed the Irish Women’s 7s Player of
the Year. The former inter-county player and
basketball international won 30 7s caps over
the last five years, played in 96 World Series
games, scored 22 tries, and has played in both
the Women’s 7s and 15s World Cups.
The Zurich Contribution to Irish Society award,
was presented to Billy Holland in recognition
of his fundraising efforts in support of Crumlin
Children’s Hospital, Cork University Hospital
and Ronald McDonald House, in memory of
his late daughter Emmeline.
Last week the Munster squad completed 2837
press-ups in the High Performance Centre
Rhys Marshall
in Limerick to help UL Bohemian RFC reach
their target of 40,000 press-ups in support of
Epilepsy Ireland.
#MunsterInTheCommunity
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INSIDE TRACK
Fineen Wycherley returned from Irish camp
early last week to re-join the Munster squad
as they prepared for tonight’s game…
On training with the Irish team…
“I really enjoyed it. It was a great couple
of days. I learned a lot. I went up on the
Wednesday night and I trained with them
Thursday, Friday and Saturday before heading
home Saturday evening. Andy Farrell is a
really great coach. I learned a lot from him
just chatting to him over the few days. It’s
great to hear another coach’s voice too, it’s
something different. Obviously working with
different people you learn different things. He
is very involved, and he doesn’t step back as
a head coach. He is involved in every meeting
– forward and backs, attack and defence. He
always has a few points to make which is
great. I really got a feel for what it was like up
there. You can see why everyone works so
hard during the year to get to that place. So
I’ve come back and for the next few weeks I
want to try to put in some performances as a
team and individually to get back into that Irish
squad, of course.”
On playing Cardiff Blues tonight…
“They are an excellent side. They are much
improved from last year. They were top
of the conference going into this round.
Defensively they are exceptional. They’ve only
conceded one try this season so far. So I think
breakdown wise we are going to be tested
there, which is great. They have a nice balance
between the forwards and the backs. To be
honest, they have a very rounded game so we
will be looking at a very tough match at the
weekend.”
On playing in Thomond Park without the
supporters…
“It’s obviously hugely disappointing and we
understand how privileged we are here to
be able to work away and play the games
during lockdown. All we can do is try to put
on a performance for those fans at home who
cannot be there in Thomond Park with us. We
have to make do with the cardboard cut outs
for now but we are hoping to see them back
in Thomond Park with us in the near future, as
long as it’s all safe.”
On this international window being so
important for younger players to make an
impression…
“Every opportunity you get to be on the bench
or be involved on the team or be in the starting
squad, you have to put in a performance for
yourself and for the team, and put the team
forward. From a personal point of view, I just
want to come back and do my best for the
team and get a win on Monday night.”
On his role in the squad…
“I’ve moved around over the last couple of
years. I broke through in the team playing at
6, I am starting to learn line out calling a lot
more at training and be the second line out
caller behind Billy and Tadhg. If one of them
goes down I am next in line. My role in the
team varies between 4, 5 and 6 but I haven’t
played 6 in awhile. At the moment I’ve mainly
been playing at 4, in that tighthead lock
position and that’s where I’m needed for the
team. Versatility is never a bad thing. If I can
slot in at 6 I don’t think it’s a negative, it’s a
bonus. Every chance I get to play on the team,
whether it’s at 4, 5 or 6, I really don’t mind, it is
just another string to the bow.”
"All we can do is try to put on
a performance for those fans at
home who cannot be there in
Thomond Park with us".
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GETTING TO KNOW…
SCOTT
BUCKLEY
Hooker Scott Buckley joined the Greencore
Munster Rugby Academy in the summer of
2020 having completed a year in the sub-
Academy.
throughout the summer of 2019 with the sub-
Academy and then I was unfortunate to get a
bad in jury in the Celtic Cup – a bad hamstring
injury that put me out for the rest of last year.”
