Munster Rugby v Leinster Rugby Match Programme

v LEINSTER | SAT 23 JAN 2021 | THOMOND PARK | 7.35PM 

MUNSTER v LEINSTER | 23.01.21 | THOMOND PARK 

1

Loved in Munster. 

Followed the world over. 

Always represented. 

2 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE 

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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME 

To Johann, his coaching team, and the entire 

squad, we send you our best wishes for 

tonight’s game. 

This evening we welcome Head Coach Leo 

Cullen and his Leinster team to Thomond Park 

for this Round 9 game in the Guinness PRO14. 

This game, which is normally played on St. 

Stephen’s Day, is a special fixture that fans on 

both sides really look forward to. It has all the 

elements of a big derby game with Thomond 

Park usually packed to the rafters with fans, 

all in full voice, a sea of red and blue covering 

the stands and terraces with an electrifying 

atmosphere long before kick-off. Unfortunately, 

this evening it will be minus all the noise and 

colour around the stadium with the exception 

of the 1000+ portraits looking on from the 

stand. On the pitch it will be business as usual 

with both sets of players giving it their all to 

claim the win. 

The two sides come into this game on a good 

run of form - Munster on the back of away wins 

over Clermont and Connacht, and Munster and 

Leinster with eight wins from nine in the PRO14. 

Both sides lost to their provincial rivals Ulster 

and Connacht respectively, over the Christmas 

round of games. 

The situation on the domestic front has not 

changed. The IRFU and all concerned are 

working hard behind the scenes to make 

sure that when it is safe to do so, rugby will 

resume. In the meantime our Head of Rugby 

Development Colm McMahon and his team are 

doing great work with their online programmes 

such as the Rugby FUNdamentals home skills 

programme. These online programmes are a 

vital part of keeping our young people engaged 

and practicing their skills while keeping rugby 

a part of their lives. All this work will extremely 

beneficial when rugby resumes once again. 

Congratulations to Neville Burton from 

Clonakilty RFC who is the December winner 

of the Ballyseedy Volunteer of the Month, 

recognising his dedication and hard work. Well 

done Neville. 

Our thanks to our main sponsor Bank of Ireland, 

our kit supplier adidas and all our sponsors for 

their continued support. We also welcome Laya 

Healthcare as our Official Health & Wellbeing 

Partner. 

Stay safe, stay strong and stay positive. 

To the brave and the 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

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EVERY TRY 

EVERY TACKLE 

ALL IN 

ONE APP 

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GUINNESS PRO14 CAMPAIGN TO CONCLUDE IN 

MARCH AHEAD OF NEW “RAINBOW CUP” WITH 

SOUTH AFRICA’S TOP FOUR ‘SUPER’ TEAMS 

The current Guinness PRO14 campaign will 

end in March allowing South Africa’s four 

‘Super’ teams and our existing clubs to 

finish the season with a 16-team “Rainbow 

Cup” competition ahead of the British & 

Irish Lions tour. 

After consulting with key PRO14 stakeholders, the Guinness 

PRO14 Rainbow Cup was chosen as the best pathway to 

finish up the current campaign and introduce South Africa’s 

four ‘Super’ teams: the Vodacom Bulls; Emirates Lions; Cell 

C Sharks and DHL Stormers. This decision also allows our 

European-based sides to earn qualification for European 

Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) tournaments in 2021/22 in 

a fair and equitable manner. 

Ahead of the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa, 

the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will provide a groundbreaking 

spectacle for fans who will see international star 

players from north and south establish new rivalries in their 

bid for the ultimate Test selection. 

Right through until the last kick of the ball in the Rainbow 

Cup in June, fans will be able to watch it all unfold with our 

broadcast partners Premier Sports, eir Sport, S4C, TG4, 

DAZN and Super Sport. 

How it will Work 

• The 2020/21 Guinness PRO14 campaign will finish after 16 

rounds with the Conference winners facing each other in a 

final in late March 

• Qualification for EPCR tournaments in 2021/22 will be 

decided by rankings after Round 16 

• On April 17, 2021, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will 

kick-off and introduce the Vodacom Bulls, Emirates Lions, 

Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers and their World Cupwinning 

Springboks 

• The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will consist of a pool 

stage (two pools of eight teams) and a final between the 

two pool winners 

FINAL CHAPTER OF GUINNESS PRO14 

fixture list will aim to ensure home and away in-conference 

fixtures are completed and each team plays all of its 

cross-conference matches also. Further clarification will be 

available when fixtures are confirmed. 

The scheduled dates for the conclusion of the 2020-21 

Guinness PRO14 campaign are: 

R12: February 20 

R13: February 27 

R14: March 6 

R15: March 13 

R16: March 20 

Final: March 27 

Once Round 16 has been completed, the top-ranked teams 

from each conference will qualify for the 2021/22 Heineken 

Champions Cup. Requirement for play-offs is under review. 

