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Munster Rugby v Scarlets Match Programme

Guinness PRO14 Round 15 | Find out all you need to know ahead of Munster v Scarlets. Read what Senior Coach Stephen Larkham and Mike Haley had to say in the build up to the game. President Seán McCullough recognises the efforts of Billy Holland before he signs off on his 14-year career with the province. We take a look at Friday's opposition Scarlets and have an in-depth piece on Craig Casey's development after making his Ireland debut against Italy. Leah Lyons is our featured interview as the Fermoy native talks us through her pathway from Munster age-grade days.

Guinness PRO14 Round 15 | Find out all you need to know ahead of Munster v Scarlets.

Read what Senior Coach Stephen Larkham and Mike Haley had to say in the build up to the game.

President Seán McCullough recognises the efforts of Billy Holland before he signs off on his 14-year career with the province.

We take a look at Friday's opposition Scarlets and have an in-depth piece on Craig Casey's development after making his Ireland debut against Italy.

Leah Lyons is our featured interview as the Fermoy native talks us through her pathway from Munster age-grade days.

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v SCARLETS | FRI 12 MAR 2021 | THOMOND PARK | 8PM<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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Loved in <strong>Munster</strong>.<br />

Followed the world over.<br />

Always represented.<br />

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© 2020 adidas AG


PRESIDENT’S WELCOME<br />

This evening we welcome Glenn Delaney and<br />

his <strong>Scarlets</strong> team to Thomond Park for the<br />

penultimate round in the Guinness PRO14<br />

series. <strong>Scarlets</strong> come into this game sitting in<br />

3rd place in Conference B and while the final is<br />

beyond them, Champions Cup is on the horizon<br />

and a game like this will be valuable to get<br />

under their belt for the campaign ahead.<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> have booked a place in the final on<br />

March 27 after a hard-earned win against<br />

Connacht last weekend. With the final only two<br />

weeks away, tonight’s game will be a chance to<br />

keep the momentum going and keep everyone<br />

focused for the task ahead. Our best wishes to<br />

Johann and all his team for tonight’s game.<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> A played the Connacht Eagles last<br />

weekend in the Sportsground with Connacht<br />

scoring in the dying seconds to draw the game.<br />

Calvin Nash scored two tries and Liam Coombes<br />

also touched down. Jake Flannery kicked three<br />

conversions and a penalty. This was another<br />

welcome run out for all the players involved.<br />

A few weeks ago, Billy Holland became the 2nd<br />

most capped <strong>Munster</strong> player with 242 games<br />

and counting under his belt. Achievements like<br />

this do not come around very often but then<br />

again neither do players like Billy. To say that he<br />

is a <strong>Munster</strong> legend is an understatement. While<br />

Billy has announced his retirement at the end of<br />

this season, there are still some big games to<br />

be played and that is undoubtedly where Billy’s<br />

focus will be over the coming months - always<br />

the professional. Billy has stated in a recent<br />

interview that what he will miss most is running<br />

out in Thomond Park on the Saturday night<br />

of a big game. I know I speak for the <strong>Munster</strong><br />

faithful when I say it’s a sight that we will all<br />

miss. On behalf of all <strong>Munster</strong> people our very<br />

best wishes to Billy and his family on wherever<br />

the next chapter will take him.<br />

While we wait patiently for the next government<br />

announcement, which hopefully will give us<br />

some good news on when we can get back<br />

to some form of activity, it is critical that we<br />

continue to do the right things and stay on<br />

track to suppress this virus. Together we are<br />

stronger, and we can do this.<br />

Our thanks to our main sponsor Bank of Ireland,<br />

our kit supplier adidas and all our sponsors for<br />

their continued support.<br />

Stay safe, stay strong and stay positive.<br />

To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible.<br />

Seán McCullough<br />

President <strong>Munster</strong> Branch IRFU<br />

President: Sean McCullough | Vice President: Ger McNamara | Junior Vice President: Michael Carroll<br />

Hon. Secretary: Muiris Mahon| Hon. Treasurer: Tom Kinirons<br />

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

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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LATEST NEWS, LIVE MATCH<br />

CENTRES, STATS & MORE<br />

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GUINNESS PRO14 CAMPAIGN TO CONCLUDE IN<br />

MARCH AHEAD OF NEW “RAINBOW CUP” WITH<br />

SOUTH AFRICA’S TOP FOUR ‘SUPER’ TEAMS<br />

The current Guinness PRO14 campaign will<br />

end in March allowing South Africa’s four<br />

‘Super’ teams and our existing clubs to<br />

finish the season with a 16-team “Rainbow<br />

Cup” competition ahead of the British &<br />

Irish Lions tour.<br />

After consulting with key PRO14 stakeholders, the Guinness<br />

PRO14 Rainbow Cup was chosen as the best pathway to<br />

finish up the current campaign and introduce South Africa’s<br />

four ‘Super’ teams: the Vodacom Bulls; Emirates Lions; Cell<br />

C Sharks and DHL Stormers. This decision also allows our<br />

European-based sides to earn qualification for European<br />

Professional Club <strong>Rugby</strong> (EPCR) tournaments in 2021/22 in<br />

a fair and equitable manner.<br />

Ahead of the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa,<br />

the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will provide a groundbreaking<br />

spectacle for fans who will see international star<br />

players from north and south establish new rivalries in their<br />

bid for the ultimate Test selection.<br />

Right through until the last kick of the ball in the Rainbow<br />

Cup in June, fans will be able to watch it all unfold with our<br />

broadcast partners Premier Sports, eir Sport, S4C, TG4,<br />

DAZN and Super Sport.<br />

How it will Work<br />

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

rounds with the Conference winners facing each other in a<br />

final in late March<br />

• Qualification for EPCR tournaments in 2021/22 will be<br />

decided by rankings after Round 16<br />

• On April 17, 2021, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will<br />

kick-off and introduce the Vodacom Bulls, Emirates Lions,<br />

Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers and their World Cupwinning<br />