D.O.B: 13/06/2000
Height: 180cm
Weight: 104kg
Position: Hooker
A product of Kinsale RFC and CBC, Scott
captained CBC to the Clayton Hotels
Munster Schools Senior Cup in 2019 and has
represented Ireland at U18 and U19 level.
He enjoyed a strong campaign with Munster
A in the Celtic Cup in 2019/20 making six
appearances and captaining the side away to
Dragons in August 2019.
A hamstring injury limited Buckley’s
involvement for the remainder of the campaign
but he was a try-scorer for Munster A on his
return to action in last month’s 22-19 victory
over Connacht A in Galway.
On his rugby pathway…
“I started playing rugby in Kinsale RFC when
I was 5 or 6. I played there until I was about
13/14 and then I moved to Christian Brothers
College. I was lucky enough to win the Senior
Cup there in 6th Year.”
On spending last season in the sub-
Academy…
“I got to play in the Celtic Cup and that was
a brilliant experience for me. I trained all
On recovering from long-term injury…
“I had a great team behind me and they really
helped me - Lorcan Kavanagh (physio) and
Danielle Cunningham (S&C). The coaches
would bring me in for any rugby meetings and
try to do skills here and there where I could. It
was really good. I also benefited from hearing
the experiences of other guys who had been
through injuries and who I was rehabbing with
– it was a really good experience even to get to
know guys as well.”
On pre-season training…
“It was great to get back into it. Obviously, I
had been away from rugby for quite a while
so starting back in Thomond was really good.
There was only 8 of us training so it was a lot
of skills work and ball work which was great
– it was what I needed to get back into it. I felt
it was really beneficial. I’m just really looking
forward to getting into games. We are at the
HPC now and integrating with the senior squad
which has been brilliant. I’m really looking
forward to learning from a lot of the senior
guys. I want to just soak up as much as I can
from them and push on then.”
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IRFU GUIDELINES FOR
CLUBS & SCHOOLS
The IRFU wish to advise clubs and schools of
rugby activity permitted as per Level 5 of the
Government of Ireland Plan For Living With
COVID-19.
These guidelines have been in effect since
midnight Wednesday October 21st last and
will be in place until midnight Tuesday
December 1st.
For your business or home energy needs
Call us on 0818 363 749
Visit www.pinergy.ie
Official Energy Partner of Munster Rugby
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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 (14 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)
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 (22 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
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
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
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 (68 caps)
Back Row
01.10.98
H: 1.88m
W: 100kg
Hons: Ire U20
JACK O’SULLIVAN
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
NICK MCCARTHY
Centre
07.10.97
H: 1.88m
W: 95kg
Hons: Ire U20
ALEX MCHENRY
CONOR MURRAY
Scrum Half
20.04.89
H: 1.88 m
W: 94 kg
Hons: Ire (82 caps)
Wing
08.08.97
H: 1.78 m
W: 90 kg
Hons: Ire U20
CALVIN NASH
RORY SCANNELL
Centre
22.12.93
H: 1.80 m
W: 98 kg
Hons: Ire (3 caps)
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 (42 caps)
Lock
11.12.97
H:1.93 m
W: 111.82 kg
Hons: Ire U20
FINEEN WYCHERLEY
Wing
05.05.93
H: 1.85 m
W: 95 kg
Hons: Ire (3 caps)
DARREN SWEETNAM
FORWARDS
Munster Rugby Squad - 2020/21 Season
BACKS
Munster Rugby Squad - 2020/21 Season
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MUNSTER RUGBY
STARTING XV
CARDIFF BLUES
STARTING XV
James Cronin Kevin O’Byrne Stephen Archer
Fineen
Billy Holland (C)
Wycherley
Corey
Domachowski
Kristian Dacey
Dmitri Arhip
Ben Murphy
Rory Thornton
Jack
O'Donoghue
John Hodnett
Gavin Coombes
Craig Casey
Ben Healy
James Ratti
James Botham
Olly Robinson
Lloyd
Williams (C)
Jarrod Evans
Darren
Sweetnam
Rory Scannell
Dan Goggin
Calvin Nash
Mike Haley
Hallam Amos
Willis Halaholo
Rey Lee-Lo
Aled
Summerhill
Matthew
Morgan
#MUNvCBL
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
AR1: Frank Murphy (IRFU)
AR2: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)
Replacements
16. Rhys Marshall 17. Josh Wycherley 18. Roman Salanoa 19. Jean Kleyn
20. Chris Cloete 21. Nick McCarthy 22. JJ Hanrahan 23. Damian de Allende
Replacements
16. Ethan Lewis 17. Brad Thyer 18. Scott Andrews 19. Sam Moore
20. Alun Lawrence 21. Lewis Jones 22. Jason Tovey 23. Garyn Smith
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Followed the world over.
