Munster Rugby 2021/2022 - Search for the Holy Grail

[ronk]

Also hearing that Munster are in the market for both an experienced Hooker and a Tighthead.

If they can sign 2 stong scrummaging mobile options in those positions, along with Fekitoa, Munster will have a very solid squad.

Just the 5-7 NIQs then? Or are Knox and Salanoa IQ now?

They're IQ, same as Lowe and PHP

[ronk]

Munster: Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Ben Healy, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Diarmuid Barron, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony (C), Jack O’Donoghue, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Scott Buckley, Jeremy Loughman, John Ryan, Fineen Wycherley, John Hodnett, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Simon Zebo.

Strong squad. Now would be a good time for Murray to have a cracker. Pity Knox wasn't trusted.

[munster#1]

Getting excited about this game, having been unsuccessful in the ticket lotto for the last game, I have managed to get one for this one.
Having missed so much rugby due to Covid it feels like a real privilege to get to go to a match.

Wasps will be really fired up for this one have been successful last week.

This game promises to be a real cracker, and also provides a few young lads an opportunity to really cement themselves in the match day squad for the big games.

[dropkick]

Munster: Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Ben Healy, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Diarmuid Barron, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony (C), Jack O’Donoghue, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Scott Buckley, Jeremy Loughman, John Ryan, Fineen Wycherley, John Hodnett, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Simon Zebo.

Strong squad. Now would be a good time for Murray to have a cracker. Pity Knox wasn't trusted.

Of the starters only Barron, Healy and Coombes could be considered young. Coombes just turned 24, Barron 23, Healy 22. Next youngest is Haley who turns 28 in the summer.

[munster#1]

Munster: Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Ben Healy, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Diarmuid Barron, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony (C), Jack O’Donoghue, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Scott Buckley, Jeremy Loughman, John Ryan, Fineen Wycherley, John Hodnett, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Simon Zebo.

Strong squad. Now would be a good time for Murray to have a cracker. Pity Knox wasn't trusted.

Of the starters only Barron, Healy and Coombes could be considered young. Coombes just turned 24, Barron 23, Healy 22. Next youngest is Haley who turns 28 in the summer.

True, but if you look at the full squad, you have Buckley 21, Wycherley 24, Hodnett 23, Casey 22 and Crowley 22.
That’s 8/23 players 24 or under, or 6/23 that are 23 or under.

Munster often get slated for their lack of development, but when compared with a couple of years ago, or even against the other 3 provinces (I haven’t looked in detail at the other provinces squads for this weekend, so I may have to eat my words) that is a positive image to see going into a HC match.

[ronk]

Munster have actually picked almost the oldest team possible. Certainly the oldest team they could have reasonably picked. Minor exceptions like Conway ahead of Zebo.

[munster#1]

Massive credit to Munster’s development philosophy when even the most bias of posters recognises that Munster’s oldest possible selection contains 8 players 24 or under.

That would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago where the oldest possible team would have been lucky to have a single player under 24.

[riocard911]

Massive credit to Munster’s development philosophy when even the most bias of posters recognises that Munster’s oldest possible selection contains 8 players 24 or under.

That would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago where the oldest possible team would have been lucky to have a single player under 24.

+1 Positive signs alright!

[ronk]

Well it's 3 if you don't count injuries to signed players, 2 of whom are internationals. Which is 3 more than it was a few years ago, I'm really not belittling the progress.

Even that 3 was hard fought. Casey had McCarthy signed ahead of him. Coombes has become first choice through Stander retiring (he'd probably have forced his way in anyway) and JJ Hanrahan going to Clermont is the reason Healy is in a first choice 23.

[munster#1]

Munster have confirmed that 16k fans will be able to attend Sundays game.
Not a full house, but those 11k additional fans will probably cover the salary of a player or 2 for next season.

[Sugary tae]

Also hearing that Munster are in the market for both an experienced Hooker and a Tighthead.

If they can sign 2 stong scrummaging mobile options in those positions, along with Fekitoa, Munster will have a very solid squad.

A ball carrying brute in either front row position would be a massive addition. However I still think it’s getting the coaching ticket right is crucial. If Noel McNamara and Pendergast are involved as rumoured hopefully we’ll start to use our squad properly. We’ll never be the scarlets or Harlem globetrotters but we need to develop an attack that hurts teams. There’s a lot of young players that can be moulded correctly. Playing van grann ball getting Conor to kick the leather off it may be applicable in some situations but we need more strings to the bow

[Ruckedtobits]

Prendergast formally confirmed on a public podcast that he is not available and his candidacy was a try-on by ROG but he does not consider the time is right.

[Ruckedtobits]

Listening to Donncha make Murray's first try a result of "super rugby" requires some leap in interpretation.

[riocard911]

Munster are playing pretty well though...

[riocard911]

Zebo gets Munster's second try. Healy converts. 17-0 after 20 mins.

[riocard911]

Dan Robson gets over the line - 17-7

[riocard911]

JO'D try after Coombes bounces his way through the Wasps defensive line! Healy converts. 24-7

[riocard911]

Munster BP try after 44 mins - 31-7

[riocard911]

Second try for Zebo against 14 man Wasps in the 78th minute. Thomond Park goes wild!!! Crowley converts a far from easy kick - 38-7.

[riocard911]

Try in extra time for Rory Scannell. FT: 45-7 - impressive performance by Munster.