Springboks<br />

• The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will consist of a pool<br />

stage (two pools of eight teams) and a final between the<br />

two pool winners<br />

FINAL CHAPTER OF GUINNESS PRO14<br />

fixture list will aim to ensure home and away in-conference<br />

fixtures are completed and each team plays all of its<br />

cross-conference matches also. Further clarification will be<br />

available when fixtures are confirmed.<br />

The scheduled dates for the conclusion of the 2020-21<br />

Guinness PRO14 campaign are:<br />

R12: February 20<br />

R13: February 27<br />

R14: March 6<br />

R15: March 13<br />

R16: March 20<br />

Final: March 27<br />

Once Round 16 has been completed, the top-ranked teams<br />

from each conference will qualify for the 2021/22 Heineken<br />

Champions Cup. Requirement for play-offs is under review.<br />

GUINNESS PRO14 “RAINBOW CUP”<br />

FORGING NEW RIVALRIES<br />

With South Africa preparing to host their first British & Irish<br />

Lions tour since 2009, the World Cup champions will see<br />

their ‘Super’ teams – the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers<br />

take on the very best that Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales<br />

have to offer.<br />

Players aiming to make the British & Irish Lions squad will<br />

find no better trial environment to test themselves in, as<br />

they go up against the likes of Siya Kolisi, Pieter Steph du<br />

Toit (both DHL Stormers), Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom<br />

Bulls), Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions) and former Guinness<br />

PRO14 top-try scorer Makazole Mapimipi (Cell C Sharks).<br />

The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will kick off on April 17<br />

with two pools of 8 teams made up of two Irish, two South<br />

African, two Welsh, one Italian and one Scottish club. Each<br />

team will play one game against each pool opponent and<br />

the sides that finish top of their pools will face off in a final<br />

on June 19.<br />

Across 57 matches, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will<br />

feature the best of the Springbok talent going toe-to-toe<br />

with some of the British & Irish Lions’ biggest names – every<br />

one of them keen to lay down a marker to their respective<br />

selectors ahead of what will prove to an historic tour.<br />

Rounds 12 to 16 will take place from February 20 and<br />

conclude on March 20. A final will then take place at the<br />

home venue of the highest-ranked team. This abbreviated<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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MUNSTER v SCARLETS<br />

ROUND 15 PREVIEW<br />

With the line-up for the Guinness PRO14 final<br />

on Saturday March 27 confirmed, attention<br />

now turns to the race to secure Champions Cup<br />

places.<br />

The battle continues in Conference B as four<br />

teams can still finish in different positions, with<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> top and winless Benetton finishing<br />

bottom. Connacht will secure second spot with<br />

a home win over Edinburgh, who are 14 points<br />

behind third-placed <strong>Scarlets</strong> although they do<br />

have two matches extra to play. Cardiff Blues<br />

head to Benetton as they attempt to reduce<br />

the eight-point gap between them and Glenn<br />

Delaney’s <strong>Scarlets</strong> side.<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> have an unassailable 12-point lead at the<br />

top after Joey Carbery came off the bench to kick<br />

the match-winning 68th-minute penalty in a 20-<br />

17 victory over Connacht last Friday.<br />

<strong>Scarlets</strong> are eyeing a third straight win after<br />

victories over Benetton and Edinburgh which<br />

have left them on the brink of Champions Cup<br />

qualification. They were narrowly beaten 30-<br />

27 when the teams last met in October despite<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> scoring all three tries in the game.<br />

Damian de Allende fends off Steff Evans<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> booked their place in the Guinness<br />

PRO14 final last weekend and <strong>Scarlets</strong> will hope<br />

to take advantage of any drop in intensity from<br />

the Conference B winners.<br />

CONFERENCE B TABLE<br />

POS TEAM PL W D L BP PTS<br />

1 <strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong> 14 12 0 2 6 54<br />

2 Connacht <strong>Rugby</strong> 14 8 0 6 10 42<br />

3 <strong>Scarlets</strong> 14 7 0 7 6 34<br />

4 Cardiff Blues 14 6 0 8 2 26<br />

5 Edinburgh <strong>Rugby</strong> 12 4 0 8 4 20<br />

6 Benetton <strong>Rugby</strong> 12 0 0 12 6 6<br />

HEAD TO HEAD 19 12 2<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> wins<br />

MATCH FACTS<br />

<strong>Scarlets</strong> wins<br />

Draws<br />

• <strong>Munster</strong> have won their last four Guinness<br />

PRO14 encounters since their reversal at<br />

home to Leinster on 23 January.<br />

• <strong>Munster</strong> have not been defeated by a Welsh<br />

region since today’s opponents, <strong>Scarlets</strong>,<br />

beat them at Parc y <strong>Scarlets</strong> in March 2019.<br />

• <strong>Scarlets</strong> have won their last two Guinness<br />

PRO14 fixtures since their home defeat to<br />

Leinster on 30 January.<br />

• The Welshmen’s only victory over an Irish<br />

opponent since September 2019 was on their<br />

trip to Connacht in November 2020.<br />

• <strong>Munster</strong> have won three of their last four<br />

fixtures against <strong>Scarlets</strong> whilst the <strong>Scarlets</strong><br />

only win at Thomond Park since 2003 came<br />

in February 2017.<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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THE INSIDE<br />

TRACK<br />

STEPHEN LARKHAM<br />

On the win over Connacht last Friday…<br />

“We’ve had a number of those games this<br />

year where it hasn’t worked out perfectly for<br />

us. We’ve won some close games past the<br />

80-minute mark. The game against Connacht<br />

was very similar. We can certainly take a lot<br />

away from the leadership on the pitch, the<br />

way the guys composed themselves. We<br />

struggled with our lineout as you probably saw<br />

throughout the game. We didn’t deliver seven<br />

the way we’d like to have delivered them, but<br />

the last two lineouts got us back on track. There<br />

was some really good leadership on the field,<br />

and I think we take a lot out of that going into<br />

these next couple of games.”<br />

On playing games during the Six Nations<br />

window…<br />

“It’s a challenge. We’ve dealt with it fairly<br />

well this year. There’s a lot of good depth in<br />

this squad. That’s the beauty of having the<br />

Six Nations running between games, you get<br />

opportunities to see some of these younger<br />

guys come through. We are very happy<br />

with where most of those guys are at, at the<br />

moment. It will be a challenge obviously over<br />

the next couple of weeks, and we are definitely<br />

looking for guys to earn their spot in the final.<br />

We’ve got guys coming back from Six Nations,<br />

some guys who didn’t travel to national camp<br />

this week, some other guys coming back next<br />

week, so there’s going to be that rotation of<br />

players in and out between us and the national<br />

squad. That is very difficult to manage, but we<br />

are looking for not only game performance<br />

but training performance and how well they<br />

recover. We’ll take all that into consideration for<br />

the team that we eventually pick for the final.”<br />

On keeping up momentum…<br />

“When you talk about a normal finals campaign,<br />

that is a quarter-final, semi-final and final<br />

format, you normally get up for the quarterfinal,<br />

so you put all your resources into making<br />

sure your best performance is the first round<br />

of the knockouts. For us it’s a little bit different,<br />

because we don’t have to taper off. In a normal<br />

situation, you prep for the quarter-final like it<br />

was the final and you just taper for the next<br />

game, and taper into the final, and momentum<br />

carries you into that. We are in a situation now<br />

where we are just building for that last game.<br />

We definitely want to build momentum in<br />

certain areas in certain aspects of the game<br />

over these next two games I don’t think we are<br />

going to get everything right, but we do want to<br />

see improvement on our base game between<br />

now and the final.”<br />

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MIKE HALEY<br />

On playing <strong>Scarlets</strong> in this round…<br />

“They’re a brilliant side. Even before I came to<br />

<strong>Munster</strong>, I really enjoyed watching <strong>Scarlets</strong>.<br />