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© 2020 adidas AG
THE LOWDOWN
and Rhys Carré from Saracens, both of whom
were recently announced as part of the Wales’
squad for the upcoming tests.
John Mulvihill
The Form Guide
The Coaching Ticket
Australian John Mulvihill joined the side
ahead of the 2018/19 season from Honda
Heat in Japan. Beginning his coaching career
at Navan RFC, the former Queensland and
Australian U21 went onto coach at Western
Force, working with Matt Giteau, David Pocock
and Drew Mitchell amongst others. His backs
coach is former international scrum-half Richie
Rees, with former Wales Sevens assistant
coach Richard Hodges the defence coach.
Former elite performance manager at Ospreys,
Tom Smith, is the forwards coach.
Cardiff Blues have enjoyed a very positive
start to their season, winning 16-6 on the road
to Zebre in their opening round and having
a convincing 29-7 victory over Connacht at
Rodney Parade in Round 2.
Josh Adams scored Cardiff’s only try in Parma,
with Jarrod Evans contributing a conversion
and two penalties to their tally and Jason
Tovey kicking the final score of the game.
Hallam Amos picked up a brace of tries with
Kristian Dacey crossing for a late effort against
Connacht in Round 2. Again, Evans was on
target with a conversion and a penalty with
Tovey converting Dacey’s try.
It been a bright start for the Welshmen, who
finished a disappointing 6th in the conference
last season with just 7 wins from 15 games.
Scintillating centre Ray Lee-Lo was last month
selected as part of the 2019/20 Guinness
PRO14 Dream Team and has played in the two
opening rounds.
Additions to the squad ahead of the new
season include Cory Hill from the Dragons
ONE TO WATCH
Shane Lewis-Hughes
One to Watch
Shane Lewis-Hughes topped the stats coming
into this round for the most tackles made in
the tournament so far with 43, closely followed
by his team-mate James Botham with 37.
Filling the No. 6 jersey for both of their opening
games, 23-year-old Lewis-Hughes can also
play second row. The former Welsh U20 has
made 36 appearances for Cardiff Blues.
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C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
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RUGBY DEVELOPMENT
NEWS
Photo: Irish Rugby
Referee Joy Neville in action
IRFU COUNCIL PUBLISH
RESOURCE BOOKLET
#MunsterStartsHere
Since their formation in 2017, the IRFU Youth
Council have focused on dropout and retention
in youth rugby with a view to identifying reasons
and finding solutions to address the issue.
CCRO INDUCTION DAY
Munster Rugby recently held induction days for
this season’s Club & Community Rugby Officers
(CCROs).
NEW REFEREE COURSE
A series of peer-to-peer consultations were
conducted with young people in rugby
across the four provinces, culminating in the
publication of the Club Resource Booklet.
In her foreword to the booklet, Meadhbh Lewis,
Chairperson IRFU Youth Council said:
Sixteen CCROs will be working with clubs and
schools across the province over the next eight
months, adhering to government guidelines,
and introducing rugby into the school through
PE classes and helping to link the schools with
their local clubs.
The search for new referees is underway across the
province and the next course for new members of
the Munster Association of Referees has been set for
Saturday, October 31.