GUINNESS PRO14 “RAINBOW CUP” 

FORGING NEW RIVALRIES 

With South Africa preparing to host their first British & Irish 

Lions tour since 2009, the World Cup champions will see 

their ‘Super’ teams – the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers 

take on the very best that Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales 

have to offer. 

Players aiming to make the British & Irish Lions squad will 

find no better trial environment to test themselves in, as 

they go up against the likes of Siya Kolisi, Pieter Steph du 

Toit (both DHL Stormers), Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom 

Bulls), Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions) and former Guinness 

PRO14 top-try scorer Makazole Mapimipi (Cell C Sharks). 

The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will kick off on April 17 

with two pools of 8 teams made up of two Irish, two South 

African, two Welsh, one Italian and one Scottish club. Each 

team will play one game against each pool opponent and 

the sides that finish top of their pools will face off in a final 

on June 19. 

Across 57 matches, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will 

feature the best of the Springbok talent going toe-to-toe 

with some of the British & Irish Lions’ biggest names – every 

one of them keen to lay down a marker to their respective 

selectors ahead of what will prove to an historic tour. 

Rounds 12 to 16 will take place from February 20 and 

conclude on March 20. A final will then take place at the 

home venue of the highest-ranked team. This abbreviated 


5


MUNSTER v LEINSTER 

ROUND 9 PREVIEW 

Albeit a little later than planned, this 

derby game between Munster and 

Leinster is without doubt one of the 

most anticipated games of the season 

for both sides, and an enthralling 

prospect for the neutral rugby observer. 

Nick McCarthy and 

Devin Toner 

Up to January 2 last, neither side had 

lost in the Guinness PRO14 this season, 

with Munster’s unbeaten run ending in 

Belfast and Leinster losing at home to 

Connacht on the same day. Munster’s 

last defeat at Thomond Park was at the 

hands of Leinster on December 28 2019. 

CONFERENCE B TABLE 

POS TEAM PL W D L BP PTS 

1 Munster Rugby 9 8 0 1 5 37 

2 Connacht Rugby 9 5 0 4 6 26 

3 Scarlets 10 3 0 5 4 24 

4 Cardiff Blues 11 5 0 6 2 22 

5 Edinburgh Rugby 9 3 0 6 3 15 

6 Benetton Rugby 9 0 0 9 4 4 

HEAD TO HEAD 14 26 0 

Munster wins 

Leinster wins 

Draws 

MATCH FACTS 

• Leinster have picked up a try bonus point 

in each of their eleven games this season 

across both competitions. 

• Gavin Coombes has made the most carries 

for Munster with 79 so far, while Leinster’s 

Rhys Ruddock has 90. Coombes has scored 

six tries – the same number as Leinster’s 

Scott Penny and two behind Ulster’s Marcell 

Coetzee who leads the tournament with 8 

tries. 

• Leinster have won their last four encounters 

with Munster, whilst Munster’s only victory 

over tonight's opponents in the last four 

years was 26-17 in Limerick in December 

2018. 


7


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9

THE INSIDE 

TRACK 

JOHANN VAN GRAAN 

On tonight’s clash with Leinster… 

“Obviously, it was to be on the 26 December, 

but it couldn’t be played. Now it’s just before 

the Six Nations and I believe it will be two top 

teams playing against each other. It’s our first 

home game of the year against the PRO14 

champions – so a nice start at home for us for the 

year. Their quality is undeniable and it’s always 

a massive game against Leinster. We have 

played nine games in the PRO14 and have won 

eight – and so have Leinster. They are definitely 

one of the form sides of the competition and of 

the last three years. They’ve played 11 games 

this season across all competitions and have 11 

bonus points. They are such a quality outfit. We 

know that and they know it. 

“We are looking to improve our game every 

week. We believe we have done some nice things 

this season. We had some convincing victories, 

we had some “come-behind” victories, and we 

had to grind out some victories. 

a weather expert but it looks like it might be 

rainy and cold and snowy on Saturday evening 

so that will definitely play its part. It comes 

down to small moments and guys taking their 

opportunities. We didn’t take our opportunities 

in the semi-final and they did, and they are 

rightly the champions. We are looking forward 

to playing against them on Saturday evening in 

Thomond Park.” 

On having international players available… 

“The Irish system is one of the best systems 

in the world in terms of players management. 

All credit to the IRFU for how they manage the 

players. It's great that we have a full squad 

available and we will go with the team we 

believe can win on Saturday evening at home. 

I’m not sure what Leinster will do but I would 

imagine they have quite a few guys available 

as well. We are looking forward to a very good 

game. We have big dreams for this season, and 

this is another game in our season.” 

“Munster v Leinster is always special. I’m not 


On playing at home for the first time in a 

number of weeks… 

“This is our first home game since the Quins 

game which feels like months ago. It’s the first 

game I think in 6 weeks that we are in Thomond 

Park and we love to play in Thomond Park. 