They play a great brand of rugby. Especially<br />

when the weather is starting to clear up a little<br />

bit, and there are dry days, they are a huge<br />

threat, literally because of how they like to play<br />

the game. They are going to be coming here<br />

with nothing to lose and play a really exciting<br />

brand of rugby. It will be up to us to try and<br />

control that and put our front foot forward and<br />

build on last week and get another win.”<br />

On enjoying his rugby…<br />

“I’ve actually been enjoying it all season. For<br />

whatever reason, I’ve settled down a little bit,<br />

enjoying each game for what it is, each one is<br />

a unique challenge. If you look at the Glasgow<br />

away game – awful weather - but it was a fun<br />

game in terms of having to change your style<br />

of play, you are challenged by the surrounding<br />

factors. It was the same again last weekend.<br />

It was a nice dry game but a tough game,<br />

Connacht were really dragging us into a brawl,<br />

but it was enjoyable to be able to play a bit of<br />

running rugby.”<br />

On getting to the Guinness PRO14 Final…<br />

“It’s unbelievable. We worked really hard since<br />

Covid. We knew it would change us either for the<br />

better or the worse, and we have been working<br />

really hard. If you look back on the season, we<br />

started with <strong>Scarlets</strong> away last year and had<br />

to really grind out a win, with the last kick of<br />

the game. It went from there, building week on<br />

week on week. It is really satisfying to get to the<br />

final when you look back on all the hard games<br />

we’ve had to grind out, and all the games<br />

where we performed really well. It is massively<br />

rewarding. Now we want to fulfil that potential.<br />

We are strong believers in ourselves and what<br />

each of us brings to the game. When it comes<br />

to the final, it will be a massive challenge, but<br />

we are looking forward to getting stuck into it.”<br />

"We are strong believers in ourselves and what<br />

each of us brings to the game."<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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NEWSROUND<br />

PLAYERS COMMIT TO MUNSTER<br />

The positive contract news continued this week<br />

with the announcement that <strong>Munster</strong> and Ireland<br />

wing Keith Earls has signed on for another year,<br />

keeping him at <strong>Munster</strong> until 2022.<br />

This follows on from the news that Mike Haley,<br />

Gavin Coombes and Neil Cronin have all signed<br />

two-year contract extensions that will see them<br />

remain with the province until at least June 2023.<br />

MUNSTER A DRAW IN GALWAY<br />

The <strong>Munster</strong> A team travelled to Galway last<br />

Saturday to play their Connacht counterparts.<br />

Greencore <strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong> Academy players Jake<br />

Flannery, James French, Seán French and Ben<br />

Healy are all advancing to the senior squad ahead of<br />

the 2021/22 season on one-year deals, while John<br />

Hodnett has put pen to paper on a two-year deal.<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> led 12-17 at half-time after tries<br />

from Calvin Nash and Liam Coombes<br />

with Jake Flannery kicking both<br />

conversions and a penalty. Flannery<br />

also produced a fantastic crossfield kick<br />

assist for Nash’s try.<br />

Cian Hurley in action for<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> last Saturday<br />

Calvin Nash added his second try in the second<br />

half, with Flannery once again adding the<br />

extras. However, a late try from Connacht saw<br />

the game drawn.<br />

A selection of senior, Greencore <strong>Munster</strong><br />

<strong>Rugby</strong> Academy and National Talent Squad<br />

players made up the 21-man squad with Tommy<br />

O’Donnell captaining the side.<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> A: Darren Sweetnam; Calvin Nash,<br />

Alex McHenry, Jack Crowley, Liam Coombes;<br />

Jake Flannery, Paddy Patterson; Liam<br />

O’Connor, Diarmuid Barron, Keynan Knox; Cian<br />

Hurley, Jack Daly, Tommy O’Donnell (C), Scott<br />

Buckley, Alex Kendellen. Replacements:<br />

Rhys Marshall, Scott Buckley, Roman<br />

Salanoa, Ethan Coughlan, Conor Phillips,<br />

Seán French.<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK 15


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MUNSTER DRAW<br />

TOULOUSE IN EUROPE<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> will host TOP14 leaders Toulouse in the last 16 of the Champions Cup following the<br />

draw for the knockout stages in Lausanne, Switzerland on Tuesday.<br />

If they can defeat Toulouse, <strong>Munster</strong> will be<br />

away to Wasps or Clermont Auvergne in the<br />

Champions Cup quarter-finals.<br />

The exact dates, venues, kick-off times and<br />

TV coverage, will be announced as soon as<br />

possible following consultation with the clubs<br />

and EPCR’s partner broadcasters.<br />

Mike Haley<br />

Antoine Dupont<br />

ROUND OF 16 - WEEKEND OF 2/3/4 APRIL<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong> v Toulouse<br />

Gloucester <strong>Rugby</strong> v La Rochelle<br />

Wasps v ASM Clermont Auvergne<br />

Exeter Chiefs v Lyon<br />

Leinster <strong>Rugby</strong> v RC Toulon<br />

Bordeaux-Bègles v Bristol Bears<br />

Racing 92 v Edinburgh <strong>Rugby</strong><br />

<strong>Scarlets</strong> v Sale Sharks<br />

QUARTER-FINALS - WEEKEND OF 9/10/11 APRIL<br />

QF1 Winner Exeter Chiefs/Lyon v Winner Leinster/RC Toulon<br />

QF2 Winner Wasps/Clermont v Winner <strong>Munster</strong>/Toulouse<br />

QF3 Winner Gloucester/La Rochelle v Winner <strong>Scarlets</strong>/Sale Sharks<br />

