WHILE MUNSTER HAVE been able to call on nine international players two fit-again senior squad members in their matchday 23 to face Wasps, they have also included 12 uncapped players.
Five promising youngsters will make their senior debuts in the starting XV for Sunday’s Champions Cup clash in Coventry, with a further seven fresh faces hoping to make their first appearances off the Munster bench.
Here, we outline each of those 12 players’ backgrounds ahead of a massive day in their burgeoning careers.
Patrick Campbell
A very recent addition to the academy, 19-year-old Campbell has been named to start at fullback in what is otherwise an all-Ireland international backline.
The Rochestown man came through the ranks at Presentation Brothers College, Cork and helped them into the 2020 Munster Schools Senior Cup final, but was also a very talented Gaelic footballer, playing for Nemo Rangers and starring for Cork in their Minor All-Ireland success in 2019.
Campbell opted to pursue pro rugby last summer, moving to Limerick to study in UL and he is now part of Munster’s academy. He joined Young Munster RFC and has impressed in their All-Ireland League season so far. Now he gets a huge opportunity with Munster.
Scott Buckley
The 21-year-old starts at hooker for Munster, having joined the province’s academy back in 2020. His pathway started with hometown club Kinsale RFC before he shone in schools rugby with Christian Brothers College, Cork, captaining them to a Schools Senior Cup success in 2019.
Buckley played for Ireland up to U19 level and is now with UCC in the club game. He has had to deal with hamstring and knee injuries early on in his career but has impressed whenever he has featured for Munster A.
Now the dynamic and clever hooker will get a taste of what senior professional rugby is like with a debut in the Champions Cup.
James French
A product of Bandon RFC and Bandon Grammar School, French featured for the Ireland U20s back in 2018 when he was predominantly a loosehead prop.
On Sunday, the 23-year-old makes his Munster debut at tighthead prop having worked hard to make the transition to the other side of the front row recently.
An explosive athlete who played in the back row during his youth, French is another UCC club man. He moved onto a one-year senior contract with Munster last summer after completing three seasons in the academy. He has had injury travails in the past but now hopes to shine at the top level.
Eoin O’Connor
At 6ft 7ins tall, the Waterford man is hard to miss and he will be in Munster’s second row along with Ireland international Tadhg Beirne on Sunday.
O’Connor is a product of Waterpark RFC and played for the club’s first team when he was still in school.
The 21-year-old has featured for Ireland up to U19 level and would have won U20 caps but for a long-term knee injury ruling him out of contention.
O’Connor has impressed for Young Munster in the All-Ireland League, having joined the club upon moving to Limerick, and will hope to impress on Sunday as he looks to earn a senior contract for next season.
Daniel Okeke
The fifth of the debutants in Munster’s starting XV for Sunday, there is great excitement about 19-year-old number eight Okeke’s potential within the province.
The powerful 110kg number eight came through the ranks of Thomond RFC and Ardscoil Rís – where he scored some spectacular tries – to play for the Ireland U20s earlier this year, showing his dynamism during the Six Nations.
Okeke, who doesn’t turn 20 until later this month, now plays for Shannon and has delivered some strong performances in the AIL recently. This weekend, he forms a back row with Munster captain Peter O’Mahony and the exciting 22-year-old John Hodnett, who is set for his first start for the province in 13 months.
Declan Moore
An unheralded signing back in September as Munster added depth at hooker, the 24-year-old will now hope for a debut off the bench on Sunday.
A native of New Zealand, he moved to Australia with his family at a young age and rose through the rugby ranks to nearly play for the Aussie U20s, only to be denied by injury after getting selected.
Irish-qualified Moore was part of the Melbourne Rebels squad in 2020 but didn’t play any Super Rugby, with all of his senior rugby instead coming in the National Rugby Championship – a level below – and the Shute Shield club competition with Sydney University. Moore has played AIL rugby with Shannon recently.
Mark Donnelly
20-year-old Donnelly provides loosehead prop cover for Dave Kilcoyne from the Munster bench, having joined their academy last summer.
His rugby pathway started in Midleton RFC before he played alongside Buckley in the CBC team that won a Munster Schools Senior Cup in 2019.
Donnelly, who can also play at tighthead, featured for the Ireland U20s last summer and is now playing his club rugby with AIL side Garryowen.
John Forde
Second row Forde is one of two players on the bench who aren’t even in Munster’s academy yet, Conor Moloney being the other.
Forde came through PBC in Cork and played for the Ireland U18s before being part of the wider Ireland U20 squad this year. The lock is now playing his club rugby with Cork Con.
Conor Moloney
Back row Moloney is the other player not yet in the Munster academy and he’s also one of three Ennis RFC products on the bench for Sunday along with Ethan Coughlan and Tony Butler.
The Clare man has played for Ireland up to U18s level and has featured with Munster A in recent times, as well as joining Young Munster to play in the AIL.
Ethan Coughlan
The 19-year-old scrum-half joined Munster’s academy last summer, having scorched through the underage ranks with Ennis along with Moloney and Butler.
He captained the Ireland U18s Club team in 2019 and is underage for the Ireland U20s this season, while he has moved to Shannon in the club game. Coughlan had been involved in senior Munster training before the past fortnight.
Tony Butler
19-year-old out-half Butler was Coughlan’s halfback partner and captain coming through in Ennis and is now with Garryowen as his rise has continued in the AIL. He joined the Munster academy last month along with Campbell and lock Edwin Edogbo, who is currently injured.
Butler is a very talented hurler, having won a Harty Cup with St Flannan’s College in 2020 and represented Clare at minor level, but has now opted for pro rugby.
Jonathan Wren
The 22-year-old Cork man provides wing and fullback cover from the Munster bench on Sunday as he hopes to put seriously bad injury luck behind him.
A standout for the Ireland U20s on the left wing in 2019 as they won a Grand Slam, Wren previously came through Crosshaven RFC and PBC, helping the latter to a Munster Schools Senior Cup trophy in 2017.
Wren is only recently back in training after his latest injury spell but will hope to show his pace and evasion skills against Wasp.
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Bernard Jackman, Niamh Briggs, and Murray Kinsella discuss a massive weekend of Champions Cup rugby for the four Irish provinces.