The fact that it’s Leinster, it’s a special club, 

they guarantee the best and we always want 

to play against the best, that’s how we see 

this weekend. We are playing against a team 

that have won their last 27 of 28 games in the 

PRO14. They’ve got international quality all 

over the park – certainly no weak points in that 

team.” 

DAMIAN DE ALLENDE 

On taking the positives from having a weekend 

off… 

“It’s been quite tough. When the season was 

going ahead, we were playing week in and 

week out and started building nice momentum. 

I think that game against Connacht was quite 

tough. Obviously, a few of us had two weeks 

off. Playing in those conditions in a heavy field 

took a lot out of us. The boys were quite sore 

on the Monday. We were really looking forward 

to playing last weekend, but we couldn’t do 

it. But I must say it has helped the body a lot. 

An extra week off does a lot for the body. It is 

frustrating when you don’t play week in week 

out but although that’s a negative, we can see 

the benefits as well.” 

in your squad where the youngsters are putting 

up their hands and putting older guys, the more 

experienced guys under pressure, that’s when 

you get the best out of each other. We’ve been 

doing that quite well so we will kick on with 

that, carrying on working hard and enjoying 

ourselves like we have been doing over these 

past few weeks.” 

On preparing for tonight’s game… 

“I felt when we played Leinster in my very first 

game – I think it was in August – it was quite 

a hyped-up week. I’m not one to get hyped up 

much before a game. I think that was quite a 

real shock to me. But I think the way that we’ve 

been going forward now – you need to enjoy 

yourself. I know the Leinster game is massive, 

but I think if we can get into the right mindset 

that it's just another game, another game to get 

better, another game to do what we are trying 

to achieve and just keep ticking the boxes. 

Obviously, we have our goals set and it won’t 

help us or benefit us especially this weekend 

if we make the occasion too big and we forget 

how to play rugby and forget what we are trying 

to achieve. It’s a massive game. It’s going to be 

brutal. The body is going to be very sore in the 

game and after the game but it’s just another 

game of rugby for us, another chance to get 

better. What a great opportunity to play against 

the champions.” 

On the younger players putting their hands 

up… 

“The way that – not just the older guys – but the 

way the younger guys have stood up and taken 

ownership of their roles and their positions 

has been quite outstanding. Obviously, we 

had a few hiccups along the way with injuries, 

Covid and stuff like that. Even with that, the 

youngsters still manage to pull off some 

amazing wins, away from home as well. That’s 

quite incredible. I think once you get that right 

"It's a massive game. It's going to be brutal." 


11

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13

Laya Healthcare are proud to be 

Official Health and Wellbeing Partner 

to Munster Rugby 


NEWSROUND 

Eimear Considine, Ciara Griffin and 

Dorothy Wall at the launch of the 

new partnership between Munster 

Rugby and laya healthcare 

LAYA HEALTHCARE ON BOARD AS OFFICIAL 

HEALTH & WELLBEING PARTNER 

Laya healthcare recently announced a new 

three-year partnership with Munster Rugby 

and are now the province’s Official Health 

& Wellbeing Partner. Laya healthcare plans 

to work with Munster Rugby on a strategic 

vision that will support the performance of 

the province by focusing on aspects of health 

and wellbeing across the men’s and women’s 

teams, the backroom team, right through to the 

fans. 

Laya healthcare have released a content 

series that highlights the provincial heritage 

of Munster Rugby. Munster's stag forms the 

centre point of one of the videos, showcasing 

the characteristics that link it to rugby in a 

digitally-led campaign. 

Laya healthcare has already built strong links in 

the Munster region. With its head office in Cork, 

laya healthcare is soon to open a new Health 

& Wellbeing Clinic in Caherdavin, Limerick. 

The upcoming opening of the Limerick clinic is 

creating over 20 jobs and will offer the people 

of Limerick, and the surrounding region, a 

comprehensive breadth of healthcare services. 

WOMEN’S AND U20S SIX NATIONS 

POSTPONED 

Six Nations Rugby Limited last week announced 

that the Women’s and U20s 2021 Championships 

will not take place in the regular Six Nations 

window this year. The Women’s Championship 

will instead be scheduled in revised windows 

later this spring or early summer. Six Nations 

Rugby confirmed it will finalise the respective 

timings and formats for both the Women’s 

and U20s competitions in consultation with all 

unions, broadcast partners and stakeholders, 

with full details to be announced by the end of 

January. 