QF4 Winner Bordeaux-Bègles/Bristol Bears v Winner Racing 92/Edinburgh<br />

SEMI-FINALS - 30 APRIL – 1/2 MAY<br />

HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP FINAL<br />

MARSEILLE – SATURDAY, 22 MAY<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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THE LOWDOWN<br />

THE FORM GUIDE<br />

It’s been a mixed season in the Guinness<br />

PRO14 for <strong>Scarlets</strong> who have won 7/lost 7 in<br />

this tournament to date, although they have<br />

picked up four losing bonus points and two try<br />

bonus points to put them in third position in<br />

Conference B.<br />

After losing three on the bounce in January<br />

including twice to Cardiff Blues and to Leinster,<br />

February proved more positive as they scored<br />

nine tries in two consecutive victories -<br />

defeating Benetton 41-17 and then enjoying a<br />

superb 27-25 win over Edinburgh on the road<br />

on February 27 last. It was their first win at<br />

Murrayfield since 2013 and ended a six-game<br />

losing streak against the Scottish side.<br />

In Europe, <strong>Scarlets</strong> registered two wins -<br />

beating Bath 19-23 in Round 1 at the Rec and<br />

being awarded a 28-0 win over Toulon the<br />

following week. Earlier this week, <strong>Scarlets</strong> were<br />

drawn against Sale Sharks at home in the next<br />

round.<br />

On the international front, eleven <strong>Scarlets</strong><br />

players were named in the Wales’ Six Nations<br />

squad in January including Alun Wyn Jones,<br />

<strong>Scarlets</strong> skipper Ken Owens, Ryan Elias, Jake<br />

Ball, Gareth Davies, Johnny Williams, Jonathan<br />

Davies, Liam Williams, Leigh Halfpenny, Kieran<br />

Hardy and Josh Macleod.<br />

THE COACHING TICKET<br />

New Zealander Glenn Delaney moved from<br />

defence coach to head coach in February 2020.<br />

Delaney made 68 appearances for London Irish<br />

and his coaching career has seen him coaching<br />

in Nottingham and London Irish before joining<br />

Canterbury in 2016 and becoming defence<br />

coach at the Highlanders in 2018. Wales U20<br />

coach Richard Kelly joined <strong>Scarlets</strong> in May<br />

2020 as forwards coach along with double<br />

World Cup winner Ben Franks who joined the<br />

coaching team as scrum coach. Backs coach<br />

Dai Flanagan has worked with the region since<br />

2014 while former England U20s coach and<br />

Gloucester Academy head Richard Whiffin<br />

completes the coaching ticket as attack coach.<br />

ONE TO WATCH<br />

Position: Back row<br />

Age: 32<br />

Born: Matahau, Tonga<br />

Height: 6’4”<br />

Weight: 122kg<br />

Appearances: 12<br />

Tries: 3<br />

Metres gained: 416<br />

Carries: 136<br />

Turnovers: 4<br />

Tackles: 168<br />

Honours: Tonga (37 caps)<br />

*current season stats –<br />

Guinness PRO14<br />

SIONE KALAMAFONI<br />

Johnny McNicholl<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

21


STEPHEN ARCHER<br />

Prop<br />

29.01.88<br />

H: 1.88m<br />

W: 120.91kg<br />

Hons: Ire (2 caps)<br />

Hooker<br />

06.08.99<br />

H:1.83m<br />

W: 98kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

DIARMUID BARRON<br />

TADHG BEIRNE<br />

Lock / Back Row<br />

08.01.92<br />

H: 1.98 m<br />

W: 113.18 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (20 caps)<br />

Flanker<br />

15.02.91<br />

H: 1.76 m<br />

W: 98 kg<br />

Hons: ~<br />

CHRIS CLOETE<br />

Back Row<br />

11.12.1997<br />

H: 1.98m<br />

W: 110kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

GAVIN COOMBES<br />

JAMES CRONIN<br />

Prop<br />

23.11.90<br />

H: 1.80 m<br />

W: 113 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (3 caps)<br />

Lock / Back Row<br />

03.08.85<br />

H: 1.91 m<br />

W: 111 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (1 cap)<br />

BILLY HOLLAND<br />

DAVE KILCOYNE<br />

Prop<br />

14.12.88<br />

H: 1.83 m<br />

W: 112 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (41 caps)<br />

JEAN KLEYN<br />

Lock<br />

26.08.93<br />

H: 2.03 m<br />

W: 125 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (5 caps)<br />

Prop<br />

06.04.99<br />

H: 1.85m<br />

W: 115kg<br />

Hons: ~<br />

KEYNAN KNOX<br />

Prop<br />

22.07.95<br />

H: 1.85 m<br />

W: 120 kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

JEREMY LOUGHMAN<br />

Hooker<br />

12.10.92<br />

H: 1.84 m<br />

W: 108 kg<br />

Hons: NZ U20<br />

RHYS MARSHALL<br />

Hooker<br />

16.04.91<br />

H: 1.80 m<br />

W: 107 kg<br />

Hons: Ire U19<br />

KEVIN O’BYRNE<br />

Prop<br />

13.07.95<br />

H: 1.78 m<br />

W: 110 kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

LIAM O’CONNOR<br />

TOMMY O’DONNELL<br />

Back Row<br />

21.05.87<br />

H: 1.85 m<br />

W: 107 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (12 caps)<br />

JACK O’DONOGHUE<br />

Back Row<br />

08.02.94<br />

H: 1.91 m<br />

W: 107 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (2 caps)<br />

PETER O’MAHONY<br />

Back Row<br />

17.09.89<br />

H: 1.91 m<br />

W: 106 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (74 caps)<br />

Back Row<br />

01.10.98<br />

H: 1.88m<br />

W: 100kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

JACK O’SULLIVAN<br />

JOHN RYAN<br />

Prop<br />

02.08.88<br />

H: 1.83 m<br />

W: 117 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (23 caps)<br />

Prop<br />

28.10.97<br />

H:1.83m<br />

W: 123.18kg<br />

Hons: USA U20<br />

ROMAN SALANOA<br />

NIALL SCANNELL<br />

Hooker<br />

08.04.92<br />

H: 1.85 m<br />

W: 109 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (20 caps)<br />

RG SNYMAN<br />

Lock<br />

29.01.95<br />

H: 2.06 m<br />

W: 116 kg<br />

Hons: SA (23 caps)<br />

CJ STANDER<br />

Back Row<br />

05.04.90<br />

H: 1.85 m<br />

W: 114 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (49 caps)<br />

Lock<br />

11.12.97<br />

H:1.93 m<br />

W: 111.82 kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

FINEEN WYCHERLEY<br />

FORWARDS<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong> Squad - 2020/21 Season<br />

