JUST AS THE stakes start to rise, Jeremy Loughman is beginning to feel stronger in the Munster jersey.
Now in his ninth season with the province, the loosehead prop found himself struggling to hit his stride as the Clayton McMillan era got off to a promising start. Loughman started Munster’s first two URC games but then moved to the bench for the October interpros against Leinster and Connacht.
Now, he has 10 games under his belt – six as a starter – and feels he is starting to show closer to his best form in the red jersey.
“I’d say at the start of the season I probably wouldn’t have been too happy. I think I started slow after last year, missing a lot of time. I was very eager to get back and just pick up where I’d left off before that.
“It was disappointing in that regard, but I feel like in the last few games, in this last block, I’ve really picked up my performance again and started to feel a lot more confident in what I’m putting out there.”
On Sunday, Loughman was part of a strong Munster scrum as the province fell to a last-gasp defeat in Toulon. They flew home frustrated with how they managed some elements of the end-game, but proud of the defensive effort and a solid showing in the scrum – an area identified as a potential point of different for Toulon ahead of the game.
“I think a big one for us was our training throughout that week. That was probably our best week of training in terms of competition that we gave each other and all that. That led into the game and then small bits like our connections as a pack between the front-row and the second-row has definitely come on leaps and bounds. We’re working together as an eight now, rather than a bit more individually.
When you add in someone like an Edwin (Edogbo) or a Jean Kleyn, a big powerful man, and you’re working like that, it does make a big difference then.”
With Ireland facing a potential injury crisis at loosehead, Loughman will hope a good run of form can push him back into the international picture for the upcoming Six Nations.
“I think it would always be in the back of your mind. I think it would be silly not to think about that. I still have aspirations of getting back into camp and playing with Ireland, so I wouldn’t shy away from that.
Advertisement
“I definitely believe if I can put my best foot forward here, nail down the starting position, show that through my performances, then the rest hopefully will take care of itself.
Loughman is on a good run of form. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
“I would think about it, but not too much. I think I’m more focused on here and now. I think if I take care of my performances here, that’ll look after itself.”
Loughman, who was part of Ireland’s 2023 World Cup squad, last featured under Andy Farrell in the successful 2024 Six Nations campaign, coming off the bench in the home win against Italy.
“Once you’re in there and you see, that year we won the Grand Slam. To see the lads do that and to be involved in it, it’s unbelievable for your self-confidence that you’re able to mix it with them.
I only played the one game, so you still have that absolute hunger to get back in and actually be a regular there and add a bit more to the environment.
“You’re itching to get a part. Once you’ve been in there, you realise how great an environment and culture it is in there. You just want to be back.
“It’s so enjoyable. It challenges you in so many different ways. When you come out of there, you always see the advantage of being in there. Players come out and they can add new bits to their game or they have that bit of extra hunger. Being in and around that is always a good thing.”
The 30-year-old feels he has a good sense of what he needs to do to play his way back into consideration with the Ireland coaches.
“Personally, for me, keep pushing the set-piece stuff.
“I feel like it is the strength of my game, and then probably just add that dynamism in attack, so become a bit more of a ball-carrying threat. I feel like I have good skills for a prop and stuff, but when it comes to, especially the way defences are nowadays, and those kind of tighter exchanges against bigger teams, just being able to add that ball-carrying and give myself more of an option. That would be probably a big thing for me in my eyes.”
And yet, Loughman knows not every game will develop into the type of contest where he’ll get the platform to showcase those skills.
“I think that’s the way the system works. Some days you just have those games where the ball always seems in your hand, but especially for me as a tight five forward, I take a lot of pride in having a very good game without touching the ball.
“It’s the kind of unfancy stuff that you don’t see. Maybe you get picked up in here in a video review for getting your breakdown work right and stuff like that. So (it’s about) taking a bit of pride in that.
“Not every game is going to be me carrying the ball a lot, but I can add a lot to the game in terms of my off the ball work, getting around the pitch, hitting breakdowns, getting clear outs defensively, stuff like that. It works when you stay in the system and just some days you get a bit more ball, some days you don’t, but you just kind of roll with it.”
Loughman earned his Champions Cup debut against Castres in 2018. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
This weekend it’s a date with familiar foes Castres, who come up against Munster for the 20th time in European competition. Loughman himself has played the French side three times, including a winning Champions Cup debut in December 2018.
“I got my European debut against them in Thomond Park and then played them the next week over there in Castres. That was an experience anyway.
“We had a good few battles against each other; it’s always going to be a tough, tight game. They are playing some good stuff, a big physical team as well, so it’s always a confrontational challenge.
“They have some big boys there, so they rely a lot on weight and power, and they have some huge power there. We’d look at our drills, say compared to them when we talk about scrum. Usually against a French team, it’s all about how you handle that power game, because they like to suck you into it, into scrum and maul battle, and then those kinds of one-off confrontational carries and stuff around the breakdown.
