MUNSTER ARE THE first of the Irish provinces to kick off their URC season as they visit Cardiff next Friday night.
With the promotion of Graham Rowntree as head coach and an exciting team of Mike Prendergast, Denis Leamy, and Andi Kyriacou around him, this is a new era for the southern province.
Last season ended with the disappointment of an agonising Champions Cup exit at the hands of Toulouse and a very poor defeat to Ulster in the URC quarter-finals, so Munster will be keen to bounce back strongly.
In the first of a four-part series, we’ve examined the options in Munster’s 45-man senior squad and their academy ahead of the new campaign.
Included in brackets after each player’s name is their age and number of Munster caps in the format [age, caps]. Players have been listed in the order of their number of caps.
Loosehead prop
- Dave Kilcoyne [33, 200]
- Jeremy Loughman [27, 72]
- Liam O’Connor [27, 32]
- Josh Wycherley [23, 28]
The big mover in this area last season was 23-year-old Josh Wycherley, who took advantage of injury to Dave Kilcoyne by racking up 20 appearances. He showed more of his dynamic potential and learned huge amounts at scrum time.
Kilcoyne is fit again after missing much of the second part of last season and will be out to regain first-choice status and work his way back into the Ireland squad ahead of the World Cup.
Despite seeing Wycherley move past him in the Munster pecking order, Jeremy Loughman travelled with Ireland on their tour of New Zealand and will look to kick on from that involvement.
The desperately unlucky Liam O’Connor didn’t play at all last season as his career continued to be plagued by injury but he’s fit for the start of this campaign and remains well regarded by the Munster coaches.
Hooker
- Niall Scannell [30, 139]
- Diarmuid Barron [24, 35]
- Scott Buckley [22, 7]
- Chris Moore [22, 0]
The Munster senior squad shows two changes in this department, with Kevin O’Byrne and Declan Moore having departed to be replaced by two promising young hookers in 22-year-olds Scott Buckley and Chris Moore.
Buckley has been promoted from the academy after a breakthrough season in which he made his first start in the famous win over Wasps.
Moore is an interesting signing from Exeter University. He’s Irish-qualified and played for the Ireland U18s back in 2018 when he was still a back row. Tall, mobile, and powerful, he now looks like a very modern hooker.
Niall Scannell is set to be first-choice again, having made a positive impact as a late call-up to Ireland’s tour of New Zealand. Diarmuid Barron has gained experience as his understudy and will hope to get into double figures in terms of starts this season.
Tighthead prop
- Stephen Archer [34, 248]
- Keynan Knox [23, 25]
- Roman Salanoa [24, 9]
- James French [23, 1]
John Ryan leaving for Wasps means Munster have been shorn of an experienced international tighthead. Many supporters and pundits had hoped to see the province make a proven signing in this position but there have been no additions here.
23-year-old James French has converted from the loosehead side of the scrum over the past couple of seasons but has only made one appearance in pro rugby so far.
Stephen Archer became the province’s second most-capped player last season and is now closing in on Donncha O’Callaghan’s all-time record of 268, so his experience will surely prove to be important.
But Rowntree really wants to see one or both of Keynan Knox and Roman Salanoa staking a true claim as frontliners. 23-year-old Knox did make progress last season but Salanoa continued to be frustrated by injuries. They’re clearly explosive players and now Rowntree needs them to make aggressive contributions on a consistent basis.
Second row
- Jean Kleyn [29, 112]
- Fineen Wycherley [24, 85]
- Tadhg Beirne [30, 45]
- Thomas Ahern [22, 20]
- RG Snyman [27, 4]
- Eoin O’Connor [22, 3]
- Paddy Kelly [22, 0]
Identically to last season, Munster come into this new campaign with huge hopes that RG Snyman can return from a serious knee injury to be a true game-changer in the second row.
The province opted to re-contract the Springboks lock despite his ACL re-rupture and will be praying that he can get fully fit and add to the four caps he has won in his two seasons so far. We know all about his world-class ability if that proves to be the case. Munster haven’t provided a definitive timeline for his return but he’s been sidelined for 11 months at this stage and shouldn’t be too far off.
South African lock Jason Jenkins has left for Leinster after an injury-destroyed season and Munster have opted to promote two young locks from their academy in Paddy Kelly and Eoin O’Connor – who debuted in that Wasps game last season.
They will have to push past more experienced players to get game time. Jean Kleyn has been very consistent as a nuts-and-bolts lock for Munster, while Fineen Wycherley has continued to add strings to his bow.
Tadhg Beirne is a world-class operator who can also play in the back row, while this feels like it could be the season in which 22-year-old Thomas Ahern takes things to another level.
The Waterford man was impressive in cameos last season but he has still only made six senior starts for Munster. Given his elite potential, Ahern simply must be pushed into a more prominent role.
Back row
- Jack O’Donoghue [28, 163]
- Peter O’Mahony [32, 160]
- Gavin Coombes [24, 51]
- Jack O’Sullivan [23, 24]
- John Hodnett [23, 21]
- Alex Kendellen [21, 21]
- Jack Daly [24, 7]
There is just one change to the senior squad in this area of the pitch, with Alex Kendellen promoted from the academy and Chris Cloete having left for Bath. The multi-talented Kendellen was superb last season, making himself very difficult to leave out of the starting XV.
Jack O’Donoghue has now moved past captain Peter O’Mahony as Munster’s most-capped back row and has been phenomenally consistent for the province, providing leadership, energy, and set-piece nous.
24-year-old number eight Gavin Coombes is an extremely impactful figure in the red jersey and will be keen to take his game to new heights as he battles to win more Ireland caps ahead of the World Cup.
Munster were delighted to see John Hodnett making 16 appearances last season and the relentless flanker is set to be fit for the start of the campaign after picking up an injury late last season.