HOME SKILLS PROGRAMME LAUNCHED 

Munster Rugby have launched a 

#RugbyFUNdamentals Home Skills programme 

for primary school children. The videos are 

delivered by Munster Rugby Technical Skills 

Development coach Mike Pettman and focus 

on catching, kicking, running and evasion, 

fundamental movement skills and more. The 

aim of the videos is to offer some FUN rugby 

and movement activities to do at home and to 

support children during the Level 5 lockdown 

while continuing to grow their capacities and 

understanding of some core physical literacy 

components. The videos can be viewed here 

MUNSTER v LEINSTER | 23.01.21 | THOMOND PARK 15

FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION ON 

PRO14.RUGBY 

YOUR GUINNESS 

PRO14 HOME 

LATEST NEWS, LIVE MATCH 

CENTRES, STATS & MORE 

VISIT NOW 

WWW.PRO14.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 


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 


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 


JEAN KLEYN 

Lock 

26.08.93 

H: 2.03 m 

W: 125 kg 


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 


JACK O’DONOGHUE 

Back Row 

08.02.94 

H: 1.91 m 

W: 107 kg 


PETER O’MAHONY 

Back Row 

17.09.89 

H: 1.91 m 

W: 106 kg 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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 


CHRIS FARRELL 

Centre 

16.03.93 

H: 1.93 m 

W: 110 kg 


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 


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 


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 


Wing 

05.05.93 

H: 1.85 m 

W: 95 kg 


DARREN SWEETNAM 

BACKS 


19

MUNSTER RUGBY 

STARTING XV 

James Cronin Rhys Marshall John Ryan Jean Kleyn Tadhg Beirne 

Gavin Coombes 

Peter 

O'Mahony (C) 

CJ Stander 

Conor Murray 

JJ Hanrahan 

Shane Daly 

Damian de 

Allende 

Chris Farrell 

Keith Earls 

Mike Haley 

#MUNvLEI 

JOIN THE CONVERSATION 

Replacements 

16. Niall Scannell 17. Dave Kilcoyne 18. Stephen Archer 19. Fineen Wycherley 

20. Jack O'Donoghue 21. Craig Casey 22. Ben Healy 23. Rory Scannell 


LEINSTER RUGBY 

STARTING XV 

Cian Healy 

Seán Cronin 

Andrew Porter 

Scott Fardy 

James Ryan 

Rhys Ruddock 

Will Connors 

Caelan Doris 

Luke McGrath 

Johnny 

Sexton (C) 

Jimmy O'Brien 

Robbie 

Henshaw 

Garry 

Ringrose 

Jordan 

Larmour 

Hugo Keenan 

MATCH OFFICIALS 

Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU) 

AR1: Seán Gallagher (IRFU) 

AR2: Eoghan Cross (IRFU) 

TMO: Joy Neville (IRFU) 

Replacements 

16. Rónan Kelleher 17. Ed Byrne 18. Tom Clarkson 19. Ross Molony 

20. Jack Conan 21. Jamison Gibson-Park 22. Ross Byrne 23. Josh van der Flier 


21

CARBERY 

UPBEAT AS 

RECOVERY 

CONTINUES 

Joey Carbery spoke to www.munsterrugby.ie 

last week as he continues to follow his 

rehabilitation programme for an ankle injury 

that has ruled him out of action since last 

season. 

Having not played since January 2020, he 

admits that it has been a tough period, 

however, the playmaker was upbeat as he 

continues with his recovery progress. 

it’s like ‘Hi, how are you?’ That was a bit strange, 

but I suppose we just have to be safe, and smart 

and look after ourselves.” 

On handling lengthy recovery...… 

“It was kind of tough at the start. We kind of had 

an end date in sight. When I didn’t hit that mark 

it was almost more disappointment. So this has 

been more relaxed and it’s kind of been ‘I’m 

ready when I’m ready’.” 

On staying positive… 

“It’s been pretty tough. Obviously, it’s not nice 

being injured but I’m pretty blessed to have 

such a good physio and S&C team around me. 

But it’s been great to see the lads do so well. 

Obviously, I want to be out there, but it’s been 

such a good great start to the season so far. It’s 

never nice being injured but hopefully things 

will change soon.” 

On how the pandemic has impacted… 

“The pandemic has been quite tough because 

normally when you are an injured player you are 

away from the team anyway. With the pandemic 

we were in smaller groups. You wouldn’t see 

some of the guys in here for a couple of weeks 

on end, and then you would run into them and 

“Wanting to get back on 

the pitch and back with 

the squad…makes me 

very ambitious and very 

motivated to get back” 

On using his time outside of rugby… 

“When you are injured you might have a 

weekend off, and you might go away or 

something. I haven’t been able to do that, so 

I started back to college, doing a Masters, so 

I’ve been pretty busy with that. Pretty much 

trying to be in here as much as possible as well, 

every day. Every day contributes to getting 

back sooner. I’m trying to stay focused that way 


ut college has been a great distraction for me 

when I’m out of here.” 

