v CONNACHT | FRI 14 MAY 2021 | THOMOND PARK | 6PM
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
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READY
TO Rise
Again
A thousand voices.
A thousand places.
One club.
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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
are few of our newer players who have yet to
experience the atmosphere of a full Thomond
Park, something that both players and all the
Munster faithful are really looking forward to.
I know I speak for you all when I wish Johann,
all the coaching team and the entire squad the
best of luck in tonight’s game.
This evening we welcome Andy Friend and his
team to Thomond Park for this Round 3 game
in the Rainbow Cup.
Connacht got off to a great start in this series
with an away win over Ulster in Round 1 but
suffered a loss to Leinster last weekend at
the Sportsground. Munster on the other hand
have two from two after their impressive
performance and win against Ulster last Friday
night.
All interpro games are important but this one
is a little more significant. For Connacht, a win
would put them back in the mix at the top end of
the table, while for Munster a home win could
keep them in top spot, but that will depend
on the result from the Benetton v Zebre game
tomorrow night. It is all to play for and it’s a
game that deserves a full Thomond Park crowd.
For the moment, it is only the 1400+ portraits
and all the club and school jerseys in the stand
that will be there. The day is hopefully getting
ever nearer to when we will be there in person
once again. It is hard to believe that there
Over the last short while, pictures of our young
and thankfully now the not so young players
out training is really positive. While there is a bit
to go yet, hopefully we are on the home straight
and normality resumes sometime soon. In the
meantime, keep doing the right things, abide by
the guidelines and we will get there.
Our congratulations to Conor Murray and
Tadhg Beirne on their Lions selection and to
all our Munster players involved in the Ireland
U20s and 7s series.
Our sympathies and thoughts to the family
of Martin Breen who sadly passed away
last week. Martin from Waterpark RFC was
President of the Munster Branch in 1998/99.
May he rest in peace.
Once again, our thanks to our main sponsor
Bank of Ireland, our kit supplier adidas and all
our sponsors for their continued support.
Stay strong, stay positive and stay safe.
Seán 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
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
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MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
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MUNSTER v CONNACHT
Munster and Benetton will put their 100 per cent records on the line this week as the Guinness PRO14
Rainbow Cup prepares for an action-packed Round 3.
The Irish side and Italian challengers are the
only two northern section teams with unbeaten
records after two matches, opening a threepoint
gap on their closest rivals the Dragons.
Munster host Connacht at Thomond Park on
Friday while Benetton are in derby mode again
when they play at home to Zebre 24 hours later.
Munster have lost just once in their last five
matches on home soil - against Heineken
Champions Cup opponents Toulouse.
Connacht launched their Rainbow Cup
campaign with an impressive 26-24 victory over
RAINBOW CUP ROUND 3 PREVIEW
Ulster but they have not won successive away
games since February and gone more than
three years since last beating Munster.
Elsewhere, Leinster and Ulster face off in
Dublin tonight, Cardiff Blues and Scarlets play
tomorrow afternoon followed by Benetton v
Zebre and Edinburgh v Glasgow Warrior. On
Sunday, Dragons play Ospreys.
The competition's intensity is underlined by the
fact that 10 of the 12 northern sides have won at
least one game, with only Zebre and Ulster yet
to get off the mark.
Gavin Coombes
powers through
the Ulster defence
POS TEAM PL W D L PF PA DIFF TF TA TB LB Points
1 Munster Rugby 2 2 0 0 65 13 52 9 1 1 0 9
2 Benetton Rugby 2 2 0 0 71 39 32 9 5 1 0 9
3 Dragons 2 1 0 1 68 49 19 8 7 1 1 6
4 Ospreys 2 1 0 1 42 36 6 6 3 1 0 5
5 Leinster Rugby 2 1 0 1 53 48 5 8 5 1 0 5
6 Scarlets 2 1 0 1 54 58 -4 6 7 1 0 5
7 Glasgow Warriors 2 1 0 1 48 65 -17 7 9 1 0 5
8 Connacht Rugby 2 1 0 1 47 74 -27 6 12 1 0 5
9 Edinburgh Rugby 2 1 0 1 43 47 -4 6 6 0 0 4
10 Cardiff Blues 2 1 0 1 31 52 -21 4 7 0 0 4
11 Zebre Rugby Club 2 0 0 2 38 49 -11 4 6 0 2 2
12 Ulster Rugby 2 0 0 2 34 64 -30 5 10 1 1 2
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Mike Haley is
presented with the
Guinness Player of
the Match award by
Peter O'Mahony after
the Ulster game last
weekend
HEAD TO HEAD
Munster wins
32 5 1
Connacht wins
Draw
Abraham Papali’i
in action last
weekend
MATCH FACTS
• Munster’s only defeat at Thomond Park in
their last five matches was to Toulouse in
the Round of 16 of the European Champions
Cup.
• Connacht Rugby’s only win in their last six
matches was 26-24 at Ulster in the opening
round of the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup.
• Connacht have not won successive away
games since February.
• Munster have won their last seven matches
against Connacht since Connacht’s 20-16
victory at the Sportsground in October 2017.
• Connacht have won only once at Thomond
Park since 1986: 18-12 in November 2015.