Jack O’Sullivan didn’t get much opportunity in 2021/22, while Jack Daly suffered an ACL knee injury on his Champions Cup debut and remains on the comeback trail.
Scrum-half
- Conor Murray [33, 163]
- Craig Casey [23, 48]
- Neil Cronin [29, 34]
- Paddy Patterson [23, 7]
The big question here is whether Craig Casey can usurp long-time incumbent Conor Murray.
Murray’s qualities like consistent kicking, defensive solidity, a low error count, and composure tend to be overlooked at times but there’s no doubt that Casey has closed the gap between them and made this a real battle for the number nine shirt.
Casey’s game is naturally high-tempo and he makes instinctive decisions on the move, so it will be intriguing to see if Munster’s approach under new attack coach Mike Prendergast is better tailored to those strengths. Word is that they want to play at speed. At times in the past, Casey has seemingly been playing a game he’s not best suited to.
Neil Cronin is a clever, reliable rugby player, while Paddy Patterson has been promoted from the academy in place of the retired Rowan Osborne. Patterson has impressed for Munster in pre-season.
Out-half
- Ben Healy [23, 40]
- Joey Carbery [26, 37]
- Jack Crowley [22, 15]
Jake Flannery has left for Ulster, where he will hope to get much more game time, but Munster still have intriguing options at out-half.
Ben Healy has moved above Joey Carbery in terms of caps won for Munster and has impressed with his high-quality kicking from tee and hand, as well as showing signs of development in his running, decision-making, and passing skills.
Many still view 22-year-old Jack Crowley as having the highest ceiling of potential of this trio and he will now look to back that up with composed, influential performances. He made his first Champions Cup start last season and did well against Castres.
Carbery, however, appears to still be the main man in the number 10 shirt, even if one senses that he could also be excellent at 15 for Munster. Carbery is now 26 and Munster will expect him to become a more dominant figure in the biggest games. He will hope that more consistent structure around him allows his skills to flourish.
Centre
- Rory Scannell [28, 158]
- Dan Goggin [27, 75]
- Chris Farrell [29, 70]
- Malakai Fekitoa [30, 0]
- Antoine Frisch [26, 0]
Damian de Allende’s exit means Munster are down a world-class midfielder but they have two new faces in explosive Tonga outside centre Malakai Fekitoa and Irish-qualified inside centre Antoine Frisch.
Fekitoa could be a big fan favourite with his ability to linebreak, offload, and make big hits in defence, while Frisch appears to have extensive further potential having had something of a belated rise in a career that started in his native France. The IRFU green-lighting a three-year contract suggests they see Frisch as a Test prospect.
These two arrivals place some immediate pressure on Ireland international Chris Farrell, who could justifiably feel that Munster haven’t best harnessed his quality in recent seasons.
The experienced Rory Scannell is still a strong option at number 12, where he provides a left-footed kicking option as well as a willingness to charge at the gainline, while Dan Goggin now has 75 caps for the province and covers both centre positions.
Back three
- Keith Earls [34, 193]
- Simon Zebo [32, 157]
- Andrew Conway [31, 149]
- Mike Haley [28, 79]
- Shane Daly [25, 48]
- Calvin Nash [25, 37]
- Liam Coombes [25, 12]
Munster have trimmed this area of their squad with Matt Gallagher and Sean French leaving, but there are still plenty of options for Rowntree and co.
Mike Haley has been the first-choice fullback in recent years, bringing a classic skill set to the number 15 shirt. Like others, he has probably felt that Munster’s tactics haven’t always allowed him to thrive in an attacking sense.
The evergreen Earls was one of few Munster men to impress in that URC exit against Ulster last season, while 32-year-old Simon Zebo can bring a valuable creative edge and powerful left foot to proceedings at fullback or on the left wing.
Right wing Andrew Conway is due back from injury late next month and will be motivated to make up for lost time having missed Ireland’s tour to New Zealand.
Otherwise, Munster have three 25-year-old options in their senior squad. Shane Daly has been capped by Ireland but hasn’t been in Munster’s frontline squad for the biggest games. Liam Coombes has been playing at outside centre in more recent times but still offers pace wider out. And Calvin Nash brings defensive aggression to the mix as he aims to rise up the depth chart.
Academy:
Ireland U20 international fullback Patrick Campbell made a breakthrough last season and has already signed a senior contract for 2023/24, so we should expect to see him involved again this season. He looks like a top-level prospect.
Others to look out for are Year 2 second row Edwin Edogbo, who has recovered from a long-term Achilles injury and enjoyed an excellent pre-season. Back row Daniel Okeke was one of the young guns to impress in that Wasps game last season and offers plenty of dynamism too.
Ennis-produced halfbacks Ethan Coughlan and Tony Butler will hope to have snippets of exposure at senior level this season. Munster have also welcomed some exciting talent into Year 1 of their academy.
18-year-old back row Ruadhán Quinn is a major prospect and could be fast-tracked over the coming seasons, while second row Evan O’Connell – the nephew of Munster legend Paul – is highly regarded. Fionn Gibbons showed his power for the Ireland U20s this year.
Year 1:
- Ruadhán Quinn [back row]
- Fionn Gibbons [centre/wing]
- Evan O’Connell [second row]
- Jack Oliver [scrum-half]
- Kieran Ryan [loosehead]
- Darragh McSweeney [tighthead]
Year 2:
- Patrick Campbell [fullback]
- Edwin Edogbo [second row]
- Tony Butler [out-half]
- Daniel Okeke [back row]
- Ethan Coughlan [scrum-half]
- Mark Donnelly [tighthead prop]
Year 3:
- Cian Hurley [second row]
- Conor Phillips [wing]
