WITH THE UNIVERSITY of Limerick hosting a meeting of EU communications ministers on Tuesday, Munster moved their big training session across town to Thomond Park.
No one was complaining, with the Thomond Park pitch in beautiful condition. And given that this is a Champions Cup week, it must have felt fitting to do their main session at the famous Limerick ground.
Of course, Thomond Park won’t be hosting this Saturday’s clash with Racing 92. Munster decided to continue their policy of bringing games to Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork, where they will play a Champions Cup match for the second time this weekend.
The very first foray to the Páirc in 2022 saw Munster welcome 41,400 people for an exhibition game against South Africa A. That was the biggest crowd ever at a rugby game in the province, and Munster produced a stirring 28-14 win.
In 2024, New Zealand’s Crusaders visited Cork and another huge crowd of 40,885 packed out the stadium. Munster enjoyed a 21-19 victory.
And so it was that Munster decided to take a Champions Cup game to the Páirc last season, with Gloucester coming to town in December 2025. The overall capacity that day was reduced, but another big crowd of 36,208 was in attendance.
Munster notched a bonus-point win to keep their record intact, although it was a disappointment that Gloucester sent a weakened team to Ireland.
The trend has continued this season, with Munster opting to bring this weekend’s clash against Top 14 side Racing to the Páirc. As things stood on Tuesday, ticket sales had moved past the 20,000 mark, with Munster still hoping for a late surge to bring that number up.
The overall capacity will be under 40,000 on Saturday and Munster expect both stands to be full, so it remains to be seen how many people file onto the terraces at either end of the Leeside stadium.
It’s a crucial match for Munster as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of last season’s Champions Cup campaign, when they failed to advance past the pool stage, in part due to a loss to Castres at Thomond Park.
Munster trained at Thomond Park on Tuesday. Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
The Champions Cup knock-outs are where Munster aspire to be, and they’d love to earn a home clash if they can get out of their pool this time. That would be a huge financial and rugby boost.
They have a visit to Bristol in December to come, as well as a trip to Bordeaux and a home clash against Gloucester in January, but first things first – they need to get off to a strong start against Racing 92, who have won two of their six games in the Top 14 this season.
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The game in Cork on Saturday will see Munster pay tribute to the late Anthony Foley, with the 10th anniversary of his passing on Friday.
Limerick man ‘Axel’ died suddenly on 17 October 2016 when Munster were in Paris for a game against Racing, so the province has plans to honour him this weekend.
There will be a photo display celebrating his career outside the stadium, while the Munster players are set to wear special commemorative presentation jackets featuring the province’s crest and the number eight.
Before kick-off, there will be a rendition of ‘There Is An Isle’ and a presentation in which the Munster captain and his Racing counterpart will exchange jerseys featuring the number eight.
In the eighth minute of the game, the Munster Rugby Supporters Club will lead a round of applause in memory of Axel, while the half-time minis matches will feature players from Foley’s two clubs, Ballina-Killaloe RFC and Shannon RFC.
All of this is important to Munster, although the coaches and players are keen not to get over-emotional too early in the week.
“We’ve spoken about it briefly,” said Munster defence coach Denis Leamy, a former teammate of Foley’s.
“I spoke about it this morning myself in my own presentation. I think that’s going to be very much there. The players are very much aware of it. I think we can’t get too emotional on a Tuesday. That would be wrong, but we’re drip-feeding that in.
“I think there’s loads from what I can see in terms of the match day schedule. There’s loads of different things that are going to honour the Foley family and Axel in an appropriate way.
Munster will pay tribute to Anthony Foley on Saturday.
“For us, the biggest honour we can give him is to go out and perform and win the game and do our jersey and his memory justice.
“I think that’s definitely to the forefront of the Munster players and the Munster squad and the Munster management at the moment.
“We don’t want to use it too much as an emotional tool or go too far down that rabbit hole. We have to think about performance and how we get the best out of the 23 players we have.
“As I said, the result, and hopefully the win, will be a way of showing our care and our love for Axel.”