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
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MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
9
THE INSIDE
TRACK
JOHANN VAN GRAAN
On the performances over the last few weeks…
“Feather in the cap of all players and management
involved. We didn’t change so much, we entered
the Champions Cup to do very well, the same with
the PRO14, we lost in that final, we lost against a
very good Toulouse team in an excellent game of
rugby. We were just short in the end. Everybody
just knuckled down, and we just stuck to our
processes. I thought we really played well in our
last two games. Now it showed on the scoreboard,
that win against Leinster away and I was very
happy with our performance on Friday night
against a very good Ulster side.”
On the most satisfying part of the win last
weekend from a coaching perspective?
“It is nice to get a complete performance. I thought
our mindset was very good going into the game.
We conceded that penalty to go down 3-0 but
we stuck to the processes, we converted our
opportunities. I thought our breakdown work was
excellent on both sides of the ball. That’s a big part
of our DNA and it is something we will keep going
back to. I thought some of our phase attack and
some of our options were very, very good. The one
thing that we shouldn’t miss if you look at our last
two games is our defence. We conceded 3 points
against Leinster and 10 points against Ulster. So in
our last two games against two sides in the PRO14
who also won 14/16 in the league phase, the same
as ourselves. We conceded 13 points in the last
160 minutes so, a lot to be positive about from
a coaches’ perspective or from a coaching staff
perspective. We made nine changes to the team.
We will make some changes to the team again this
weekend and once we know what’s happening to
the rest of the tournament, we will keep backing our
squad. We said as a group before this competition
is we can only control our performance and would
like to perform in this part of the season, and let’s
keep backing the squad. All credit to the players
they got stuck into every training session and we
have had two really good games and now we have
another interpro coming up.”
On playing Connacht this evening…
“We just keep focussing on ourselves and we
would like to perform again on Friday evening.
I know the games against Connacht have been
really tough over the last season. We were up by
quite a bit in the Sportsground just after Christmas
and they came back. I think we finished the game
with 13 men on our own goal line. The next game
we saw as a quarter final at Thomond Park - I think
it was at the end of February if I’m not mistaken.
That was really tight with a few minutes to go so
it’s another interpro. There’s a lot of pride at stake.
If we look at the competition, a lot of sides are still
in this competition. If it’s only going to be 5 rounds,
you can’t afford to lose twice. So obviously they
have got a lot to play for and so have we, so we are
really looking forward to Friday night. But it’s still a
time of Covid and for us it’s great to play another
game of rugby. The conditions have been good
over the last two games and hopefully we can get
another good game on Friday night with some
good conditions.”
10 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
CRAIG CASEY
On having the opportunity to learn from Conor
Murray and the reaction to his Lions selection…
“Obviously, he’s buzzing, it’s great for the club, for
himself and Tadhg to be with the Lions. I know it’s
Mur’s third tour which is an incredible achievement
for him in fairness. It’s a credit to the work he puts
in. He has been buzzing for the last week obviously.
I thought he did a very good job on Friday night, he
put the Lions announcement past him and played
well. Learning off him for the past few years has
been great. I keep coming back to this - when I was
coming out of school, I knew I needed to work on
my kicking game and who better to have the best
kicking 9 in the world to work off so, he has given
me a lot of tips. It’s a competitive environment…
I’m always trying to up him and he’s always trying
to up me, same with Nick (McCarthy), Patsy
(Patterson) and Ethan (Coughlan) at the minute
so it’s been great, a competitive environment is
brilliant so like I’ve said it’s been class.”
bounds being able to play quicker from the fitness
and lockdown and stuff. It has been good.”
On how Munster are playing at the moment…
“I think it shows the resolve in the squad that we
have bounced back from the two defeats, they
were very disappointing obviously. I think it has
been good to bounce back the last two games
against tough oppositions, Leinster and Ulster. I
just think it clicked the last two weeks to be honest.
I think we have been building nicely over the last
few months. Our attack has been going well so I
think we have showed that in the last two weeks
definitely, scoring over 60 points. So yeah, we are
taking our opportunities.”
On his strengths as a player…
“I like to play with a massive tempo. My passing
game is probably what I call my point of difference,
so I like to whip out passes and play at high tempo
and try and make decisions at a high pace. That’s
probably what I would base my game around.”
On his ambition to get more game time in the
Irish jersey in light of the announcement of
summer fixtures…
“100%, it’s definitely a goal of mine to be involved
in those two games and make the most out of them
but I think my focus lies on this weekend and the
games coming up because I have to play my best
to even get on the squad. So I’m looking forward
to the next few games hopefully putting a run of
a few games together and potentially getting on
that squad.”
On how his game has progressed over the past
year…
“I think it has come on leaps and bounds.
Obviously, we went into lockdown, it was
definitely a chance to work on my fitness and
my robustness. I think the first lockdown helped
me put on a bit of robustness and put games
together and once you’re playing back-to-back, the
consistency comes and you’re more confident out
on the field and things happen. I think it has come
on leaps and bounds. Steve as well has given me
lots of tips, a few ‘work-ons’ that I needed to bring
into my game, so I think it has come on leaps and
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
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MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
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NEWSROUND
RAINBOW CUP FIXTURES CONFIRMED
The remaining fixtures for the Northern and Southern Rainbow Cup competitions have been put
in place with kick-off times and broadcast details confirmed.
