Can we start a petition or something to ensure that Wood is selected at out half over Hanrahan and Evan O Connell is selected over Wycherly.

If I see JJ play for another 80 mins I will lose my mind. Have to laugh at ppl saying he was brilliant against the Lions. If your version of brilliant is taking the ball standing, turning your shoulders in immediately after receiving the ball and shovelling it onto the next fella - then yes maybe he was brilliant. If your version of brilliant is skying the ball into the air multiple times for a gain of 5 metres - then yes he was brilliant. If your version of brilliant is missing kicks right in front of the post - then yes he was brilliant.

In past times, I was slow to accept the argument that we are too slow to give younger players opportunities. But over the last 18-24 months my previous position on this subject is no longer defendable.

Evan O Connell was one of the best players on the pitch against the Lions. It takes a last minute injury enforced substitution on the final day of the regular season for him to get a solid bit of game time. A year lost in his career, and even more frustrating after watching the game at the weekend where you have fellas like Gazotti of the same age who have been backed continuously for 2 seasons since the u20 World Cup.

Sean Edogbo is our best player against the Dragons, plays very well against the Bulls a few weeks later and has proven himself to be an exceptional line out jumper. Oh no - “we cannot continue picking this guy of high potential, because if we do he might actually grow into his role in the starting team and surpass our legendary Jack O Donoghue”

Tom Wood plays 30 minutes against Glasgow on a night where we were being bullied in the collision. Despite this, he defends strongly, carries the ball to the line strongly, makes numerous lovely wide passes to put players into loads of space - including one for a try. All in all - showing far more than Tony B or JJ across their entire seasons. Oh no - “we cannot pick this guy, what if he keeps on improving and surpasses our precious JJ who has stank the place out in every match this season”.

Brian Gleeson - errors aside is the only forward in our team who consistently gets gain line and runs over people. The only back row player on our team who competes vigorously at the desfensive breakdown. Not just in one, two or three rucks per game - but consistently over the course of the game. So what do we do - continue to play G Coombes who has been so, so far off the pace and utterly anonymous in every big game this season.

Even the way Ben O Connor has been handled this season has been utterly confusing. Funnily enough, hes a nailed on starter for our crunch European Cup games, but yet hes not deemed to be good enough to get into our URC team. No clue how that works.

Even in the case of Foxe - by god we all know that he needs more work on his scrum. But picking John Ryan who has been absolutely demolished in the scrum in every game this season is hardly any better. At least Foxe is very good in the carry and can actually move around the park. I don’t buy this nonsense that he’s not playing because he’s been put into the weights room for the rest of the year. Hes 23, not 19 or 20. Hes at an age where he should and probably is 90% there in terms of his physical development and should be getting regular game time. If you aren’t picking him, then get rid of him. If you don’t trust the fella over John Ryan at 23 years old, then why are you still contracting him. Ditto with Kieran Ryan.

Ben Healy out of contract with Edinburgh. Would it be an option to bring him back home?

Really enjoyed this episode Casey reminds me of POM with his pre game talk love how he singles out the individual players it’s a real comparison when you see Beirne at the end he’s just not as inspiring when he talks.

Could see Casey as club captain in the future famously Pete got it while still playing with Paulie to let him focus on Ireland a similar situation with Casey and Beirne maybe?

Really enjoy the behind the scenes stuff.

Well….

"The travelling group will depart for South Africa tomorrow and will arrive in Pretoria on Wednesday afternoon.

On the injury front, there is good news for Fineen Wycherley and Alex Nankivell as they have both returned to training after withdrawing from the matchday squad to face Lions.

Jack Crowley (leg) is unavailable for selection."

https://www.munsterrugby.ie/.../squad-update-quarter.../

TRK reporting that Duffy is apparently confirmed on his Patreon, with responsibility for both the scrum and lineout.

Despite leaving Ulster, I don’t think he was rumored before? Instead, we were linked with super rugby coaches? I thought he was linked with Connacht?

Regardless, he’s experienced in multiple different leagues and has coached well underage. I guess lurking fans from other provinces could give more insight?

Lessons will of course be learned

Hey all,

I requested a tour through thomand park .ie on Sunday for June but have yet to hear anything back. Is this normal? Whats the craic like?

How come we always get the shit slot for the trip to SA. I’d much rather get it out of the way at the start like Leinster.
I’m not saying we are going to qualify but our trip is around the same time as the last 16 and quarter final matches in the Heineken cup.

It’s high time that this ridiculous limitation imposed on the provinces is removed. It’s amateurish type stuff that we are still being forced to scour the earth for less than ideal IQ options like Jager, Dan Kelly etc. Absolutely bring in young academy guys in like Josh Neil, Ben O Donavan etc, but the fact that we still have to resort to scouring the earth for inferior IQ players in key positions, when there are much better and more affordable NIQ options available is completely ludicrous. Particularly in an age where all of the top and mid table teams across France and England are stacking quality on quality in every position via international recruits, it just feels like we are being left further and further behind.