Foley was synonymous with Thomond Park and Limerick, but Munster recognise the importance of maintaining a strong physical connection with Cork too.
That much is achieved with the regular games at Musgrave Park, but the recent initiative of bringing games to the Páirc is particularly special for the Cork contingent of the squad.
“You want to have players coming from all the six counties within the province and obviously bringing in the boys from the outside who are, I think, always very keen to learn about the club and learn about the history and learn about the individuals that influenced the club,” said Leamy.
“As a born and bred Munster man, that’s one of the great things. You genuinely get a feeling for the boys who come in that they’re very interested to learn.
“They love hearing about what has happened before, what the players like them have created before in the jersey.
“Obviously, when the likes of the Cork contingent play in Cork, I know that’s very special to them. I lived there for 12 years, so as a Tipperary man in Cork, I was aware of what it means to Cork people to play in Musgrave Park and stuff like that.
“As much as Limerick and all the other boys will care as much about the game as that, that’s what it’s about. It’s about homegrown players as well and giving them a chance to show what they can do.”
Vinaya Habosi and Josua Tuisova of Racing 92. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
It remains to be seen what kind of team Racing bring to Limerick, but the French side will be out to spoil Munster’s latest party at the Páirc.
Patrice Collazo can call on dazzling Fijian backs like Josua Tuisova, Vinaya Habosi and Selestino Ravutaumada if he decides to bring his big guns, so Munster are wary of the challenge ahead.
“They’ve got huge power across the team and a big Fijian influence,” said Leamy.
“They play off the cuff. They can play loose. They have the ability to play out of the tackle. Speed and power right across the pitch. When they narrow you up, they have the ability to go to knife-through-butter stuff as well.
“We have to have the ability to defend pictures around the ruck, and also when they get their bodies to a bit more width, to have that ability to loosen off and create a bit more space in our D line and hopefully shut it down on the second or third pass.
“It’s a challenge, and they’re obviously a team stacked with international stars, but as ever, it’ll be a big night in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and we look forward to that.”
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Munster eager to honour Axel on another night at the Páirc
WITH THE UNIVERSITY of Limerick hosting a meeting of EU communications ministers on Tuesday, Munster moved their big training session across town to Thomond Park.
No one was complaining, with the Thomond Park pitch in beautiful condition. And given that this is a Champions Cup week, it must have felt fitting to do their main session at the famous Limerick ground.
Of course, Thomond Park won’t be hosting this Saturday’s clash with Racing 92. Munster decided to continue their policy of bringing games to Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork, where they will play a Champions Cup match for the second time this weekend.
The very first foray to the Páirc in 2022 saw Munster welcome 41,400 people for an exhibition game against South Africa A. That was the biggest crowd ever at a rugby game in the province, and Munster produced a stirring 28-14 win.
In 2024, New Zealand’s Crusaders visited Cork and another huge crowd of 40,885 packed out the stadium. Munster enjoyed a 21-19 victory.
And so it was that Munster decided to take a Champions Cup game to the Páirc last season, with Gloucester coming to town in December 2025. The overall capacity that day was reduced, but another big crowd of 36,208 was in attendance.
Munster notched a bonus-point win to keep their record intact, although it was a disappointment that Gloucester sent a weakened team to Ireland.
The trend has continued this season, with Munster opting to bring this weekend’s clash against Top 14 side Racing to the Páirc. As things stood on Tuesday, ticket sales had moved past the 20,000 mark, with Munster still hoping for a late surge to bring that number up.
The overall capacity will be under 40,000 on Saturday and Munster expect both stands to be full, so it remains to be seen how many people file onto the terraces at either end of the Leeside stadium.
It’s a crucial match for Munster as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of last season’s Champions Cup campaign, when they failed to advance past the pool stage, in part due to a loss to Castres at Thomond Park.
The Champions Cup knock-outs are where Munster aspire to be, and they’d love to earn a home clash if they can get out of their pool this time. That would be a huge financial and rugby boost.