On building strong bonds with other players 

who are rehabbing… 

“It has been a year since I played. Guys 

have come in and out (of rehab) and it’s a bit 

demoralising seeing them start before you, 

and then come out of it before you. It’s great 

to have the likes of RG and Neilie around, and 

Mattie has joined us as well. Obviously, you 

don’t want to see anyone injured but it’s nice 

to have some kind of connection there. We get 

on really well. It’s way easier at the gym and do 

our rehab together when there’s a group of us 

together, have coffees and stuff like that make 

a big difference.” 

On staying integrated in the squad… 

“In the last month or so, I’ve kind of tried to 

jump in with the backs as much as possible. 

It kind of makes it a bit easier when you are 

in a team environment and getting to all the 

meetings. Just being in with the squad makes 

a huge difference mentally. It’s the only thing 

that’s really got me through this – looking to 

the end and just wanting to get back on the 

pitch. I suppose staying in the meetings and 

talking with the coaches has helped a lot with 

that because you can keep clued in, stay match 

sharp. Obviously, you can’t physically do it 

but mentally you can prepare for the games 

coming up. That makes a big difference. But 

then obviously wanting to get back on the pitch 

and back with the squad as well makes me very 

ambitious and very motivated to get back.” 

“Being in with the squad 

makes a huge difference 

mentally - it’s the only thing 

that’s really got me through 

this, looking to the end and 

wanting to be back on the 

pitch” 

Carbery's last game was against 

Ulster in January 2020 


23

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THE LOWDOWN 

THE FORM GUIDE 

Leinster come into this game on the back of 

their only defeat this season, with two wins in 

the Champions Cup and eight wins from nine 

games in the Guinness PRO14. Leo Cullen’s 

side has been in devastating form, picking up 

try bonus points in every game this season, 

including in the loss against Connacht, with a 

current tally of 57 tries in 11 matches. Along 

with Munster, they’ve also conceded the fewest 

tries across the Guinness PRO14 this season 

with 15 each. 

Harry Byrne is their top points scorer with 51 

points, with Dave Kearney scoring seven tries. 

Rhys Ruddock tops the stats on several fronts in 

the squad currently with the most carries (114), 

most tackles (82) and most turnovers won (6). 

The side had 20 players involved with Ireland 

during the most recent international window in 

October/November. 

THE COACHING TICKET 

Head Coach Leo Cullen played 32 times 

for Ireland and 220 times for Leinster in a 

distinguished playing career. He joined the 

province’s coaching team on his retirement 

in 2014 as forwards coach, and a year later 

he became Head Coach, guiding the province 

to the PRO12 Final. In his third season, Cullen 

became the first man to win a Champions Cup 

title as a player and as a Head Coach as he 

presided over a first ever Guinness PRO14 and 

Champions Cup double for Leinster. Former 

England coach Stuart Lancaster joined the ticket 

in 2016 as Senior Coach. He was appointed to 

the role of England Head Coach in 2011 and led 

the team through four Six Nations campaigns 

and a Rugby World Cup in 2015. Robin McBryde 

joined Leinster as Assistant Coach from the 

Wales national team after the Rugby World Cup 

last year. The former Leinster and Argentina 

flyhalf Felipe Contepomi returned to the 

province ahead of the 2018/19 season as Backs 

Coach with Emmett Farrell (Kicking Coach/ 

Head Analyst) completing the coaching ticket. 

ONE TO WATCH 

ONE TO WATCH 

Hugo Keenan 

One of the standout performers of the Autumn 

Nations Cup for Ireland, 24-year-old winger 

Hugo Keenan has certainly caught the eye in 

recent months, scoring a brace of tries on his 

international debut against Italy in the refixed 

Six Nations match in October, and adding 

another try against Georgia in the Autumn 

Nations Cup clash. With six senior international 

caps to date, he is also a former Ireland U20 

and Ireland Sevens international. The Dubliner 

has played five times with Leinster this season, 

including the two Champions Cup games 

against Northampton Saints and Montpellier, 

and Ulster on January 8 last. 


25


VIRTUAL MUNSTER MASCOTS 

HARRY CANTILLON 

Age: 8 

School: Scoil Phadraig Naofa, 

Rochestown, Cork 

Hobbies: All sports - especially 

rugby with Cork Constitution FC 

Favourite Player: Conor Murray 

SENAN O’NEILL 

Age: 9 

From: Rathmines, Dublin 

School: Rathgar Junior School, Rathmines, 

Dublin 

Hobbies: Rugby and soccer 

Favourite Players: Dave Kilcoyne, CJ 

Stander & Conor Murray 


27

MURPHY CROWE 

RELISHING 15S 

OPPORTUNITY 

Tipperary native Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe 

hasn’t played a game of competitive rugby 

since the Sydney leg of the World Rugby HSBC 

Sevens Series in February 2020. However, 

she isn’t one to complain as she has used the 

lockdown periods to strengthen different areas 

of her game ahead of a yet to be determined 

return to competitive action. “It actually hasn’t 

been the worst of years,” Murphy Crowe told 

Irish Rugby TV. 