Following Friday night’s fixture against Connacht,
Munster will face Cardiff Blues at Thomond Park
on Friday, May 28 at 7.35pm before a clash away
to Zebre on Friday, June 11 (6pm Irish time).
Across the remaining five rounds of action, four
will see action taking place in both hemispheres
as with fixtures taking place every week right
through the weekend of June 12.
Meanwhile the South African sides will play a
total of six games across seven weeks and take
a bye weekend on May 28. Supporters in Ireland
and Britain can watch all the Rainbow Cup SA
action on eir Sport and Premier Sports.
Teams in the northern Guinness PRO14 Rainbow
Cup will play a total of five games across six
rounds prior to the final while teams previously
scheduled to host a South African team will
receive a bye week between Rounds 4 to 6.
IRELAND 7S SQUADS
ANNOUNCED
Munster’s Amee Leigh Murphy-Crowe, Emily
Lane and Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird are in action
this weekend for the Ireland 7s team at the
International Rugby 7s where they will go head
to head with the hosts Great Britain and France.
Munster’s Alex Kendellen, Conor Phillips
and Jack Crowley have been selected for the
Ireland Men’s 7s squad playing at the same
event in St. George’s Park. The side continue
their preparations for the World Rugby Sevens
Repechage event and were this week drawn in
Pool A alongside Samoa, Tonga, Zimbabwe and
Mexico for the repechage in Monaco. The final
qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games
takes place on 19-20 June.
Emily Lane
Mike Haley and JJ Hanrahan in action
against Cardiff in February
IRELAND U20s CONTINUE SIX
NATIONS PREPARATION
Ireland U20s continue their preparation for the
postponed 2021 Six Nations with a three-day
camp at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre in
Dublin.
A group of 37 players participated in the
camp as preparations for the postponed 2021
Six Nations Championships begin to take
shape. The coaching group of Richie Murphy,
Denis Leamy, Colm Tucker and Tom Tierney
oversaw five pitch sessions and off-field team
organisational work.
Munster players in attendance:
Mark Donnelly (Garryowen FC) NTS
Alan Flannery (Shannon RFC) NTS
John Forde (Cork Constitution FC) Munster PTS
Jack Kelleher (UCC RFC) Munster PTS
Aaron Leahy (CBC) NTS
Daniel Okeke (Shannon RFC) NTS
Jamie Shanahan (Garryowen FC) Munster PTS
Cian Whooley (UCC RFC) Munster PTS
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK 15
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GREENCORE MUNSTER
RUGBY ACADEMY NEWS
It has been a busy past month for the Greencore Munster Rugby Academy.
Ian Costello was appointed to the role of
Academy Manager in April and will return to
the province in the summer having worked in
England for the past five years with Nottingham
and then Wasps. See full details HERE.
We can confirm that former Munster player
Andi Kyriacou also rejoins the province as Elite
Player Development Officer (Forwards). Andi
has previously coached at Cardiff Blues, Sale
Sharks, Russia Rugby and Nottingham.
Ben Healy made a further two appearances for
the senior side over the past month and has
now featured in 16 of Munster’s 22 games so
far this season.
There have been 43 senior appearances for
Academy players across the Guinness PRO14,
Champions Cup and Rainbow Cup in the 2020/21
campaign.
Academy trio Jack
Crowley, Alex
Kendellen and Conor
Phillips have been
training with the
Ireland 7s team and
have been named
in their squad for this weekend’s International
Rugby 7s tournament. See full details HERE.
On the injury front, Eoin O’Connor (knee), John
Hodnett (achilles), James French (hamstring),
Jonathan Wren (hamstring), Cian Hurley
(thumb), Scott Buckley (knee) and Thomas
Ahern (knee) are continuing to rehab.
The future continues to be bright with an
expected highest representation of academy
graduates in over eight years in the squad next
season with 66% of the senior squad having
come through the ranks.
Fifteen players commenced the 2020/21 season
with two additional players, Cian Hurley and
Conor Phillips, joining in January 2021. See the
full Academy squad HERE.
Nine players from the current group will advance
to senior contracts ahead of the 2021/22 season
– Thomas Ahern, Jack Crowley, Jack Daly, Jake
Flannery, James French, Seán French, Ben
Healy, John Hodnett and Josh Wycherley.
Eoghan Clarke has completed his time with the
academy and linked up with Championship side
Jersey Reds at the end of March.
Seven academy players made their Guinness
PRO14 debuts this season – Thomas Ahern, Jack
Crowley, Jack Daly, Seán French, Cian Hurley,
Alex Kendellen and Josh Wycherley. Young
prop Wycherley also made his Champions Cup
debut this season.
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
19
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THE LOWDOWN
THE FORM GUIDE
Connacht had a strong start to their interpro
clash with Leinster at the Sportsground last
Saturday night, leading 16-0 early in the first
half after Caolin Blade and Peter Sullivan both
touched down. However, Leinster’s reaction
was fierce, touching down five times in a 20
minute period which put them 33-16 ahead at
the break. Another Sullivan try in the second
half was not enough to stop Leinster with the
visitors winning 21-50.
