Munster Rugby v Harlequins Match Programme
Heineken Champions Cup Round 1 | A new European adventure begins in a new look Heineken Champions Cup and we take a look at today's opposition, Harlequins, and their form coming into the opening game. We get the inside track from Mike Haley, take a look at Munster's season so far and cover the latest rugby news from across the province including Clonakilty RFC's commitment to inclusivity.
Heineken Champions Cup Round 1 | A new European adventure begins in a new look Heineken Champions Cup and we take a look at today's opposition, Harlequins, and their form coming into the opening game.
We get the inside track from Mike Haley, take a look at Munster's season so far and cover the latest rugby news from across the province including Clonakilty RFC's commitment to inclusivity.
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Shane made his Ireland debut<br />
against Georgia last month<br />
DALY’S STAR<br />
ON THE RISE<br />
Corkman Shane Daly became the latest<br />
<strong>Munster</strong> player to play for Ireland last month<br />
when he came off the bench against Georgia in<br />
the Autumn Nations Cup.<br />
For the 23-year-old Bishopstown man, it has<br />
been an interesting road travelled. The versatile<br />
back has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last<br />
12 months as he established himself as an<br />
important member of Johann van Graan’s<br />
squad in the 2019/20 campaign where he made<br />
16 appearances for <strong>Munster</strong> which included a<br />
Heineken Champions Cup debut in the clash<br />
with Racing 92 in Paris.<br />
Since graduating from Cork’s famed rugby<br />
nursery of Presentation College, Daly has<br />
enjoyed a whirlwind journey as he balanced his<br />
studies in Finance at UCC with a memorable run<br />
with the Ireland U20s to the Junior World Cup<br />
final in 2016. There was also life in the <strong>Munster</strong><br />
<strong>Rugby</strong> Academy, travelling the globe with the<br />
Ireland 7s and helping Cork Constitution to AIL<br />
success to contend with.<br />
make a name for himself in Cork rugby circles<br />
as assistant coach with Cork Con and former<br />
<strong>Munster</strong> out-half Jonny Holland recalls.<br />
“There would be a big Cork contingent who<br />
have been singing his praises for a while here<br />
as well, it would be no surprise to them,”<br />
Holland tells <strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong>. “I think he’s such<br />
an exciting player. He’s put a lot of effort into it<br />
as everyone else does. It’s nice to see someone<br />
with a success story.”<br />
One man who has experience with identifying<br />
talent is Paul Barr. Now working with Bandon<br />
RFC, the experienced coach helped oversee<br />
Daly’s development at Pres and subsequently<br />
at Con.<br />
“Shane would have been more of a soccer<br />
player when he came to Pres first,” Barr says.<br />
Shane in action for Presentation<br />
Brothers College Cork<br />
Daly was a talent at numerous sports in his early<br />
years, particularly in soccer and Gaelic football,<br />
but it was midway through his time in Pres that<br />
the oval ball became his sole focus having first<br />
experienced the sport with Highfield RFC.<br />
Although Daly failed to taste Senior Cup success<br />
with Pres in 2014 and 2015, he was beginning to<br />
“His older brother was also good at soccer and<br />
rugby. James focussing on rugby over soccer<br />
18 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
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