Tag Archives: Munster

An emotional Alby Mathewson admitted that he has “no plans in the pipeline” as he nervously awaits news on his future with Munster. Mathewson originally joined the province in 2018 on a short-term contract as injury cover for Conor Murray. However, he signed further contract extensions that saw him remain with the province until the end of the World Cup. …

Munster head coach Johann van Graan is currently preparing his squad for an exhaustive period of games that will see the side in action 13 weeks in a row.  To add to the challenge, the South Africa native must integrate back into the squad the 12 players who will return to Ireland from the World Cup in Japan carrying the …

The best way for the Ireland players to recover from their haunting World Cup loss to New Zealand is to hit the ground running with their provinces, according to Munster prop James Cronin.  The southern province had a 12-man contingent included in Joe Schmidt’s World Cup squad with Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, CJ Stander and Keith Earls all starting against …

Munster head coach Johann van Graan will have to plan without Chris Cloete for the immediate future after the South African suffered an ankle injury against the Southern Kings. Cloete replaced Tommy O’Donnell in the 59th minute of the 31-20 win at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium but was forced off shortly after with an ankle injury. The province have called …

While Japan may continue to hold the focus of rugby fans, there is plenty of action at home as all four provinces feature in the PRO14 this weekend. On Friday evening, Leinster welcome Ospreys to the RDS for their first home game of the season. Meanwhile, both Munster and Ulster are in action in South Africa as they take on …

Ireland centre Chris Farrell will miss Ireland’s upcoming Pool A clash with Russia on Thursday after suffering a concussion in the defeat to Japan. Farrell was replaced around the 60th minute mark of Ireland’s disappointing defeat to the hosts on Saturday and has not recovered from his concussion in time for Thursday’s game. The Munster man was one of three …

Munster Rugby are sweating on the fitness of a number of key players ahead of their PRO14 season opener against Dragons in Thomond Park on Saturday afternoon.  With 12 members of their squad currently at the Rugby World Cup with Ireland, head coach Johann van Graan will have to shuffle his pack ahead of the new season with a number …

Munster Rugby and the IRFU have confirmed the short-term signing of Australian forward Jed Holloway as cover during the World Cup period. “An experienced and integral member of the Waratahs squad, Holloway has made 52 Super Rugby appearances and is known for his work-rate and strong ball carrying abilities”, their statement read. The 26-year-old will provide cover at lock, and …

The full list of fixtures have been announced for this season’s Heineken Champions Cup with all four Irish provinces involved in the competition. Last year’s beaten finalists Leinster will fancy their chances in a pool containing Lyon, Benetton and Northampton and begin this year’s tournament against the Italian side on Saturday 16th of November at 15:15 in the RDS They …

Former Australian out-half, Stephen Larkham looks set to become Munster’s new backs and attack coach. According to Cian Tracey of the Irish Independent, the former Wallabies player was in Limerick yesterday to finalise terms with the southern province and officially take over the role from Felix Jones. The 45-year-old was let go from Michael Cheika’s senior coaching staff earlier this …

Craig Casey’s Munster debut wasn’t entirely conventional.  The Limerick native has enjoyed somewhat of a meteoric rise since he first made a name for himself in the Munster Schools Senior Cup before joining Munster’s Academy almost two years ago. Progression into the Ireland U20s set-up soon followed but injury hampered Casey’s season in 2018. He returned this year with a …

Connacht duo Jack Carty and Colby Fainga’a are among seven Irish-based players in the PRO14 Dream Team of the Season 2019. The nod at fly-half caps off an impressive year for Carty after winning his first international cap against Italy during the Guinness Six Nations while he also became Connacht’s record point-scorer. In total, 11 clubs are represented in a …

The sporting culture surrounding the New Zealand rugby team is not only one of winning, but one of consistency and constant improvement, and that is what Doug Howlett is instilling in the Cork hurlers, according to John Meyler. Howlett was announced as the “high-performance lead” for Meyler’s side in February and has been a regular feature in the dugout throughout …

Cork manager, John Meyler, has downplayed the significance of his side’s 1-26 to 1-19 win over Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds today, instead choosing to focus on their upcoming clash with Waterford. It was a vastly improved Cork performance from their heavy loss to Tipperary in Pairc Ui Chaoimh last week. Patrick Horgan was once again their top scorer with …

All-Ireland champions Limerick were defeated by a fighting Cork side at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday, losing out to the Rebels by 1-26 to 1-19. Let’s take a look at the main talking points as Cork bounce back from defeat last week to overcome Limerick. _____ Far From A Munster Classic This wasn’t exactly the Munster classic we were hoping …

Josh van der Flier has praised the Leinster medical staff for their role in helping him return to play in time for their PRO14 semi-final win over Munster in the RDS Arena. The 24-9 win was van der Flier’s first game for the province since January after suffering a groin injury in Ireland’s Six Nations clash with France. The 26-year-old …

Munster have named attacking duo Keith Earls and Joey Carbery in their starting XV for their PRO14 semi-final clash with Leinster in the RDS on Saturday. Neither player has featured for the province since their Heineken Champions Cup win over Edinburgh at the end of March. The other changes to the starting line-up sees Arno Botha and John Ryan return …

Six Irish players have been included in French publication Midi Olympique’s Champions Cup team of the tournament. Saracens were the victors in this season’s competition after they denied Leinster the chance to retain the crown beating them in Newcastle by 20-10 on Saturday. Despite finishing as runners up, Leo Cullen’s side managed three inclusions with Tadhg Furlong in at tighthead …