In Round 1 of the Rainbow Cup, Connacht
impressed in their two point win over Ulster at
Kingspan Stadium with Caolin Blade scoring a
brace of tries and Peter Sullivan’s 80th minute
effort securing the win.
Connacht bowed out of the Challenge Cup
on April 3 last, going down 48-32 to Leicester
Tigers at Welford Road despite tries from Kieran
Marmion, Eoghan Masterson, Alex Wootton
and Paul Boyle and 12 points from the boot of
Jack Carty.
Connacht finished second in Conference B
behind Munster with 8 wins from 16 but scored
the most tries in the conference with 53.
Jack Carty is the club’s top scorer with 115
points in all competitions this season. Alex
Wootton is the top try scorer with 11 tries.
Bundee Aki will represent the province this
summer in South Africa as he was named on
the British & Irish Lions squad last week.
THE COACHING TICKET
We welcome back Andy Friend and his coaching
team to Thomond Park. Friend has been with
the province since 2018 and the Australian
had previous stints with the Waratahs and the
Brumbies. He joined Harlequins in 2005 as
Head Coach where he spent three seasons, and
subsequently returned to the Brumbies as Head
Coach where he remained until 2011. Friend
also worked as a head coach in Japan for four
seasons. On the international stage he worked
as part of Eddie Jones’ Wallabies coaching
team and guided the Australian U21 team to the
final of the World Championships in 2005. Prior
to making the move to Galway, Friend was Head
Coach of the Australian Sevens team. Connacht
recently announced that former Stade Francais
and Grenoble coach Dewal Senekal will join the
province as forwards coach next season.
ONE TO WATCH
Position: Scrum half
Age: 27
Born: Galway
Appearances: 14
Tries: 5
Clean breaks: 11
Metres: 270
Carries: 62
Tackles: 35
*2020/21 PRO14 & RC
CAOLIN BLADE
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
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STEPHEN ARCHER
Prop
29.01.88
H: 1.88m
W: 120.91kg
Hons: Ire (2 caps)
Hooker
06.08.99
H:1.83m
W: 98kg
Hons: Ire U20
DIARMUID BARRON
TADHG BEIRNE
Lock / Back Row
08.01.92
H: 1.98 m
W: 113.18 kg
Hons: Ire (22 caps)
Flanker
15.02.91
H: 1.76 m
W: 98 kg
Hons: ~
CHRIS CLOETE
Back Row
11.12.1997
H: 1.98m
W: 110kg
Hons: Ire U20
GAVIN COOMBES
JAMES CRONIN
Prop
23.11.90
H: 1.80 m
W: 113 kg
Hons: Ire (3 caps)
Lock / Back Row
03.08.85
H: 1.91 m
W: 111 kg
Hons: Ire (1 cap)
BILLY HOLLAND
DAVE KILCOYNE
Prop
14.12.88
H: 1.83 m
W: 112 kg
Hons: Ire (43 caps)
JEAN KLEYN
Lock
26.08.93
H: 2.03 m
W: 125 kg
Hons: Ire (5 caps)
Prop
06.04.99
H: 1.85m
W: 115kg
Hons: ~
KEYNAN KNOX
Prop
22.07.95
H: 1.85 m
W: 120 kg
Hons: Ire U20
JEREMY LOUGHMAN
Hooker
12.10.92
H: 1.84 m
W: 108 kg
Hons: NZ U20
RHYS MARSHALL
Hooker
16.04.91
H: 1.80 m
W: 107 kg
Hons: Ire U19
KEVIN O’BYRNE
Prop
13.07.95
H: 1.78 m
W: 110 kg
Hons: Ire U20
LIAM O’CONNOR
TOMMY O’DONNELL
Back Row
21.05.87
H: 1.85 m
W: 107 kg
Hons: Ire (12 caps)
JACK O’DONOGHUE
Back Row
08.02.94
H: 1.91 m
W: 107 kg
Hons: Ire (2 caps)
PETER O’MAHONY
Back Row
17.09.89
H: 1.91 m
W: 106 kg
Hons: Ire (75 caps)
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
Hons: Ire (23 caps)
Prop
28.10.97
H:1.83m
W: 123.18kg
Hons: USA U20
ROMAN SALANOA
NIALL SCANNELL
Hooker
08.04.92
H: 1.85 m
W: 109 kg
Hons: Ire (20 caps)
RG SNYMAN
Lock
29.01.95
H: 2.06 m
W: 116 kg
Hons: SA (23 caps)
CJ STANDER
Back Row
05.04.90
H: 1.85 m
W: 114 kg
Hons: Ire (51 caps)
Lock
11.12.97
H:1.93 m
W: 111.82 kg
Hons: Ire U20
FINEEN WYCHERLEY
FORWARDS
Munster Rugby Squad - 2020/21 Season
22 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
JOEY CARBERY
Fly Half
01.11.95
H: 1.83 m
W: 85kg
Hons: Ire (22 caps)
Scrum Half
19.04.99
H: 1.65 m
W: 75kg
Hons: Ire (1 cap)
CRAIG CASEY
ANDREW CONWAY
Full Back / Wing
11.07.91
H: 1.80 m
W: 89 kg
Hons: Ire (24 caps)
LIAM COOMBES
Full Back / Wing
01.05.97
H: 1.91m
W: 89 kg
Hons: Ire U20
Scrum Half
08.12.92
H: 1.73 m
W: 83 kg
Hons: Ire Clubs
NEIL CRONIN
Wing / Centre
19.12.96
H: 1.91 m
W: 91 kg
Hons: Ire (1 cap)
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
Hons: Ire (93 caps)
CHRIS FARRELL
Centre
16.03.93
H: 1.93 m
W: 110 kg
Hons: Ire (14 caps)
Full Back
26.10.96
H:1.85m
W: 95 kg
Hons: Eng U20
MATT GALLAGHER
Centre
10.12.94
H: 1.85 m
W: 100 kg
Hons: Ire U20
DAN GOGGIN
Full Back
28.06.94
H: 1.91 m
W: 93 kg
Hons: Ire (1 cap)
MIKE HALEY