“It’s about negating that as best we can, and then allowing us to play our game on top of them.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
5 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'I still have aspirations of getting back and playing with Ireland'
JUST AS THE stakes start to rise, Jeremy Loughman is beginning to feel stronger in the Munster jersey.
Now in his ninth season with the province, the loosehead prop found himself struggling to hit his stride as the Clayton McMillan era got off to a promising start. Loughman started Munster’s first two URC games but then moved to the bench for the October interpros against Leinster and Connacht.
Now, he has 10 games under his belt – six as a starter – and feels he is starting to show closer to his best form in the red jersey.
“I’d say at the start of the season I probably wouldn’t have been too happy. I think I started slow after last year, missing a lot of time. I was very eager to get back and just pick up where I’d left off before that.
“It was disappointing in that regard, but I feel like in the last few games, in this last block, I’ve really picked up my performance again and started to feel a lot more confident in what I’m putting out there.”
On Sunday, Loughman was part of a strong Munster scrum as the province fell to a last-gasp defeat in Toulon. They flew home frustrated with how they managed some elements of the end-game, but proud of the defensive effort and a solid showing in the scrum – an area identified as a potential point of different for Toulon ahead of the game.
“I think a big one for us was our training throughout that week. That was probably our best week of training in terms of competition that we gave each other and all that. That led into the game and then small bits like our connections as a pack between the front-row and the second-row has definitely come on leaps and bounds. We’re working together as an eight now, rather than a bit more individually.
With Ireland facing a potential injury crisis at loosehead, Loughman will hope a good run of form can push him back into the international picture for the upcoming Six Nations.
“I think it would always be in the back of your mind. I think it would be silly not to think about that. I still have aspirations of getting back into camp and playing with Ireland, so I wouldn’t shy away from that.
“I definitely believe if I can put my best foot forward here, nail down the starting position, show that through my performances, then the rest hopefully will take care of itself.
“I would think about it, but not too much. I think I’m more focused on here and now. I think if I take care of my performances here, that’ll look after itself.”
Loughman, who was part of Ireland’s 2023 World Cup squad, last featured under Andy Farrell in the successful 2024 Six Nations campaign, coming off the bench in the home win against Italy.
“Once you’re in there and you see, that year we won the Grand Slam. To see the lads do that and to be involved in it, it’s unbelievable for your self-confidence that you’re able to mix it with them.
“You’re itching to get a part. Once you’ve been in there, you realise how great an environment and culture it is in there. You just want to be back.
“It’s so enjoyable. It challenges you in so many different ways. When you come out of there, you always see the advantage of being in there. Players come out and they can add new bits to their game or they have that bit of extra hunger. Being in and around that is always a good thing.”
The 30-year-old feels he has a good sense of what he needs to do to play his way back into consideration with the Ireland coaches.
“Personally, for me, keep pushing the set-piece stuff.
“I feel like it is the strength of my game, and then probably just add that dynamism in attack, so become a bit more of a ball-carrying threat. I feel like I have good skills for a prop and stuff, but when it comes to, especially the way defences are nowadays, and those kind of tighter exchanges against bigger teams, just being able to add that ball-carrying and give myself more of an option. That would be probably a big thing for me in my eyes.”
And yet, Loughman knows not every game will develop into the type of contest where he’ll get the platform to showcase those skills.
“I think that’s the way the system works. Some days you just have those games where the ball always seems in your hand, but especially for me as a tight five forward, I take a lot of pride in having a very good game without touching the ball.
“It’s the kind of unfancy stuff that you don’t see. Maybe you get picked up in here in a video review for getting your breakdown work right and stuff like that. So (it’s about) taking a bit of pride in that.
“Not every game is going to be me carrying the ball a lot, but I can add a lot to the game in terms of my off the ball work, getting around the pitch, hitting breakdowns, getting clear outs defensively, stuff like that. It works when you stay in the system and just some days you get a bit more ball, some days you don’t, but you just kind of roll with it.”
This weekend it’s a date with familiar foes Castres, who come up against Munster for the 20th time in European competition. Loughman himself has played the French side three times, including a winning Champions Cup debut in December 2018.
“I got my European debut against them in Thomond Park and then played them the next week over there in Castres. That was an experience anyway.
“We had a good few battles against each other; it’s always going to be a tough, tight game. They are playing some good stuff, a big physical team as well, so it’s always a confrontational challenge.
“They have some big boys there, so they rely a lot on weight and power, and they have some huge power there. We’d look at our drills, say compared to them when we talk about scrum. Usually against a French team, it’s all about how you handle that power game, because they like to suck you into it, into scrum and maul battle, and then those kinds of one-off confrontational carries and stuff around the breakdown.
“It’s about negating that as best we can, and then allowing us to play our game on top of them.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Champions Cup Determined Jeremy Loughman Munster Rugby