22 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


JOEY CARBERY<br />

Fly Half<br />

01.11.95<br />

H: 1.83 m<br />

W: 85kg<br />

Hons: Ire (22 caps)<br />

Scrum Half<br />

19.04.99<br />

H: 1.65 m<br />

W: 75kg<br />

Hons: Ire (1 cap)<br />

CRAIG CASEY<br />

ANDREW CONWAY<br />

Full Back / Wing<br />

11.07.91<br />

H: 1.80 m<br />

W: 89 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (24 caps)<br />

LIAM COOMBES<br />

Full Back / Wing<br />

01.05.97<br />

H: 1.91m<br />

W: 89 kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

Scrum Half<br />

08.12.92<br />

H: 1.73 m<br />

W: 83 kg<br />

Hons: Ire Clubs<br />

NEIL CRONIN<br />

Wing / Centre<br />

19.12.96<br />

H: 1.91 m<br />

W: 91 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (1 cap)<br />

SHANE DALY<br />

DAMIAN DE ALLENDE<br />

Centre<br />

25/11/1991<br />

H: 1.91 m<br />

W: 105 kg<br />

Hons: SA (47 caps)<br />

KEITH EARLS<br />

Universal Back<br />

02.10.87<br />

H: 1.78 m<br />

W: 90 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (91 caps)<br />

CHRIS FARRELL<br />

Centre<br />

16.03.93<br />

H: 1.93 m<br />

W: 110 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (14 caps)<br />

Full Back<br />

26.10.96<br />

H:1.85m<br />

W: 95 kg<br />

Hons: Eng U20<br />

MATT GALLAGHER<br />

Centre<br />

10.12.94<br />

H: 1.85 m<br />

W: 100 kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

DAN GOGGIN<br />

Full Back<br />

28.06.94<br />

H: 1.91 m<br />

W: 93 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (1 cap)<br />

MIKE HALEY<br />

RORY SCANNELL<br />

CALVIN NASH<br />

CONOR MURRAY<br />

ALEX MCHENRY<br />

NICK MCCARTHY<br />

JJ HANRAHAN<br />

Fly Half / Centre<br />

27.07.92<br />

H: 1.83 m<br />

W: 93 kg<br />

Hons: Emerging Ireland<br />

Scrum Half<br />

25.03.95<br />

H: 1.8m<br />

W: 84 kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

Centre<br />

07.10.97<br />

H: 1.88m<br />

W: 95kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

Scrum Half<br />

20.04.89<br />

H: 1.88 m<br />

W: 94 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (88 caps)<br />

Wing<br />

08.08.97<br />

H: 1.78 m<br />

W: 90 kg<br />

Hons: Ire U20<br />

Centre<br />

22.12.93<br />

H: 1.80 m<br />

W: 98 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (3 caps)<br />

Wing<br />

05.05.93<br />

H: 1.85 m<br />

W: 95 kg<br />

Hons: Ire (3 caps)<br />

DARREN SWEETNAM<br />

BACKS<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

23


MUNSTER RUGBY<br />

STARTING XV<br />

James Cronin Niall Scannell Stephen Archer Jean Kleyn Billy Holland (C)<br />

Fineen<br />

Wycherley<br />

Jack O'Sullivan<br />

Gavin Coombes<br />

Nick McCarthy<br />

Joey Carbery<br />

Shane Daly<br />

JJ Hanrahan<br />

Damian de<br />

Allende<br />

Calvin Nash<br />

Mike Haley<br />

#MUNvSCA<br />

JOIN THE CONVERSATION<br />

Replacements<br />

16. Kevin O'Byrne 17. Jeremy Loughman 18. John Ryan 19. Thomas Ahern<br />

20. Alex Kendellen 21. Paddy Patterson 22. Jack Crowley 23. Darren Sweetnam<br />

24 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


SCARLETS<br />

STARTING XV<br />

Steffan Thomas<br />

Marc Jones<br />

Pieter Scholtz<br />

Morgan Jones<br />

Sam Lousi<br />

Aaron Shingler<br />

Jac Morgan<br />

Sione<br />

Kalamafoni<br />

Dane Blacker<br />

Angus O’Brien<br />

Steff Evans<br />

Steff Hughes (C)<br />

Tyler Morgan<br />

Tom Prydie<br />

Johnny<br />

McNicholl<br />

MATCH OFFICIALS<br />

Referee: Seán Gallagher (IRFU)<br />

AR1: Robert O'Sullivan (IRFU)<br />

AR2: Peter Martin (IRFU)<br />

TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)<br />

Replacements<br />

16. Taylor Davies 17. Kemsley Mathias 18. Alex Jeffries 19. Tevita Ratuva<br />

20. Uzair Cassiem 21. Will Homer 22. Paul Asquith 23. Johnny Williams<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

25


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27


“I CAN SEE<br />

EXACTLY WHY<br />

HE IS WHERE HE<br />

IS NOW”<br />

When Craig Casey entered the fray during the<br />

63rd minute at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome<br />

to make his senior Ireland debut, there were<br />

plenty of people back in Limerick and <strong>Munster</strong><br />

bursting with pride.<br />

In normal times, friends and family would<br />

have travelled to the Eternal City to mark the<br />

occasion but that didn’t diminish the moment<br />

or the achievement as those involved in Casey’s<br />

development reflect on the scrum-half’s rise to<br />

international rugby.<br />

Gerry Casey is in the unique position of not only<br />

being Craig’s father but he also played a major<br />

role in his development as he coached his son<br />

during the early days out in Coonagh with<br />

Shannon RFC and also in Ardscoil Rís where<br />

his son represented the school at Junior and<br />

Senior Cup level.<br />

Gerry, who is a <strong>Rugby</strong> Development Officer<br />

(RDO) with the province, explains it’s difficult<br />

to remember a time when Craig wasn’t running<br />

around the pitches out in Coonagh with a<br />

ball in hand, the love of the sport was clearly<br />

demonstrated by his son from an early age.<br />

“Like any Dad, it’s great when any of your<br />

children have an interest that you have. From<br />

day dot, Craig was running around with a ball.<br />

As usual, going out to Coonagh, because you’re<br />

involved in rugby, you’re asked to give a hand.<br />

I started with the Minis and Craig wanted to go<br />

out when he was really young so he was running<br />

around having a ball!”<br />

Former Shannon scrum-half and club captain<br />

Fiach O’Loughlin recalls seeing a young Craig<br />

“always with a ball” during his playing days and<br />

it comes as no surprise to the <strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong><br />