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
Hons: Ire (89 caps)
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
Hons: Ire (3 caps)
Wing
05.05.93
H: 1.85 m
W: 95 kg
Hons: Ire (3 caps)
DARREN SWEETNAM
BACKS
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
23
MUNSTER RUGBY
STARTING XV
James Cronin Rhys Marshall John Ryan Jean Kleyn Billy Holland
Gavin Coombes
Peter
O'Mahony (C)
CJ Stander
Craig Casey
Ben Healy
Shane Daly
Damian de
Allende
Dan Goggin
Andrew Conway
Matt Gallagher
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JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Replacements
16. Niall Scannell 17. Dave Kilcoyne 18. Stephen Archer 19. Tadhg Beirne
20. Jack O'Donoghue 21. Conor Murray 22. Joey Carbery 23. Keith Earls
24 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
CONNACHT RUGBY
STARTING XV
Paddy McAllister
Shane Delahunt
Dominic
Robertson-McCoy
Niall Murray
Ultan Dillane
Cian Prendergast
Conor Oliver
Abraham Papali’i
Kieran Marmion
Conor Fitzgerald
Alex Wootton
Tom Daly (C)
Sean O’Brien
Sammy Arnold
John Porch
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)
AR1: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
AR2: Peter Martin (IRFU)
TMO: Joy Neville (IRFU)
Replacements
16. Dave Heffernan 17. Denis Buckley 18. Finlay Bealham 19. Eoghan Masterson
20. Sean Masterson 21. Caolin Blade 22. Jack Carty 23. Peter Sullivan
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
25
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GIVING GIRLS A CHANCE TO TRY
Former Munster player and Ireland international Amanda Greensmith in her current role as the
IRFU’s Women’s Development Manager has reflected on the strides the women’s game has made
in recent years in an interview with Irish Rugby.
Greensmith, who represented Ireland over 20
times and also played for her province for 13
seasons, initially took up a role as Women’s
Community Rugby Officer with Munster in 2010.
During that time, the Ballyhea native experienced
first-hand the growth of girls and women’s rugby
in the province before applying her acquired
knowledge at the national level in her current
role with the IRFU.
“Those years with Munster really generated
huge excitement around the women’s game
for me,” Greensmith said. “When you see first
hand the work being done in clubs and schools,
and the impact that has on young girls, is
remarkable. You remember every conversation
with a teacher, coach or parent when they tell
you one of the girls has come out of their shell
or has never been so engaged with PE or a sport
before, and that’s what it’s all about.
“Being part of the pathways that help players get
into Provincial and National jerseys is of course
fantastic, but there’s also that joy of helping
a person find their fit. Be it at schools, club or
international level. Providing those opportunities
for girls to fulfil whatever their ambition is. That’s
our job.”
The holistic approach to coaching which is
adopted throughout the province at underage
level has yielded dividends in recent years with
many clubs experiencing a growth in numbers in
their respective girls and women’s programmes.
Ennis RFC’s women’s team will be hoping to play
their inaugural competitive match later this year
after their debut season was cut short due to the
pandemic.
Equally as important, the emergence of new role
models at the highest level of the game continue
to act as a source of inspiration for the younger
generation. With the recently concluded 2021
Women’s Six Nations, Cork native Emily Lane
and Tipperary native Amee Leigh Murphy-
Crowe both made their international 15s debuts
while the likes of Dorothy Wall, Eimear Considine
and Ireland captain Ciara Griffin, to name but a
few, continue to perform on the biggest stage.
“You’re always proud of the players who go on
to achieve their ambitions, whether that’s with
their club, their province or with Ireland, but to
give young girls the opportunity to get active
and try rugby is massive.
“The key thing for me is simply
giving someone the chance to
find their sport, or find their fit.
To say, this is where I feel most
comfortable and I’m most
happy. It’s that opportunity to
be around friends, team-mates
and to Give It A Try, because
you just don’t know where it
will take you, and I certainly
didn’t know where rugby
would take me either.”