The course will be held online and you can register by
emailing chris.harrington@irfu.ie.
Rugby referees have the best seat in the house, and
if keeping fit (referees run six miles in an 80 minute
match), travelling, taking part in a lively social scene
or getting an adrenaline rush is your idea of a great
pastime, rugby refereeing could be for you.
As well as the obvious benefits, a referee’s constant
study of the game enriches the enjoyment of this
lifetime sport.
If you’re interested in taking the next steps and want
to join the referee pathway, please register your
interest with Munster Referee Development Manager
Chris Harrington.
New Referees Course
Date | Saturday 31 October
Register | Email: chris.harrington@irfu.ie
“We want this booklet to show clubs how
important it is to reach out to their young
members and connect with them. Our longterm
focus is to train club CWO’s to deliver
these consultations with their players to allow
for a constant improvement of the experience
delivered to players. Clubs who do so, will
empower our sport to evolve with the changing
needs of our society and our young people.
“The Youth Council have been trained based
on guidelines from the Department of Children
and Youth Affairs and are always contactable
for clubs who would like more guidance
on consulting with their youth players –
youthcouncil@irfu.ie.”
Due to the numbers involved, two induction
days were held - at Thomond Park and Irish
Independent Park - to adhere to Government
guidelines.
Munster Rugby Participation Programme Coordinator
Ray Gadsden said: “Their role is
to go into national and secondary schools
and introduce rugby as part of their Physical
Education timetable.
“They introduce a lot of running, moving and
passing games. They touch on physical literacy.
Their main role is to give them a positive
experience and a love of the game.
“The role is vitally important – they are the first
link between the schools and the clubs.”
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STAND UP
AND FIGHT
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.
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Andrew Conway and Paolo Garbisi
Ireland's Enya Breen
is tackled by Michela
Sillari of Italy
21
-
7
SEVEN TRIES FOR IRELAND
Ireland’s hopes of winning the 2020 6 Nations
championship were kept alive after a 50-
17 bonus point win over Italy on Saturday
in Dublin, scoring 7 tries in a convincing
performance.
Munster were represented by Tadhg Beirne, CJ
Stander, Conor Murray, Andrew Conway and
Peter O’Mahony, who all played their part, with
key roles to play at crucial times in the game.
CJ Stander scored Ireland’s first try after 8
mins and also topped the stats with 21 carries
and 6 defenders beaten over the course of the
game.
Conor Murray set up Hugo Keenan’s 35th
minute try with a superb kick ahead to out the
ball in Keenan’s path and also offloaded to
Sexton for his 64th minute effort.
Tadhg Beirne made the most tackles with 17
in a determined defensive effort, with Andrew
Conway a constant sniping threat on the wing.
Peter O’Mahony came off the bench at 66
mins and three mins later set up Aki’s try with
a sumptuous pass to the centre who scored
Ireland’s sixth try.
Ireland’s tries came from Stander, Keenan (2),
Will Connors, Sexton, Bundee Aki and Dave
Heffernan. Captain Sexton scored 18 points,
with a try, five conversions and a penalty.
Next weekend, Ireland travel to Paris to play
France in their final game of the championship.
STRONG PERFORMANCE
FROM IRELAND WOMEN
Ireland proved too strong for visitors Italy
in Dublin on Saturday night, running out
21-7 winners in Round 4 of the Women’s Six
Nations Championship.
There were four Munster players in action,
with Laura Sheehan, Enya Breen and captain
Ciara Griffin, all from UL Bohemian RFC,
alongside Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College)
who won her first start having come off the
bench in all three of the competitions earlier
rounds.
Ireland led 14-7 at half time thanks to first half
tries from Lindsey Peat and Claire Molloy,
24/10/2020
Energia Park - Dublin
which Hannah Tyrell converted. A penalty try
pushed Ireland further ahead with ten minutes
to go.