Coach & Player Development Officer that the<br />

21-year-old has arrived at the international stage.<br />

Shannon, as Fiach explains, also provided a<br />

nurturing environment for Casey to develop<br />

from a young age.<br />

“It’s absolutely brilliant. I think Craig had over<br />

100 Dads, not just Gerry when he was growing<br />

up. He was like a kid to all of us from being<br />

around all the time. Shannon is such a fantastic<br />

club like that. The minute your four-year-old or<br />

five-year-old boy or girl goes in there, you’re<br />

part of a family straight away. That rugby family<br />

is second to none.”<br />

In the Casey household and the wider family,<br />

there would have been no shortage of role<br />

models for Craig to look up to. His father was a<br />

talented rugby player in his own right while his<br />

uncle, Mossy Lawler, represented <strong>Munster</strong> on<br />

65 occasions. His mother, Sinead, represented<br />

Ireland in gymnastics while his sister, Aimee,<br />

also received national honours in gymnastics.<br />

This environment and also the fact that Casey<br />

analysed the sport from an early age are two<br />

28 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


contributing factors to his rise according to<br />

Shannon assistant coach, Pat Brown.<br />

“I see so many similarities between him and<br />

Gerry, Brendan Foley and Axel. Because it was<br />

the exact same kind of thing. When all the other<br />

kids were out playing football on the street,<br />

whatever, they were watching videos. They<br />

were watching matches.<br />

“Gerry was coaching the Shannon senior team<br />

the last time we won the AIL 10 years ago so<br />

he would have grown up around the dressing<br />

room, he would have been a part of it, he would<br />

have been in the dressing room hearing the<br />

pre-match speeches, he would have seen the<br />

celebrations afterwards and that just all seeped<br />

into him. There was no escaping it for him, it<br />

was in the genes.”<br />

Casey’s development continued when he<br />

entered the doors of Ardscoil Rís. The scrumhalf<br />

represented the Limerick school at Junior<br />

Cup in 2015 before playing Senior Cup rugby<br />

in 2016 and 2017, captaining the school and<br />

reaching the semi-final of the <strong>Munster</strong> Schools<br />

Senior Cup in the latter year.<br />

Brown, who coached Craig during his school<br />

years, explains how Casey made an immediate<br />

impression on him and his teammates.<br />

“The first time I came across him as a coach<br />

would have been Junior Cup at Ardscoil Rís. I’d<br />

heard about him before I’d seen him obviously,<br />

seeing him play up close and jeez, he just blew<br />

us all away. Even from then, he was setting<br />

standards. Craig is the kind of guy that when he<br />

comes into a room, he wants to be the best and<br />

even then, from me looking at him, he set the<br />

standards.”<br />

Casey’s development was further enhanced<br />

during this time as he was involved in <strong>Munster</strong><br />

Regional Development Squads. O’Loughlin,<br />

who coached Casey in the <strong>Munster</strong> U18 Schools<br />

squad, was able to see first-hand the level of<br />

commitment that the scrum-half was putting<br />

into his game.<br />

“He would have been involved in our Regional<br />

Development Squads for U16, U17 and U18s<br />

which we start with <strong>Munster</strong> rep squads and<br />

then the <strong>Munster</strong> U18 Schools. So that was<br />

really when I got to see in-depth how he was<br />

committed. What he did on the field and off the<br />

field. What he wanted to know, how he wanted<br />

to develop himself through the skills of the<br />

game, through how we played. He was always<br />

upskilling himself, always wanting to know more<br />

to be ahead of the game. That is a huge trait.”<br />

Casey entered the Greencore <strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong><br />

Academy straight out of school and this<br />

provided the opportunity to represent his club<br />

once again at senior level and it was during his<br />

AIL debut against Trinity that Brown realised the<br />

scrum-half was destined to become a full-time<br />

professional.<br />

“He came off the bench in his first AIL match for<br />

Shannon against Trinity in Trinity and he ran a<br />

line, left everybody for dead and just scooted<br />

in under the posts. To have the balls to do it<br />

and then the speed to back it up, it was just, ‘oh<br />

my god’. It was at that point that I knew he was<br />

definitely going to make it. He just came in after<br />

being capped by the Irish schools, so he was 18<br />

years of age.”<br />

For Gerry, he would have seen first-hand his<br />

son’s development at every step of the journey<br />

and he admits it was around the time of the U20<br />

Six Nations in 2019 and the subsequent World<br />

Cup in Argentina that he realised his son was set<br />

for a successful career in the sport.<br />

“The point that you realise he could make<br />

professional is the U20s because that’s the<br />

proving ground…he had a great campaign<br />

when they won the Grand Slam. But when he<br />

went over to the World Cup you see him against<br />

the best in the world and being on a par with<br />

them and excelling. That’s when you go, ‘God,<br />

he really has a chance to go where he wants to<br />

go with it.'”<br />

Gerry explains that seeing Craig run out for the<br />

final quarter against Italy to make his Ireland<br />

debut means “absolutely everything.”<br />

There have been many firsts in different jerseys<br />

in recent times; first caps, first tries, first squad<br />

inclusions. Although this signals the beginning<br />

of a new chapter, Gerry can still reflect on the<br />

cherished memories which led to this point and<br />

most importantly how he was able to witness,<br />

every step of the way, his son’s rise.<br />

“Looking back, it was just really enjoyable being<br />

with him all the time and seeing him develop.<br />

Seeing, not only the rugby player he turned<br />

into but the person on and off the pitch, you<br />

maybe don’t get a chance to see when you’re<br />

not involved in sport working with your kids. It<br />

was really enjoyable.”<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

29


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30 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


VIRTUAL MUNSTER MASCOTS<br />

DANIEL O’SULLIVAN<br />

Age: 8<br />

School: Carrigboy NS, Durrus,<br />

Bantry, Co. Cork<br />

Hobbies: <strong>Rugby</strong>, soccer, football,<br />

swimming, meeting with his friends<br />

and generally having fun!<br />

Favourite players: Fineen Wycherley<br />

& Darren Sweetnam<br />

VAN GEE<br />

Age: 5<br />

School: Gaelscoil, Douglas, Cork<br />

Hobbies: <strong>Rugby</strong>, motorcross, swimming,<br />

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MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