New programmes have been set up – Dolphin
RFC in Cork City have recently set up a brand
new girls and women’s rugby programme while
If your club is interested in participating in girls’ rugby please contact Munster Rugby
Women’s Development Officer Ken Imbusch at kenimbusch@munsterrugby.ie
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
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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
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
29
RUGBY DEVELOPMENT NEWS
TAG RUGBY RETURNS FOR SUMMER OF FUN
The IRFU Rugby Development Department
have come together with the four provinces to
announce a new strategy for the roll out of tag
rugby in the domestic game.
Now in its 15th year, the IRFU Tag Rugby
programme will be operated at provincial level
in Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster for
the first time. The move is designed to give noncontact
rugby a greater footprint at grassroots
level in 2021 and beyond while strengthening
the relationship between provinces and clubs in
the running of participation programmes. The
IRFU will continue to drive the programme with
training, education and strategic support.
Tag Rugby matches are set to be permitted
again in the Republic of Ireland on June 7, under
the easing of current government restrictions.
Further announcements will be made at
provincial level in the coming weeks with
exciting opportunities for clubs to get involved
and for players to get back on tag rugby pitches.
Rugby clubs around the province got back
in action this week with the announcement
that outdoor training for adults in pods of a
maximum of 15 people could return, including
contact training. Outdoor contact training for
those under the age of 18 in pods of a maximum
of 15 people has also returned.
CONTACT TRAINING RETURNS
As of last Monday, training can be contact,
non-contact or a blend of both. This is strictly
on an opt-in basis and should be based on the
feedback of each individual playing group.
Please note, all clubs and schools who wish to
play structured contact rugby must undergo a
minimum of four weeks of contact readiness
training.
Commercial activities operated by clubs
including bar and cafe facilities are subject to
relevant sector guidelines.
The Kerry Development Squad
in training
30 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
AGE-GRADE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME RESUMES
With the easing of Covid restrictions and the
resumption of underage non-contact sport,
the Rugby Development Department recommenced
the age-grade player development
programme, inviting identified players from
clubs and schools into county training centres.
In total, 12 centres are running across the six
counties in Munster. Speaking about the return,
Coach and Player Development Manager Keith
Murphy said:
“We are delighted to resume our age-grade
player development programme. We have
invited back the 2003-2005 born players who
were with us last summer. Having spent the last
four months doing weekly Zoom meetings and
Individual Conditioning & Skills Programmes at
home, it is great for the players and coaches to
get back on the pitch.”
The player development programme is
designed to support players by focussing on
their technical, tactical and physical capacities
and adding to their holistic rugby experience.
The Munster age-grade player development
pathway commences with U16 players coming
from clubs and schools throughout the province
and delivers programmes at U17 clubs and
schools, U18 clubs and schools, culminating
with an U19 combined squad.
The current programme, which will run across
a six-week period, is based out of 12 venues
throughout the province. The extra venues,
as Murphy explains, is to ensure that a safe
environment is provided to all under the current
government guidelines.
The Rugby Development Department are
currently supporting clubs and schools with
their #ReadyForRugby programmes. If you are
looking for support, please feel free to contact
your designated Rugby Development Officer
or coach and Player Development Officer.
Resources to assist coaches can be accessed
through our coaching site HERE
Sunday’s Well RFC recently announced that
former Munster and Ireland international
Denis Hurley has been appointed as the
club’s new senior head coach.
HURLEY TO LEAD THE WELL
Denis made his final Munster appearance
away to Stade Francais in January 2016
and amassed 166 caps where he helped the
province to a Heineken Cup title in 2008,
PRO12 titles in 2009 and 2011, and a famous
win over Australia at Thomond Park in 2010.
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
31
Visit eirsport.ie to subscribe
32 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
VIRTUAL MUNSTER MASCOTS
CALUM BURKE
Age: 6
School: Firmount NS, Donoughmore, Co. Cork
Hobbies: Reading, colouring, outdoor play
Favourite player: Peter O’Mahony
NATHAN FLYNN
Age: 8
School: Scoil Iosaf, Castlemartyr, Co. Cork
Hobbies: Rugby, cycling, hurling, football
and reading
Favourite players: Peter O’Mahony &
CJ Stander
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
33
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34 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
Gilbert x Munster Programme Advert_165x12mm_5mm Bleed.pdf 1 06/10/2020 10:07
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
35
THE PRIDE OF MUNSTER
Munster’s Tadhg Beirne is set to go on his first Lions tour this summer alongside his Munster and
Ireland teammate Conor Murray, who will tour for the third time with the Lions.
Beirne has enjoyed a superb season for his province and country, picking up three Player of the
Match awards in ten appearances for Munster and capping off an impressive Six Nations campaign
by being nominated for Player of the Tournament. He won two Player of the Match awards and
started all five of Ireland’s games, scoring two tries in the process.
Conor Murray has been in exceptional form this season, showing his class again in recent weeks
with three tries in his last two appearances for Munster.
The 32-year-old Limerick man is just one match away from his 150th appearance for Munster and
one match away from his 90th cap for Ireland. He has played 12 times for the Lions, scoring three
tries. He was the starting scrumhalf for all three test matches in the last tour.
