MUNSTER HAVE SIGNED two props on short-term deals as emergency cover for their injury-wracked front row.
Former South Africa U20 loosehead Dian Bleuler joins the province from the Hollywoodbet Sharks, while Conor Bartley comes in from Young Munster after catching the eye with his performances in the All-Ireland League.
Bleuler, 25, has made 18 United Rugby Championship appearances for the Sharks since joining the Durban club in 2021 but has not been able to break into the matchday squad this season.
Bartley, 29, can play on either side of the scrum and was part of the Ireland Clubs side that played against Portugal earlier this year.
Munster fans forgetting the IRFU dropped Oli Jager on their doorstep, always the “poor me” victim mentality.
@Patrick Breen: Munster chased him for years. And he is currently injured.
@Patrick Breen: “poor me mentality”. Munster have eight props in the senior squad. Six are injured. Of the four academy props, two are in their first of three years, and the rest are in year two. What would you like them to do? Put academy players in before they’re ready and then injure them as well?
@Brenda Collins: Fair play to Conor Bartley at the age of 29 to make the breakthrough, shows the value of Ail and hopefully he makes the most of it.
@Barry Leahy: could be a huge source of talent for the provinces with a bit more partnership and planning.
Not an actually signing. It’s injury/joker cover . Cool yours heals there Chris.
@Tony O'Shea: yeah like another 3 month injury joker who stayed 3 years
@chris mcdonnell: what medical joker stayed 3 years???
@chris mcdonnell: now you’re just making yourself mad with your own fiction.
Even if Munster had signed the Ox somehow it would be all Leinsters fault still! As for Slimani, Snyman and Barrett they’ve been signed for a combined total of two and a half seasons. Two of them in positions where we supply the first choices for Ireland (TH and 2nd row) and one of them to replace a NIQ player (Allalatoa, I don’t count Jenkins as he seldom started). The only unnecessary one is Barrett and I can only assume he’s there to (hopefully )get us over the line in Europe this season; and even at that the signing was announced before Osborne really stepped up at center/FB. On a side note I do believe Munster ought to be allowed bring in one or two medical jokers on 6 month deals. You can’t block the progress of Irish props when they’re all injured. Common sense needs to prevail here
As usual the rules only actually apply to everyone else. 4 NIQ players on the books and breaking the new props rule after less than half a season.
@teuO6nLS: did you read the article or go straight to comment section?
@teuO6nLS: six of their eight props are injured.
@teuO6nLS: more to do with player welfare. they only have academy props fit. do you think its safe to put 20 year old props out against seasoned pros who are 20kg heavier? do you want to ruin a guys career before its even started? its clear you’ve never played rugby. probably only started following the sport from the armchair in the last ten years.
@Niall English: was safe enough for Leinster to operate with only 2 academy hookers in the most dangerous position on the field apparently.
@teuO6nLS: who were the two academy hookers? what game did they play with two academy hookers in the 23?
@Niall English: Gus McCarthy and Stephen Smyth. Every game since Benneton when Kelleher got injured.
@teuO6nLS: ur spot on that keinsterbfielded two academy hookers, however gus mccarthy is in line to make his international debut this week hopefully so I think its fair to say that gus is a cut above ur standard academy hooker. Also if u had played front row or even pushed in a scrum it’s much easier to protect ur hooker than it is ur props
@Scott: *leinster fielded
@Scott: Absolutely… but it doesn’t change the fact he is an academy player. Gus is only making his international debut because he was covering for 4 injured senior hookers
I shall stay mostly silent on this and leave others to comment :) However I do want to ask, where is Ulster’s special dispensation at tight head? Moore retired and they are left with O’Toole, who the irfu want moved across to LH, and Scott Wilson who is a whippersnapper! (a very talented one) Seems they are getting shafted a bit.
@Carmine Lorenzo: IRFU want TOT to move across but has that actually happened at ulster?
@Carmine Lorenzo: you’d swear we signed Ox Niche for 3 seasons and not some fella the vast majority of folks on here will have never heard of for 3 months going on the comments here
@Michael Corkery: For what it’s worth I agree with these medical joker signings quite honestly. Munster have a torrid injury crisis in the front row. However if the rules get twiddled and they end up staying longer, then you can see why people might be a bit miffed. I think Ulster’s situation at TH is equally as dire but they don’t get a medical joker? I also remember the irfu blocking Pat Lam’s request to bring his son in for a couple of weeks when they were down to the bare bones. Examples like that highlight the inconsistencies and I can see why other province’s fans might be frustrated when they see this kind of thing.
@Brenda Collins: No I don’t believe so as Marty Moore’s unfortunate retirement has had an impact. Irfu still want it to happen clearly but Ulster are quite rightly pushing back as they are in an equally bad situation as Munster when it comes to TH availability!
@Carmine Lorenzo: do Ulster have the money for any kind of new signing? Genuine question. I don’t think the IRFU are funding these signings?
@Tony Hegarty: Yeah would have, finances were looking to sign a TH, @Carmine Lorenzo: yeah Ulster only had one senior TH (Wilson is on development contract, moves to senior next season), but had to get two IQ guys from championship, Barrett and Bryan O’Connor. Surprised Munster couldn’t find an IQ LH in the Championship like Ulster had too, but does seam they were limited by IRFU on quality of NIQ, which seams fair enough.
Once again munster allowed to break all the rules. So much for humpries sorting out the Irish frontrow issues.