31


LYONS<br />

GRASSROOTS TO GREEN JERSEY<br />

Weeks away from the 2021 Women’s Six Nations, Fermoy native<br />

Leah Lyons is welcoming a return to action after the unpredictable<br />

nature of the pandemic has seen the tournament pushed to April<br />

this year.<br />

Currently lining out for Harlequins in London, where the league<br />

is up and running, Leah’s journey began however in Fermoy<br />

RFC where she played rugby from the age of six alongside her<br />

twin brother while her father, Michael, was a coach in the area.<br />

Benefitting first-hand from the tireless work of the<br />

volunteers in her club, when she reached the U13<br />

age-grade, her father and other volunteers at the<br />

club set up a female underage programme so<br />

that the Belhooly native and other girls in the<br />

area could continue their development.<br />

“I started when I was six or seven in<br />

Fermoy RFC,” Lyons said.<br />

“My Dad was a coach and I played<br />

with my twin brother so the two<br />

of us went up through the agegrade<br />

system in Fermoy and<br />

then when I was 13, obviously<br />

I couldn’t play with the boys<br />

anymore so Dad and a few<br />

other of the men who had<br />

daughters who thought they would<br />

enjoy playing rugby decided to set up<br />

Fermoy Lionesses.<br />

32 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


“So that was the underage set up that was there.<br />

So, from then, 13-18, we had an underage set up<br />

and, in the meantime, they decided to set up a<br />

women’s section also. So, the women’s team of<br />

the Fermoy Lionesses. So, I played along with<br />

them for two or three years and then decided<br />

I wanted to take another step up and I joined<br />

Highfield in Cork, so a Division 1 team to play at<br />

the highest level.”<br />

In Leah’s case and like many underage players in<br />

<strong>Munster</strong>, she volunteered at her club and it was<br />

during these times that she was able to develop<br />

relationships with her “superstars”.<br />

“When I was younger, the <strong>Munster</strong> women’s<br />

team used to always train down in Fermoy and<br />

my parents were big involved. Just helping out<br />

– opening up facilities, getting tackle bags out<br />

– it would have been the era when Fiona Steed<br />

was coaching, so quite some time ago. It was<br />

when Amanda Greensmith, Marie Barrett…<br />

Niamh Briggs was just starting out as a young<br />

kid coming into it. But we would go down, we’d<br />

be making food for them.<br />

“It builds a culture around <strong>Munster</strong> as well that<br />

everybody wants to see everyone achieve to<br />

the highest ability. Then see how far they can<br />

keep it going.”<br />

The confirmation of the fixtures for 2021<br />

Women’s Six Nations championship has been<br />

a real boost according to Lyons:<br />

“It’s the one date that everyone’s been waiting<br />

to hear and waiting until we get back playing<br />

rugby because it’s been such a long time since<br />

we played anything internationally-wise.<br />

“Our last match was against Italy in October.<br />

We’re not used to having a January or February<br />

off. It’s quite strange. It’s amazing to get the<br />

fixtures back and I think the new format will<br />

work out really well.”<br />

“Seeing your superstars walk around you and<br />

being like, ‘Oh, do you know this?’ It was really<br />

great at that age just to see that, be involved.<br />

Even if it was just making soup at a clubhouse<br />

and just handing it to them to finally<br />

being able to join them. Just<br />

having them as mentors<br />

and coaches in the<br />

underage setup.<br />

“I have a good<br />

connection<br />

with Fiona<br />

Steed, Amanda<br />

Greensmith and<br />

Marie Barrett. I’ve always been on to<br />

them and they’ve always been great throughout<br />

the years of rugby. They’ve always been a great<br />

influence and they’ve always pushed me and<br />

wanted to see me succeed. That’s something<br />

that always put me in a good place.<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

33


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RUGBY DEVELOPMENT NEWS<br />

AGE-GRADE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME<br />

The <strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong> Age-Grade Regional<br />

Development programme has been up and<br />

running since January with over 200 players<br />

from U16-U19 from the male and female game<br />

working at home through weekly training plans,<br />

Zoom fitness sessions and fun challenges.<br />

Under the current restrictions, the development<br />

team adapted its traditional regional programme<br />

to create online versions so that players can<br />

continue their progress under the current<br />

restrictions.<br />

The programme runs concurrently with seven<br />

boys and five girls groups throughout the<br />

province. Their weekly optional programme<br />

includes 2-3 rugby sessions to do at home,<br />

2-3 conditioning sessions and intermittent<br />

challenges or skills tests. The players are also<br />

invited to weekly Zoom meetings with their<br />

coaches to discuss many aspects of the game<br />

which also include online fitness sessions with<br />

their S&C coach.<br />

The programme is designed to replicate the<br />

holistic player development approach exercised<br />

by the <strong>Rugby</strong> Development Department,<br />

supporting players’ development while also<br />

assisting them to remain active during the<br />

current lockdown.<br />

The proportion of individual technical rugby<br />

skills and athletic development is very well<br />

balanced and areas such as games-based<br />

coaching, mental health and well-being,<br />

nutrition and performance analysis are also<br />

being covered.<br />

The development team of coach and player<br />

development officers, rugby development<br />

officers, women’s development officers and<br />

CCRO strength and conditioning staff, together<br />

with technical skills development coach Mike<br />

Pettman, continue to design and deliver the<br />

program during this current lockdown to ensure<br />

players are rugby ready when the opportunity<br />

to get back on pitch arises.<br />

South <strong>Munster</strong> CPDO, Owen Mullowney said:<br />

“This period has been very challenging for<br />

all the players, but it is very evident from our<br />

engagements how the players are learning new<br />

skills and coping mechanisms by learning to be<br />

self-disciplined and self-motivated during these<br />

unusual times.<br />

“We are dealing with a totally new environment<br />

and I believe these skills will definitely stand to<br />

the players and coaches when we get back on<br />

the pitch.”<br />

36 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


100 JERSEYS OF MUNSTER ON DISPLAY IN THOMOND PARK<br />

100 clubs and schools’ jerseys submitted<br />

from around the province are now on display<br />

in Thomond Park as part of <strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong>'s<br />

