TOULON IN JANUARY 2024 was a special day in the Coombes household. A stirring 29-18 win for Munster at the Stade Mayol saw Gavin Coombes on the pitch 76 minutes, with his parents, Eric and Regina, in the stands to take it all in.
“It was their first away Champions Cup game, so they loved it,” explains Coombes.
“They’ve gone to a few now. They went to South Africa last year and La Rochelle and Bath, so they’re milking it now, making the most of it.”
Toulon was a good start, and they’ll hope for more of the same when they head back to the south of France this weekend, Munster taking on Toulon in round three of the Champions Cup on Sunday [KO 1pm, Premier Sports].
Coombes, who turned 28 last month, recalls the 2024 game as one of the most special in his Munster career.
“I remember we walked to the stadium, it was a lovely day over there, the sun was shining. I actually had a back spasm the whole day before, so I had a lot of heat on my back, which didn’t help with the temperature over there, but no, it was classic, iconic ground, isn’t it?
“They’ve got a crowd that are loud and get behind them, and then some memorable moments like Zebo’s try, getting five points over there, so it was one of those special away days for us.”
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The Munster support are set to travel in their numbers again this weekend, and while recent performances haven’t been to the desired standard, the province are determined to turn the tide and give those supporters something to get behind.
“For me growing up, all I wanted to do was play for Munster,” Coombes says.
“You grew up in this province and I think that’s anyone that plays rugby, their goal is to represent Munster in Europe in the best stadiums against the best players in the world.
That’s always been my motivation, and then my family have been a huge help in getting me to where I am. So to see the pride in their faces is a huge motivation for me as well.”
As Coombes speaks of his family, he also makes a point of highlighting the role Skibbereen Rugby Club played in his development.
“Massive. My dad played with them, all my uncles played with them, my dad would have coached the junior team when I was growing up, so every Sunday was going to a junior game and playing on the sideline with my brother and my cousin Liam and a few other lads whose parents were dogged in it as well.
“Then I had cousins playing in the team, so I would have gone to every game growing up for 10-15 years. And then they were always there backing me as well when I was coming through the system and very proud of what I achieved. My brother is still playing there and I still like to get to games when I can, which is handy because they have a lot of Limerick teams in the division now so I get to a few games.
“But yeah, a huge influence on my career and I still run in there whenever I’ve off season or downtime down there.”
Coombes’ cousin, Liam, spent seven seasons at Munster before leaving the province at the end of last season. He’s currently in Australia, weighing up his next move after winning a Shute Shield with Warringah in North Sydney.
“Great memories,” Coombes says of his time playing alongside Liam.
Gavin and Liam Coombes in 2018. Frikkie Kapp / INPHO
Frikkie Kapp / INPHO / INPHO
“We grew up on the same team. Beating each other up on the sideline of the Skib Junior games and dreaming of playing for Munster and then managed to play together for his debut and a few times after that, which was pretty special.”
Perhaps some day the two will link up again in a Skibbereen jersey. Coombes has plenty of road left in his legs as a pro but admits he’d love to someday give back to his home club.
“Let’s see where my body is when I do finish up and where I am in the world.
“But yeah, definitely, I’d love to give back to them again in the future. It’s difficult to do anything with them at the moment because I am in Limerick and it’s a long way away. You’d be in most places in the country before you’d be back there timewise, but no, I’d definitely love to give back to them at some stage.”
A thought for another day. This week, it’s all about a massive test away to Toulon, with Munster searching to pull off another one of their big European upsets on the road. Coombes echoes the point made by others in the Munster camp this week that Toulon are a better side than the one they faced two years ago.
“They’re going well again this year at home, and they’ve definitely strengthened since then. They’ve brought in a lot of experience and big names, but we won’t fear anyone.
“We know if we can play to our potential that we’re capable of beating anyone on any given day, so it’s about us getting our process right and training well and getting the plan right and going after it.”
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Family and Skibbereen at heart of Coombes' Munster motivation
TOULON IN JANUARY 2024 was a special day in the Coombes household. A stirring 29-18 win for Munster at the Stade Mayol saw Gavin Coombes on the pitch 76 minutes, with his parents, Eric and Regina, in the stands to take it all in.
“It was their first away Champions Cup game, so they loved it,” explains Coombes.
“They’ve gone to a few now. They went to South Africa last year and La Rochelle and Bath, so they’re milking it now, making the most of it.”
Toulon was a good start, and they’ll hope for more of the same when they head back to the south of France this weekend, Munster taking on Toulon in round three of the Champions Cup on Sunday [KO 1pm, Premier Sports].
Coombes, who turned 28 last month, recalls the 2024 game as one of the most special in his Munster career.
“I remember we walked to the stadium, it was a lovely day over there, the sun was shining. I actually had a back spasm the whole day before, so I had a lot of heat on my back, which didn’t help with the temperature over there, but no, it was classic, iconic ground, isn’t it?
“They’ve got a crowd that are loud and get behind them, and then some memorable moments like Zebo’s try, getting five points over there, so it was one of those special away days for us.”
The Munster support are set to travel in their numbers again this weekend, and while recent performances haven’t been to the desired standard, the province are determined to turn the tide and give those supporters something to get behind.
“For me growing up, all I wanted to do was play for Munster,” Coombes says.
“You grew up in this province and I think that’s anyone that plays rugby, their goal is to represent Munster in Europe in the best stadiums against the best players in the world.
As Coombes speaks of his family, he also makes a point of highlighting the role Skibbereen Rugby Club played in his development.
“Massive. My dad played with them, all my uncles played with them, my dad would have coached the junior team when I was growing up, so every Sunday was going to a junior game and playing on the sideline with my brother and my cousin Liam and a few other lads whose parents were dogged in it as well.
“Then I had cousins playing in the team, so I would have gone to every game growing up for 10-15 years. And then they were always there backing me as well when I was coming through the system and very proud of what I achieved. My brother is still playing there and I still like to get to games when I can, which is handy because they have a lot of Limerick teams in the division now so I get to a few games.
“But yeah, a huge influence on my career and I still run in there whenever I’ve off season or downtime down there.”
Coombes’ cousin, Liam, spent seven seasons at Munster before leaving the province at the end of last season. He’s currently in Australia, weighing up his next move after winning a Shute Shield with Warringah in North Sydney.
“Great memories,” Coombes says of his time playing alongside Liam.
“We grew up on the same team. Beating each other up on the sideline of the Skib Junior games and dreaming of playing for Munster and then managed to play together for his debut and a few times after that, which was pretty special.”
Perhaps some day the two will link up again in a Skibbereen jersey. Coombes has plenty of road left in his legs as a pro but admits he’d love to someday give back to his home club.
“Let’s see where my body is when I do finish up and where I am in the world.
“But yeah, definitely, I’d love to give back to them again in the future. It’s difficult to do anything with them at the moment because I am in Limerick and it’s a long way away. You’d be in most places in the country before you’d be back there timewise, but no, I’d definitely love to give back to them at some stage.”
A thought for another day. This week, it’s all about a massive test away to Toulon, with Munster searching to pull off another one of their big European upsets on the road. Coombes echoes the point made by others in the Munster camp this week that Toulon are a better side than the one they faced two years ago.
“They’re going well again this year at home, and they’ve definitely strengthened since then. They’ve brought in a lot of experience and big names, but we won’t fear anyone.
“We know if we can play to our potential that we’re capable of beating anyone on any given day, so it’s about us getting our process right and training well and getting the plan right and going after it.”
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Champions Cup Gavin Coombes Munster Pride Rugby