“I’ve taken it by the throat and just took it for 

what it is. Before Covid, I thought it might 

have been the year to practice a few extras 

and add them to my game. So, I really worked 

on strength and speed throughout lockdown 

because we couldn’t train or train as a group or 

do any rugby at the time. I took that opportunity 

to work on those two things. I was pretty 

pleased when I came back in to see that my 

markers had improved with fitness, strengthwise 

and speed-wise.” 

If Covid-induced lockdown brought about an 

opportunity for Murphy Crowe to improve 

areas of her game, it also presented her with 


the chance to train and test herself against 

the very best that Irish women’s rugby has to 

offer – Murphy Crowe, along with many of her 

Sevens colleagues, having the opportunity - 

when restrictions allowed - to train with Adam 

Griggs' Ireland Women's 15s squad. 

“Being brought in here has just been a massive 

opportunity for me. This was probably the 

highlight of my year, getting the opportunity, 

seeing people from Sevens transition into 

15s so easily. It was a really good opportunity 

to take and seeing those girls being able to 

transition gives me the confidence that if I can 

learn the ropes and things like that, I’ll hopefully 

be up for selection throughout 2021.” 

Murphy Crowe, who first picked up the oval ball 

in her local club Clanwilliam FC at the age of 15, 

has been excelling on the international stage 

in the Sevens format. She is Ireland’s all-time 

top try-scorer on the World Series while she is 

also ninth in the list of all-time top try scorers, 

rubbing shoulders with some of the sport’s 

greats like New Zealand’s Portia Woodman and 

Michaela Blyde. 

they give you so much feedback and help you 

out so much but yeah, you would like to add a 

little bit of flair or whatever x-factor you have 

in the Sevens, you would like to bring that into 

the 15s and show them what you can bring to 

the game, although it’s a different game. Your 

strengths are your strengths at the end of the 

day and if you can bring your strengths into the 

15s game, then why not give it a shot?” 

For many of us, Murphy Crowe included, 2021 

remains uncertain but one thing is for sure, the 

Munster woman is keen to wear the green of 

Ireland regardless of the format. 

“It’s so good for your mental health, just to get 

out and exercise in general and then being with 

such a competitive group, you always want to 

get better and always want to put your best foot 

forward. 

"What will be will be, whether it’s 15s or Sevens. 

I’m just ready to put on a green jersey, it has 

been a long, long time and I’m just ready to do 

it.” 

Her performances also saw her named on 

the World Rugby Sevens Series Dream Team 

for 2019 in addition to domestic accolades 

including Rugby Players Ireland’s Women’s 

Sevens Player of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 

2019 and Rugby Writers Ireland’s Women’s 7s 

Player of the Year award for 2019. 

With the Tipperary woman only turning 26 this 

year, there seems to be plenty of opportunities 

in the future to further consolidate her tryscoring 

prowess on the world stage. For now, 

however, it’s focussing on the 15s code and 

Murphy Crowe wants to follow in the footsteps 

of some of her Sevens colleagues like Katie 

Fitzhenry, Hannah Tyrrell and Brittany Hogan 

who all featured against Italy in the Women’s 

Six Nations in October after playing in Sydney 

eight months earlier. 

“I’ve had to dust off the cobwebs really because 

I haven’t played 15s in a while but the coaches, 

"Being brought in here has just 

been a massive opportunity 

for me. This has probably been 

the highlight of my year..." 


29


Celebrating 40 years in Ireland, Marks & Spencer is delighted to have 

Peter O’Mahony as its first Irish sports ambassador. 

The Big Hitters in 

Data Intelligence 

tqsintegration.com 


31

STAND UP 

AND FIGHT 


RUGBY DEVELOPMENT NEWS 

#MunsterStartsHere 

RUGBY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT VISITS SHANNON RFC 

The Munster Rugby Development Department 

paid a visit to Shannon RFC last month, prior to 

the current lockdown, to host a coaching and 

player development workshop across the club’s 

minis and youth sections. 

Shannon RFC has 520 registered children 

playing rugby from U6s right up the club’s 

U18.5s section. With all boys and girls teams 

participating, it provided a unique opportunity 

for Munster Rugby’s Rugby Development 

Officers (RDOs), Coach & Player Development 

Officers (CPDOs) and Club & Community Rugby 

Officers (CCROs) to engage with the Shannon 

RFC coaches and volunteers. 

With non-contact training only permitted due 

to the current government restrictions, Munster 

Rugby staff were able to assist the coaches in 

providing safe and fun sessions for the various 

age groups while also listening to feedback 

from the club’s coaches who have been 

working extremely hard over the last number of 

months in ensuring that children still have the 

opportunity to get outside, exercise and have 

fun with their friends. 

Many of Shannon’s coaches have also been 

participating in online Munster Rugby coaching 

courses, so the day’s events provided an 

opportunity to put into action what they have 

learned. 