We caught up with Tadhg and Conor shortly after they were announced in Warren Gatland’s squad…
TADHG BEIRNE
“I found out when everybody else found out, I
watched it with Harriet. I remember from last time
watching it they did it alphabetically but when they
said they are doing backs first, I was like, oh I’m
going to have to wait now, and then when they did
the forwards, I was first out, so it was nice to get
announced early in the forwards group, that’s for
sure. I called my Mum, she was on Facetime, well
she was with my sister and they were on Facetime
to both of my sisters over in Australia watching it.
So I rang them, there was a lot of excitement there
and then I rang my Dad straight after.
“It is something you just kind of watch as you are
growing up as a kid and it’s the biggest honour you
could get as a rugby player after playing for your
country. So I’m massively proud and as I’ve said
I’m still a bit in shock you know. I don’t think that
this time last year I would have been anywhere
close to it if they were selecting it, so timing is
everything and I’m delighted to be involved that’s
for sure.
“It wasn’t really on my mind too much at the start
because I was coming back from injury and my
main thing at the start of the season was to just
try get back into the Irish set-up. Then through
the Autumn, I probably wasn’t being selected as
first choice so going into the Six Nations it was
more to just be in the squad and try to get in a
few appearances. But obviously it went different
to that and I managed to start all the games. That’s
what probably put me in this position obviously
alongside playing well for Munster. I wouldn’t
have gotten back into that Irish squad if it wasn’t
for that, so I’ve be pretty lucky in terms of being
able to put in decent performances in big games
and that’s probably why I’ve have the privilege of
being selected for the Lions.
“I don’t think I had ever planned on achieving this
much to be honest. It was just at a certain point it
was just to become a professional rugby player -
make it my occupation and I was lucky to be able
to do that. But to achieve what I have achieved in
the past few years - you know I’ll probably look
back some day and I’ll have to pinch myself to
believe it happened. So at the moment I’m just
going to enjoy it and I can’t wait. For now, my
focus will obviously be on Munster and hopefully
we can finish with a bit of silverware towards the
end of the year.”
36 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
CONOR MURRAY
“I’m very shocked. You obviously think you are
in with a shout. I suppose the time leading up to
it, doubt probably starts to creep in a little bit no
matter how much you think you have a chance,
there’s always that chance that it might go to plan
so. My partner Joanna was in the house and the
dog and everything. So I think my name came out
quite early in the backs announcement.
“I’m over the moon. It’s an incredible feeling. A
bit of relief too because your family are on to you
wondering if you’ve heard anything, and you're
kind of sick of telling them that you don’t know,
you literally don’t know, you find out along with
everyone else. But yeah, it’s an unbelievable
feeling, really, really special time and really
grateful for the opportunity to go and represent
that special club again.
“It’s pretty special to be going to South Africa. We
were there in 2016 with Ireland. Incredibly special
country, rugby mad, world champions. You
know the storyline, it’s going to build up nicely.
Obviously Rassie and Jacques are involved still,
and it will be nice to get reacquainted with them.
I suppose from a personal point of view, having
been on two tours, after the one in New
Zealand in 2017, you’re trying to map it
out, what age you will be and do you
have a chance. There was always that
outside chance. The body feels great, I feel fit,
I feel in form, playing in a great team here with
Munster. I think we are a really happy squad. We
are a really content squad and I think that makes
an awful difference to how you play on the pitch.
You can see it in our performances this season.
So I’m very grateful for that, to be involved in a
club like this and that probably puts you in the
shop window and puts you in with a chance. It’s
incredible to cap it off. And I’m not going to lie, I
really did want to be involved in the third one, it
was a big carrot, and thankfully it went my way.
“With the buzz of the game the day after the
announcement, it was quite hard to refocus the
mind and get ready for a game. I think that was
the most challenging part. You have people
texting you to stay fit, and ‘make sure you don’t
get injured.’ That’s the worst thing to have in your
head. You just have got to go out and play fully and
commit to everything your involved in. We are still
trying to win a cup. We aren’t far off at all. I suppose
as an older Munster player, we have been saying
that for years, ‘We aren’t far off, we aren’t far off’,
but this squad is genuinely really, really close to
achieving something. Especially with the youth
injection, the coaching, the experienced players
we do have. So there is
a nice blend there to do
something special. That’s
the aim at the moment.
We will park everything
else that’s coming down
the line in
the summer
and really
go for this.”
Conor Murray has been
selected for the Lions
for the third time
Tadhg Beirne in action
against Harlequins in
December
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
37
STAND UP
AND FIGHT
38 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
MUNSTER RUGBY
SUMMER CAMPS 2021
Registration is now open for the Bank of Ireland Munster Rugby
Summer Camps, taking place in 22 venues throughout the province.
Summer Camps will be offered on a modified
basis and there will be changes to the rugby
activities offered as necessary in accordance with
Government and HSE guidelines at the time of the
camp.
Our key focus however remains to provide a safe
and fun environment for children and coaches
alike.