They have a visit to Bristol in December to come, as well as a trip to Bordeaux and a home clash against Gloucester in January, but first things first – they need to get off to a strong start against Racing 92, who have won two of their six games in the Top 14 this season.
The game in Cork on Saturday will see Munster pay tribute to the late Anthony Foley, with the 10th anniversary of his passing on Friday.
Limerick man ‘Axel’ died suddenly on 17 October 2016 when Munster were in Paris for a game against Racing, so the province has plans to honour him this weekend.
There will be a photo display celebrating his career outside the stadium, while the Munster players are set to wear special commemorative presentation jackets featuring the province’s crest and the number eight.
Before kick-off, there will be a rendition of ‘There Is An Isle’ and a presentation in which the Munster captain and his Racing counterpart will exchange jerseys featuring the number eight.
In the eighth minute of the game, the Munster Rugby Supporters Club will lead a round of applause in memory of Axel, while the half-time minis matches will feature players from Foley’s two clubs, Ballina-Killaloe RFC and Shannon RFC.
All of this is important to Munster, although the coaches and players are keen not to get over-emotional too early in the week.
“We’ve spoken about it briefly,” said Munster defence coach Denis Leamy, a former teammate of Foley’s.
“I spoke about it this morning myself in my own presentation. I think that’s going to be very much there. The players are very much aware of it. I think we can’t get too emotional on a Tuesday. That would be wrong, but we’re drip-feeding that in.
“I think there’s loads from what I can see in terms of the match day schedule. There’s loads of different things that are going to honour the Foley family and Axel in an appropriate way.
“For us, the biggest honour we can give him is to go out and perform and win the game and do our jersey and his memory justice.
“I think that’s definitely to the forefront of the Munster players and the Munster squad and the Munster management at the moment.
“We don’t want to use it too much as an emotional tool or go too far down that rabbit hole. We have to think about performance and how we get the best out of the 23 players we have.
“As I said, the result, and hopefully the win, will be a way of showing our care and our love for Axel.”
Foley was synonymous with Thomond Park and Limerick, but Munster recognise the importance of maintaining a strong physical connection with Cork too.
That much is achieved with the regular games at Musgrave Park, but the recent initiative of bringing games to the Páirc is particularly special for the Cork contingent of the squad.
“You want to have players coming from all the six counties within the province and obviously bringing in the boys from the outside who are, I think, always very keen to learn about the club and learn about the history and learn about the individuals that influenced the club,” said Leamy.
“As a born and bred Munster man, that’s one of the great things. You genuinely get a feeling for the boys who come in that they’re very interested to learn.
“They love hearing about what has happened before, what the players like them have created before in the jersey.
“Obviously, when the likes of the Cork contingent play in Cork, I know that’s very special to them. I lived there for 12 years, so as a Tipperary man in Cork, I was aware of what it means to Cork people to play in Musgrave Park and stuff like that.
“As much as Limerick and all the other boys will care as much about the game as that, that’s what it’s about. It’s about homegrown players as well and giving them a chance to show what they can do.”
It remains to be seen what kind of team Racing bring to Limerick, but the French side will be out to spoil Munster’s latest party at the Páirc.
Patrice Collazo can call on dazzling Fijian backs like Josua Tuisova, Vinaya Habosi and Selestino Ravutaumada if he decides to bring his big guns, so Munster are wary of the challenge ahead.
“They’ve got huge power across the team and a big Fijian influence,” said Leamy.
“They play off the cuff. They can play loose. They have the ability to play out of the tackle. Speed and power right across the pitch. When they narrow you up, they have the ability to go to knife-through-butter stuff as well.
“We have to have the ability to defend pictures around the ruck, and also when they get their bodies to a bit more width, to have that ability to loosen off and create a bit more space in our D line and hopefully shut it down on the second or third pass.
“It’s a challenge, and they’re obviously a team stacked with international stars, but as ever, it’ll be a big night in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and we look forward to that.”
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10 years on Anthony Foley Axel Denis Leamy Munster Páirc Uí Chaoimh