“The whole idea was to be able to follow up on 

practical work that a number of the Shannon 

coaches have been doing on the online 

courses,” Munster Rugby RDO Gerry Casey 

said. 

“But also to engage with coaches from U6s to 

U18.5s both boys and girls. To give a different 

voice and maybe a different outlook on the way 

to coach." 


33

"WE WANT TO GET 

EVERYBODY 

BACK OUT 

PLAYING" 

Colm McMahon 

We spoke to Head of Rugby Development 

Colm McMahon as he reflects on what was an 

unprecedented year for domestic rugby in the 

province. 

McMahon took up the role as Head of Rugby 

Development in January 2020 after spending 

over a decade working within the province in 

various roles including Coach Development 

Officer, Elite Player Development Officer in 

the Greencore Munster Rugby Academy and 

interim forwards coach at the beginning of the 

2019/20 season ahead of Graham Rowntree's 

arrival to the province. 

With such broad experience, McMahon was 

keen to observe a 'normal' domestic season 

and to become aware of any changes to the last 

time he was involved in this area before making 

improvements to the overall game in the 

province. Of course, the onset of the COVID-19 

pandemic put a halt to any such plans as the 

Clare man explains: 

"It has been tough because we had to react in 

March when we were getting to some really 

exciting finals in the province and heading into 

playoffs in competitions. From that to stopping 

everything and being unable to finish the 

season. 

"We've had to react a lot but bearing in mind it's 

our job, that's part of something that we have to 

do. It's the volunteers at the clubs, the coaches, 

players, the volunteers, the safety officers who 

put their hands up to run compliance. They're 

working so hard to try to facilitate the game in 

their club or school at a time when it's really 

difficult and they're the ones that we'll keep 

remembering. If we can get it right and give 

them clear messages that they understand, 

then we've done a decent job.” 

When all rugby activity was halted in March, 

McMahon says that clear communication 

to clubs played a massive part of the rugby 

development department's role due to the 

numerous understandable concerns that clubs 

throughout the province would have had as a 

result of the pandemic. 

Thankfully, as the number of COVID cases 

in the country improved throughout the 

summer, training was allowed to resume and 

as McMahon explains, communication played 

a big role. 


"Trying to support the excellent club volunteers 

who put their hands up as COVID safety officers 

and compliancy officers in clubs, giving them 

really clear messages and taking away any 

confusion was a big part of what we tried to do." 

During this time, the staff within the Rugby 

Development Department visited clubs 

and schools throughout the province to 

demonstrate what kind of sessions could be run 

whilst maintaining and adhering to government 

guidelines. 

"We went in and we showed the clubs the stuff 

we had been preaching that we felt was allowed 

through the guidelines. We got into some 

player development stuff as well in late July 

and in August. Again, I think because people 

had been away from the game for so long there 

was a huge buzz of being back and the young 

players we brought in enjoyed it. The staff went 

to clubs and worked there and showcased what 

could be done for the non-contact sessions 

and how you look after pods and the cleaning 

of the equipment. Stuff that has now become 

second nature but at the time was very new to 

everybody involved." 

getting an opportunity to get back to what the 

Rugby Development Department normally do 

- creating a positive rugby experience in the 

province for anyone who wants to play or be 

involved in the sport. 

"We have a huge amount of time to reflect on 

how we did our business as a staff and as a 

department. We've done a lot of that. We had a 

lot of stuff lined up and ready to get back to but 

we're still playing that reaction game to COVID 

numbers and to government announcements. 

"We want to get everybody back out playing that 

wants to play the game. Get back to what we 

normally do which is to give people who haven't 

played the game of rugby an opportunity to 

play in a safe environment and create a good, 

positive rugby experience for them so that they 

want to play the game and get involved in it as 

much as possible. Be that in their school or in 

their club." 

Due to the nature of the pandemic and the everchanging 

situation surrounding what is or is 

not permissible, the roll-out of online webinars 

and other coaching resources were a key part 

of the strategy from the Rugby Development 

Department. 

"Keith Murphy and his team of coach and player 

development and rugby development officers, 

they have done a huge amount of work online to 

get messages out because that is the new way 

of getting messages out through Webinars and 

coaching content online. That has been really 

important and I know that again, coaches out 

in the clubs and schools have found that very 

useful." 

Looking ahead to 2021, McMahon is hoping 

that a more traditional domestic season isn't 

too far away and he is looking forward to 

"Trying to support the excellent 

club volunteers who put their 

hands up as COVID safety 

officers and compliancy officers 

in clubs, giving them really clear 

messages and taking away any 

confusion was a big part of what 

we tried to do." 