#JerseysOf<strong>Munster</strong> campaign.<br />

As lockdown measures continue and everyone<br />

plays their part in the fight against Covid-19<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong> called on the clubs and schools<br />

to feature at the Limerick venue.<br />

The clubs and schools are central to every<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> squad that takes to the pitch, and this<br />

initiative further highlights the importance of<br />

grassroots rugby during these challenging<br />

times.<br />

Commenting on the campaign, Head of <strong>Rugby</strong><br />

Development, Colm McMahon, said: "We invited<br />

the clubs and schools of <strong>Munster</strong> to submit a<br />

jersey to put on display for our home games so<br />

that we could highlight the importance of their<br />

role in the very fabric of <strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong>.<br />

"The response has been excellent and the<br />

presence of 100 jerseys to-date is testament to<br />

everyone's support and help in delivering this<br />

campaign.<br />

and feedback, and we believe this a great visual<br />

representation of our connection with our clubs<br />

and schools."<br />

With further home fixtures confirmed for the<br />

coming weeks against <strong>Scarlets</strong>, Benetton, and<br />

Toulouse, jerseys are still welcome from those<br />

who would like to take part.<br />

HOW TO TAKE PART:<br />

Please send a clean club or school jersey,<br />

preferably in Large or X-Large, with your<br />

contact details to the following address:<br />

FAO Jerseys of <strong>Munster</strong><br />

93 O’Connell Street<br />

Limerick City<br />

Co. Limerick<br />

V94 R23V<br />

Please inform Aidan Cleary when you send your<br />

jersey for display, or likewise, if you have any queries,<br />

please email aidancleary@munsterrugby.ie<br />

"We are hugely grateful for everyone's effort<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

37


STAND UP<br />

AND FIGHT<br />

Cara O'Sullivan<br />

38 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


MUNSTER RUGBY<br />

SUPPORTERS CLUB<br />

News<br />

We were delighted to see the response from our Junior MRSC members who sent in letters of<br />

support to the players over the last couple of weeks. For tonight’s game we are featuring Isabelle<br />

O’Halloran’s wonderful message to Billy Holland. Keep an eye on the MRSC social accounts as<br />

we will be featuring more of these great letters from our members in the coming weeks.<br />

Meet my new puppy called Billie.<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

39


40 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


GET INVOLVED<br />

FOLLOW<br />

ALL THE<br />

ACTION<br />

@PRO14Official<br />

@PRO14Official<br />

@PRO14Official<br />

@PRO14<strong>Rugby</strong><br />

@PRO14<strong>Rugby</strong><br />

@PRO14<strong>Rugby</strong><br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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42 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


CRONIN<br />

JAMES<br />

Age: 30<br />

Position: Prop<br />

Season Appearances: 12<br />

Tries: 1<br />

Passes completed: 13<br />

Carries: 51<br />

Tackles: 70<br />

Turnovers: 6<br />

Clean breaks: 3<br />

Metres: 79<br />

James Cronin was a try scorer against Connacht last weekend in an eye-catching performance for<br />

the dynamic prop. He has made 12 appearances this season – 10 of which in the starting line up.<br />

The former Academy Player of the Year made his senior debut against Leinster in April 2013 and<br />

has accumulated 138 caps over nine seasons. The Ballincollig man returned to action last month<br />

against Edinburgh after rehabbing a knee injury picked up against Leinster in January.<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK1<br />

43


RECOVER LIKE A PRO<br />

Supporting the Red Army<br />

On & Off the Field<br />

Available in Leading Pharmacies Nationwide<br />

PROUDLY SUPPORTING MUNSTER RUGBY<br />

Medicare First Aid and Physiologix Sports Supports are<br />

the official medical supplies and sport support partner to<br />

<strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Rugby</strong><br />

@Medicarefirstaid<br />

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@Physiologix_<br />

44 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


FIXTURES & RESULTS 2020/21<br />

Date Fixture Venue<br />

Sat 3 Oct <strong>Scarlets</strong> 27-30 <strong>Munster</strong> Parc y <strong>Scarlets</strong><br />

Sat 10 Oct <strong>Munster</strong> 25-23 Edinburgh <strong>Rugby</strong> Thomond Park<br />

Mon 26 Oct <strong>Munster</strong> 38 - 27 Cardiff Blues Thomond Park<br />

Sun 1 Nov Dragons 16 - 28 <strong>Munster</strong> Rodney Parade<br />

Sun 15 Nov <strong>Munster</strong> 38-22 Ospreys Thomond Park<br />

Mon 23 Nov Glasgow Warriors 13-27 <strong>Munster</strong> Scotstoun Stadium<br />

Mon 30 Nov <strong>Munster</strong> 52-3 Zebre <strong>Rugby</strong> Club Thomond Park<br />

Sun 13 Dec <strong>Munster</strong> 21-7 Harlequins Thomond Park<br />

Sat 19 Dec Clermont Auvergne 31-39 <strong>Munster</strong> Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin<br />

Sat 02 Jan Ulster 15-10 <strong>Munster</strong> Kingspan Stadium<br />

Sat 09 Jan Connacht 10-16 <strong>Munster</strong> The Sportsground<br />

Sat 23 Jan <strong>Munster</strong> 10-13 Leinster Thomond Park<br />

Sat 30 Jan Benetton <strong>Rugby</strong> 16-18 <strong>Munster</strong> Stadio Comunale Monigo<br />

Sat 20 Feb Edinburgh 10-22 <strong>Munster</strong> Murrayfield Stadium<br />

Fri 26 Feb Cardiff Blues 11-20 <strong>Munster</strong> Cardiff Arms Park<br />

Fri 5 Mar <strong>Munster</strong> 20-17 Connacht Thomond Park<br />

Fri 12 Mar | 8pm <strong>Munster</strong> v <strong>Scarlets</strong> Thomond Park<br />

Fri 19 Mar | 6pm <strong>Munster</strong> v Benetton <strong>Rugby</strong> Thomond Park<br />

Sat 27 Mar Leinster v <strong>Munster</strong> Guinness PRO14 Final<br />

Gilbert x <strong>Munster</strong> <strong>Programme</strong> Advert_165x12mm_5mm Bleed.pdf 1 06/10/2020 10:07<br />

Apr 2/3/4 <strong>Munster</strong> v Stade Toulousain Heineken Champions Cup<br />

MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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46 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE


FULL MATCH REPLAYS<br />

NOW AVAILABLE<br />

WITH XTRA<br />

MEMBERSHIP.<br />

SIGN UP FOR FREE AT<br />

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MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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MUNSTER v SCARLETS | 12.03.21 | THOMOND PARK<br />

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