Next weekend, the France Women’s team are
to travel to Dublin to complete the final fixture
of the 2020 Women’s Six Nations, after it
emerged that isolation requirements for elite
athletes returning to Ireland had put the game
in doubt. In an act of rugby solidarity, France
have given up home advantage to ensure the
game is played.
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GET INVOLVED
FOLLOW
ALL THE
ACTION
@PRO14Official
@PRO14Official
@PRO14Official
@PRO14Rugby
@PRO14Rugby
@PRO14Rugby
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CRAIG CASEY
Date of Birth: 19/04/1999
Height: 1.65m
Weight: 76kg
Position: Scrum Half
9
It’s been a big couple of weeks for Limerick scrum-half Craig Casey, who picked up the Guinness
PRO14 Player of the Match award in his last outing in Thomond Park against Edinburgh, and was
called up to train with the Irish squad for the first time along with Fineen Wycherley.
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Moving Ahead
tra
Quality Fuel Technology
SEASON 2020/21
FIXTURES & RESULTS
Date Fixture Where to watch
Sat 3 Oct Scarlets 27-30 Munster Parc y Scarlets
Sat 10 Oct Munster 25-23 Edinburgh Rugby Thomond Park
Mon 26 Oct | 8:15pm Munster v Cardiff Blues eir Sport, TG4, Premier Sports
Sun 1 Nov 2020 | 2pm Dragons v Munster eir Sport, Premier Sports
Sat 7 Nov | 2pm Benetton Rugby v Munster eir Sport, Premier Sports
Sun 15 Nov | 2:45pm Munster v Ospreys eir Sport, S4C, Premier Sports
Mon 23 Nov | 8:15pm Glasgow Warriors v Munster Premier Sports, eir Sport
Mon 30 Nov | 8:15pm Munster v Zebre Rugby Club eir Sport, Premier Sports
26/27 Dec Munster v Leinster TBC
02/03 Jan 2021 Ulster v Munster TBC
09/10 Jan 2021 Connacht v Munster TBC
LIVE FIXTURES DETAILS HERE
Inver
is available at all
Inver Service Stations.
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!
Inver Xtra keeps your engine clean, improving
its performance, reducing carbon emissions!
Proud Sponsors of Junior Munster Rugby Supporters Club
www.inverenergy.ie
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 today, 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!
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MUNSTER COMPETE
IN IRFU 7S SERIES
Jack O'Sulivan offloads against Connacht
in the IRFU 7s tournament.
The IRFU High Performance Centre hosted the
first of three IRFU 7s tournaments on Saturday
17 October last, with the Ireland’s Men’s Sevens
taking on alongside Munster, Connacht
and Ulster.
S7S
(24-12).
The Munster 7s secured one win in the opening
Round of the series, with Greig Oliver’s charges
secured a 40-14 victory over Connacht in their
final game of the day having been defeated by
the Ireland Men’s 7s side (33-7) and Ulster
There were a number of eye-catching individual
contributions as players seized the chance
to boost game-time and sharpen their match
intensity.
Calvin Nash
The Munster 7s squad includes senior players
Liam Coombes, Matt Gallagher, Calvin Nash,
Alex McHenry and Jack O’Sullivan. Academy
players Scott Buckley, Eoghan Clarke, Jack
Crowley, Jack Daly, Jake Flannery, Seán French
and Jonathan Wren complete the 12-man
squad. McHenry and Daly are both former
Ireland Sevens internationals.
Anthony Eddy’s senior Ireland 7s team are using
the series to step-up their preparations for the
2021 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Rounds 2 and 3 of the IRFU 7s
tournament are scheduled to
take place at the IRFU High
Performance Centre on
Saturday, October
31 and Saturday,
November 7.
Jack Crowley
MUNSTER 7S
Eoghan Clarke, Scott Buckley, Jack Daly, Jack Crowley, Jake Flannery, Jonathan Wren,
Sean French, Jack O’Sullivan, Alex McHenry, Liam Coombes, Calvin Nash, Matt Gallagher.
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