35


GET INVOLVED 

FOLLOW 

ALL THE 

ACTION 

@PRO14Official 



@PRO14Rugby 




37

38 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE1

HANRAHAN 

JJ 

Age: 28 

Position: Flyhalf 

Season Appearances: 9 

Points: 83 

Tries: 2 

Passes completed: 81 

Metres gained: 120 

Defenders beaten: 10 

Turnovers won: 2 

Tackles: 31 

Offloads: 2 

Try assists: 2 

Clean breaks: 3 

The 28-year-old Kerryman has played 133 times for Munster, with nine appearances this season 

that has seen him score 83 points so far, including two tries. In the Champions Cup thriller against 

Clermont Auvergne in Decembr he scored 24 of Munster's 39 points with 9 successful kicks. He 

also picked up the Guinness PRO14 Player of the Match award against Zebre in November. 

MUNSTER v LEINSTER | 23.01.21 | THOMOND PARK039

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CLONAKILTY’S NEVILLE 

BURTON RECOGNISED 

and the Clonakilty Veterans at the club. This 

was followed up by a series of games between 

the two teams and the Sunday’s Well Rebels. 

Kate, Neville, Jack and Sinead Burton 

Nev also plays a role in the various inclusivity 

initiatives at the club which include reaching 

out to children from the local Direct Provision 

Centre and those in the LGBT and Traveller 

communities. 

The Ballyseedy Volunteer of the Month for 

December was awarded to Neville Burton of 

Clonakilty RFC for his hard work and dedication 

throughout 2020. 

Neville is the Chairman of Rugby at Clonakilty 

and he oversees the club’s Adult Rugby, Youth 

Rugby and Minis Rugby programmes. Nev is 

also the head coach of the club’s U16 boys and 

assistant coach with the U14 girls. 

Neville was involved in a number of initiatives 

throughout 2020. At the beginning of the year 

when the first lockdown was implemented 

nationwide, Neville recorded a series of videos 

encouraging members and their families to 

support the club’s sponsors. This involved 

members of the club passing a rugby ball to 

each other outside different businesses in the 

town. 

With no rugby activity during the summer 

months, Neville organised a massive clean-up 

at the club which involved various groups and 

teams being set up to undertake activities such 

as power washing the changing rooms and 

clubhouse, painting doors, mending fences and 

installing safety barriers. 

At the beginning of the year, before lockdown, 

Nev assisted in organising a match between the 

West Cork Jesters Mixed Ability rugby team 


Nev also produces a popular weekly video 

series, “The Clonakilty Weekly Wrap”, which 

provides a run-down of all the activities that 

have taken place at the club in the previous 

week. 

Speaking on receiving his award, a humbled 

Neville said: 

“Delighted. But a little bit embarrassed and 

quite humbled by it. I was completely caught 

off guard by it. It’s a lovely gesture and I’m very 

moved by it but slightly embarrassed because 

so many are putting in such a big shift in Clon 

RFC and we’ve been working hard on structures 

and working hard on everything that we’re 

doing. As a club, it’s nice to be recognised for 

what we’re doing.” 

The Ballyseedy Volunteer Recognition 

Programme rewards people working hard 

behind the scenes within clubs and schools 

throughout the province. This season’s 

programme runs from December 2020 to 

March 2021 with a reward scheme consisting 

of individual ‘Volunteer of the Month’ awards. 

Successful nominees who meet a set criteria 

were recognised for their efforts by receiving a 

prize package including; 

· ‘Volunteer of the Month’ Award 

· Ballyseedy Gift Hamper 

· One4All voucher 

41

RECOVER LIKE A PRO 

Supporting the Red Army 

On & Off the Field 

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 

@Medicarefirstaid 

@PhysiologixSports 

@Physiologix_ 


FIXTURES & RESULTS 2020/21 

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 Munster 38 - 27 Cardiff Blues eir Sport, TG4, Premier Sports 

Sun 1 Nov Dragons 16 - 28 Munster eir Sport, Premier Sports 

Sun 15 Nov Munster 38-22 Ospreys eir Sport, S4C, Premier Sports 

Mon 23 Nov Glasgow Warriors 13-27 Munster Premier Sports, eir Sport 

Mon 30 Nov Munster 52-3 Zebre Rugby Club eir Sport, Premier Sports 

Sun 13 Dec Munster 21-7 Harlequins BT Sport, beIN Sports 

Sat 19 Dec 

Clermont Auvergne 31-39 Munster beIN Sports, BT Sport 

Sat 02 Jan Ulster 15-10 Munster eir Sport, Premier Sports 

Sat 09 Jan Connacht 10-16 Munster eir Sport, TG4, Premier Sports 

Sat 16 Jan Munster v Clermont Auvergne Match Postponed 

Sat 23 Jan Harlequins v Munster Match Postponed 

Sat 23 Jan | 7.35pm Munster v Leinster eir Sport, Premier Sports 

Sat 30 Jan | 5pm Benetton Rugby v Munster beIN Sports, BT Sport 

Gilbert x Munster Programme Advert_165x12mm_5mm Bleed.pdf 1 06/10/2020 10:07 


43


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