Munster Rugby v Benetton Rugby Match Programme
Guinness PRO14 Round 16 | Find out all you need to know ahead of Munster v Benetton. Read what Forwards Coach Graham Rowntree and utility back Liam Coombes had to say in the build up to the game. We have an interview with Ireland Women's international Anna Caplice on her successful rugby pathway from Mallow RFC. We also caught up with Women’s Committee Chairperson Wendy Keenan recently to discuss the development of the female game in the province and her hopes for the future once on-pitch activity returns.
Guinness PRO14 Round 16 | Find out all you need to know ahead of Munster v Benetton.
Read what Forwards Coach Graham Rowntree and utility back Liam Coombes had to say in the build up to the game.
We have an interview with Ireland Women's international Anna Caplice on her successful rugby pathway from Mallow RFC.
We also caught up with Women’s Committee Chairperson Wendy Keenan recently to discuss the development of the female game in the province and her hopes for the future once on-pitch activity returns.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
THE INSIDE<br />
TRACK<br />
GRAHAM ROWNTREE<br />
On his reaction to CJ’s retirement<br />
announcement earlier this week…<br />
“What a loss. Gutted. So sorry to see him go.<br />
Delighted he’s doing it on his terms. There’s<br />
plenty of rugby for him to play before he does<br />
it. What a shock to us all. Great bloke. Great<br />
rugby player, but great bloke more importantly.<br />
We’ll miss him around here. Literally some big<br />
shoes to fill. It’s day in day out. Every session he<br />
empties the tank. Every game he usually plays<br />
80 minutes. He gives his all every session. He<br />
is such a good guy around the place. Humble,<br />
professional but warm as well. He loves a bit<br />
of craic, as everyone does here. He’ll be a<br />
big character to replace. I can’t speak highly<br />
enough about the bloke. He’s one of the best<br />
guys I’ve worked with.”<br />
On losing two big characters after Billy<br />
announced his retirement also recently…<br />
“Big characters. Both guys I’ve grown to really<br />
like having admired them play from afar. I got<br />
to work with CJ on the last Lions Tour. Getting<br />
to know Billy, and how he operates…they are<br />
great for the young lads and will be tough to<br />
replace. But what we are finding is that we are<br />
developing some guys who are able to replace<br />
them.”<br />
On last weekend's win over Scarlets…<br />
“I was delighted with the performance. We<br />
targeted areas where we wanted to try and<br />
establish ourselves, get a foothold in the game.<br />
I was really pleased for Joey. He’s had his<br />
frustrations for the last year, 18 months, and<br />
also some of the young lads that are getting<br />
game as well. I thought Alex Kendellen was<br />
fantastic off the bench, he had to come on early<br />
on. All round, job done last Friday night and<br />
then we move on to this one.”<br />
On how some of the younger players have<br />
developed this season…<br />
“They’ve done well. They are missing game<br />
time. They are missing the AIL. With that in mind<br />
we’ve had them training with us as much as<br />
possible, every day. If you think about it, they’ve<br />
been training with us on deck every day. They’re<br />
doing live maul, lineouts, lineout competition,<br />
live scrum. They are getting as much live<br />
practice day in day out. That’s developed them.<br />
What we have found is that when we put in the<br />
youngsters, they are delivering. That pulls along<br />
all the other youngsters as well. Now is the time<br />
to really trust our squad and bring these guys in<br />
and let them play.”<br />
10 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
Change language