VENUES & DATES
Week 1: Mon 5-Fri 9 Jul:
Bandon RFC, Ennis RFC, Garryowen
FC
Week 2: Mon 12-Fri 16 Jul:
Highfield RFC, Tralee RFC
Week 3: Mon 19-Fri 23 Jul:
Castleisland RFC, Dungarvan RFC,
Midleton RFC
Week 4: Mon 26-Fri 30 Jul:
Clanwilliam FC, Cobh Pirates RFC,
Killarney RFC
Week 5: Mon 2-Fri 6 Aug:
Bruff RFC, Kanturk RFC, Kinsale RFC
Week 6: Mon 9-Fri 13 Aug:
Ballincollig RFC, Fermoy RFC, W.I.T.
Carriganore
Week 7: Mon 16-Fri 20 Aug:
Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, Cork;
Nenagh Ormond RFC
Week 8: Mon 23 Aug- Fri 27 Aug:
Muskerry RFC, Old Crescent RFC,
Skibbereen RFC
A daily Covid-19 Health Declaration form must be
completed for all attendees.
The camps will be managed and run by fully
accredited IRFU Mini Rugby coaches. All Summer
Camp staff have undertaken the National Garda
Vetting process required to comply with the IRFU
policy regarding recruitment and vetting to work
in age-grade rugby.
After booking your child’s place you will be
emailed an Information Pack outlining all relevant
details and procedures for attending your camp,
including Covid-19 protocols.
• Camp places are available for boys and girls
from 6 years old to 12 years old.
• Each camp takes place over one week (Monday
through to Friday inclusive) between 9:30am
and 1pm.
• The cost is €80 per child.
All bookings must be completed online. There
will be no walk-in bookings this year. To book your
preferred venue, you will be asked to register with
Easy Payments Plus to ensure secure payment.
Please click here for more details or click the
button below.
For any more information please
contact camps@munsterrugby.ie
Click here for Terms & Conditions
• Each participant will receive an official
Summer Camp Pack comprising an adidas
Summer Camp T-Shirt, draw-string bag and
mouth guard.
MUNSTER v CONNACHT ULSTER | 07.05.21 | 14.05.21 | THOMOND | PARK PARK
39
40 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
GET INVOLVED
FOLLOW
ALL THE
ACTION
@PRO14Official
@PRO14Official
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MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
41
42 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
1
SCANNELL
RORY
Age: 27
Born: Cork
Position: Centre
Season appearances: 17
Tries: 2
Passes: 75
Metres: 239
Tackles: 75
Try assists: 3
Bagging two tries in Munster’s 38-10 win over Ulster last weekend, and setting up Andrew
Conway’s try, it was a good night for Corkman Rory Scannell. He has made 17 appearances in
red this season and is just six matches away from reaching the 150 appearances milestone. Rory
has worked his way up through the ranks, in a career that started in the Munster sub-Academy
before being promoted to the Academy ahead of the 2013/14 season. He made his Munster senior
debut in August 2013 against London Irish. The former Young Player and Academy Player of the
Year won his first Irish senior cap against USA on the 2017 Summer tour. He became the youngest
Munster player to reach 100 Munster appearances at the age of just 25 when starting the March
2019 clash away to Scarlets.
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
43
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PROUDLY SUPPORTING MUNSTER RUGBY
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44 WWW.MUNSTERRUGBY.IE
FIXTURES & RESULTS 2020/21
Date Fixture Venue
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 Thomond Park
Sun 1 Nov Dragons 16 - 28 Munster Rodney Parade
Sun 15 Nov Munster 38-22 Ospreys Thomond Park
Mon 23 Nov Glasgow Warriors 13-27 Munster Scotstoun Stadium
Mon 30 Nov Munster 52-3 Zebre Rugby Club Thomond Park
Sun 13 Dec Munster 21-7 Harlequins Thomond Park
Sat 19 Dec Clermont Auvergne 31-39 Munster Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin
Sat 02 Jan Ulster 15-10 Munster Kingspan Stadium
Sat 09 Jan Connacht 10-16 Munster The Sportsground
Sat 23 Jan Munster 10-13 Leinster Thomond Park
Sat 30 Jan Benetton Rugby 16-18 Munster Stadio Comunale Monigo
Sat 20 Feb Edinburgh 10-22 Munster Murrayfield Stadium
Fri 26 Feb Cardiff Blues 11-20 Munster Cardiff Arms Park
Fri 5 Mar Munster 20-17 Connacht Thomond Park
Fri 12 Mar Munster 28-10 Scarlets Thomond Park
Fri 19 Mar Munster 31-17 Benetton Rugby Thomond Park
Sat 27 Mar Leinster 16-6 Munster The RDS
Sat 3 Apr Munster 33-40 Stade Toulousain Thomond Park
Sat 24 Apr Leinster 3-27 Munster The RDS
Fri 7 May Munster 38-10 Ulster Thomond Park
Fri 14 Mar | 6pm Munster v Connacht Thomond Park
Fri 28 May | 7.35pm Munster v Cardiff Blues Thomond Park
Fri 11 Jun | 6pm (Irish Time) Zebre v Munster Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
JJ Hanrahan is congratulated
by his team mates after
scoring a try against Ulster
last weekend
MUNSTER v CONNACHT | 14.05.21 | THOMOND PARK
45
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MEMBER BENEFITS
SIGN UP NOW AT
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