@chris mcdonnell: so much for who doing what?
@chris mcdonnell: There have to be exceptions to the rules. The situation at Munster was deplorable. It is only correct that Munster have the coverage needed.
@chris mcdonnell: I wonder will ye win anything this year with snyman, Barrett and slimani at the helm?
@Cian Halley: wonder will Munster win anything with Abrahams, Kleyn and Nankivell at the helm.
@Con Cussed: There needs to be exceptions to stupid ‘rules’. Ulster’s TH ‘depth’ chart at TH is TOT who Ireland seem to want to shift to LH, 7 starts Scott Wilson and then two lads who’ve previously been rejected in Ireland and failed to set the Championship alight. What is the point of lumbering the Provinces with below par IQ players that will never play for Ireland?
@Cian Halley: Ah sure Chris is a secretive sado. He supports Leinster, but is at his happiest when we are beaten in finals or semi finals so he can spend another full season ranting about Leo and the Byrne Bros. If we win one or god forbid both this year, he will have to close his account on The42!! ;)
@Patrick Breen: weak response lad
@chris mcdonnell: henshaw, Barrett, Gibson-Park, lowe, siłami, Syman. Sure Munster break rules with a sharks cast off and ail player.. oh wait were you being sarcastic? It’s too early for that
@Cian Halley: ah I am not that confident given Leo’s recent record but at least we get to beat munster a few times a year. Everything else is a bonus
@chris mcdonnell: maybe that’s the mentality that’s holding ye back?!! Even still ye remain in the Munster shadow!!
@chris mcdonnell: if leinster start winning things again they may also get special treatment
@Patrick Breen: who knows they won something more recently than ye with 2 of those on the books
@Patrick Breen: having the best 10 in ireland obviously helps munster too
@chris mcdonnell: HAHAHA
@Paul Ennis: that’s a bit off the mark. I would much rather be wrong about the byrnes and leo because that would mean leinster would have won something. I can’t help it if your happy watching the best squad in Europe lose big game after big game and not expect anyone to ask why
@Johnny Knox:
Humpries. Humpty Dumpty’s nephew.
@chris mcdonnell: Humph is not going to resolve prop development issue in 12 months. I am a Leinster fan but we need to relax the signing rules for Munster. We need to make provinces as competitive as possible
@chris mcdonnell: I know… it was only a lighthearted dig. We will all be shouting from the rafters for the boys in blue or green come matchday
Where’s our rabah slimani?
@Cian Halley: Spot on. Not good enough. IRFU should have broken the bank to get Ox Nche for Munster
@Kevin Ryan: well they got kitshoff to ulster didn’t they, and slimani to leinster, so where are connacht and munsters marquee signing?
@Cian Halley: Exactly my point
@Cian Halley: These all happened before the new rule came in. One rule for Munster, one rule for the rest, and still Munster think they are hard done by, what a shower.
@Patrick Breen: There has to be wriggle room for joker signings. However, if I was Graham Rowntree I would be a bit miffed right now!!
@Paul Ennis: exactly, player welfare is the most important thing here. Any other position then the frontrow, teams can adapt to safely. Can’t decide to put a lock or backrow player in for cover last minute.
Agreed on GR
@Cian Halley: don’t bring Connacht into this, thanks very much.
@Patrick Breen: exactly, one rule for Munster, Munster made to choose between RG and Klyen even though Klyen being classed as an NIQ was due to the IRFU. When Kylen signed on with Munster, Leinster make a play for RG. Leinster sign Silani and the the IRFU bring in a ban on foreign front row imports. Leinster sign Barrett and yet again the IRFU sign off on it breaking their own rules which state that any 2 provinces cannot have a foreign player in the same position, Munster have Nankivell and Leinster signed Barrett afterwards. So you are partially correct in that there is one rule for Munster, Connacht and Ulster and another for Leinster.
@JoeVlogs: ya sorry, yere probably not worth investing in
@Liam23: how was Kleyn being classed as an NIQ down to the IRFU? He played for South Africa hence he became NIQ. Abdaladze played for Georgia, and was subsequently let go by Leinster. In terms of NIQ player in one position blocking another province signing such a player, the fact that Munster have had at least one NIQ centre every single year for over two decades uninterrupted is the bigger issue, and provinces have always had more leeway signing a NIQ player if it is as backup to a IQ player that will miss a lot of the season on Ireland duty. There is a clear emphasis on trying to select IQ players before NIQ players – Connacht were only allowed sign Ioane after failing to land Prendergast, Leinster tried to poach Bealham before getting Slimani.
@Paul Ennis: I know he’s looking for a new gig but I think his propping days are behind him!
@JoeVlogs: every province has signed NIQ’s, Leinster mostly signed THP’s and SH’s, Ulster had a habit of signing South Africans for years and Connacht have signed their few as well down through the years even when ye won in 2016 years had a nice few NIQ’s
@Tony Hegarty: I don’t know… he’s about the right age profile for a Munster prop ;)
Surprised Usanov wasn’t loaned out
@Owen ODonoghue: why? He’s barely 20 so would be no use to Munster week to week in the URC. He needs time to transition to pro level. Munster already have a few young props they could play if they wanted to go that way.
…I know it’s wrong article but I’m not a paying customer-nor will I ever be- but if we are to be serious about Osborne and his serious attacking potential, he should be in the centre…probably 12 because GR doing an excellent job at 13…..or else we add a significant number of no15 oriented plays to our attacking portfolio.