I think that the remarkable strength of Leinster’s production line and the incredible work they have done to be able to survive and thrive under these restrictions, has glossed over how ridiculous this rule actually is for the other 3 provinces. Conveniently enough - now that Leinster’s production line is slowing down Humphries is finally starting to get ideas about loosening the restrictions. While Leinster have done an admirable job with their pathways system, the reality is that no other club team in Europe - bar maybeeee Toulouse would be able to survive and compete for European silverware under such a restrictive system. Because Leinster have factors and resources at play (catchment area, playing numbers etc) that no other club team certainly in UK and Ireland could tap into even if they wanted to. Would a Bath, or a Bordeaux or a Northampton be highly competitive at the latter stages of Europe if they had to operate under such an oppressive system? Absolutely not. So when you look at it that way, I think Munster have performed just fine in Europe in recent seasons - considering the limitations imposed on them. Munster will never ever have the playing numbers, or enough homegrown talent with sufficient genetic profile variation coming through to ever be able to have a well rounded squad in Europe under a 3 NIQ rule. It’s virtually impossible.

2010 is an important date - because it was the last year where Munster truly operated with the freedom of being able able to recruit enough foreign players to plug in weaknesses in the squad. From 2011 onwards, the provinces were forced to wind down the contracts of foreign players to ready themselves for the imposition of the NIQ 3 rule which came into effect in 2013. Not coincidentally, 2010 was the last time Munster actually had a squad capable of winning in Europe. Why ? Because we had a healthy blend of homegrown players, combined with NIQ players in areas where we were deficient. In 2010 we had Jean De Villers, Mafi, Howlett, Brugnaut, Nick Williams, Warwick. A good mix of top class internationals and unheralded, but talented NIQ players who gave us the pace, power, depth and X factor required to be able to compete. Granted, we played terrible and lost against a Biarritz team which we should and probably would have beat if it weren’t for key injuries. But at least we were able to put our best foot forward with a well rounded squad. Unlike in later semi finals where we fielded teams with distinct weaknesses against sides with much superior depth like Clermont 2013, Toulon 2014, Saracens 2017,19, Racing 2018. Yeah, we showed admirable grit against Clermont and Toulon (2013,2014) but the reality is that we never had the depth or quality off the bench to get across the line.

At this stage - I think the argument that NIQ players block the development of homegrown players is deeply flawed. In fact, it’s completely redundant because everybody can see that it’s a 23 man game now and bringing in good foreign players boosts competition for places in the squad, drives on young, homegrown players and provides the additional quality needed for homegrown players to progress to the latter stages of the Champions Cup. Has Slimani negatively impacted Clarkson? Snyman with Joe McCarthy? Augustus with Bryn Ward? There is virtually no example of a homegrown player’s development ever been negatively impacted by a foreign arrival. The cream always rises to the top and if you’re good enough, you will make it.

Like Dan Kelly - is he a good bloke and a bloody hard worker? Absolutely. But he’s a very limited player with a narrow skill set. I could list you 15 better and cheaper NIQ players playing across Super Rugby and the top Euro leagues. Like why are we being forced to sign a reserve Leicester centre (firmly behind Kata, Woodward, Perese and was about to be usurped by Will Wand)

Ditto Antoine Frisch - because he was signed on big bucks (circa 250k) when there were far better and cheaper options out there. Was he a nice player? Yeah. But he lacked any sort of punch agaisnt better opposition and was very erratic both with ball in hand and in defence. Again - I could list you 20 better and cheaper outside centres than Frisch.

Ditto Mike Haley - a very gutsy, reliable player who I really like but doesn’t have the quality, talent or speed that even a guy like Paul Warwick back in the day offered.

Oil Jager? Is he a nice fella and has he been unfortunate with injury? Absolutely. But the clear consensus from any Crusaders fan before he signed was that he was very ordinary player with a terrible injury record. And couldn’t ever put a run of games together. And this was before the head problems started. Andy Farrell and Paul O Connell took one look at Jager and never invited him back to an Ireland camp and I can see why - he doesn’t use his size well and never has and he doesn’t apply himself well around the park. Can you imagine how better positioned Munster would be if we were able to sign a better, more reliable and similarly affordable/cheaper option - eg Fouche, Klopper, Sandi.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MunsterRugby/s/7W4XfaNKqD

Last years intake and discussion regarding.

Even off the top of my head you’d be thinking all of Conway, Foley, Barrett, O’Leary, O’Shea, Carney should be getting in.

I’m not based in Munster so I’m sure there’s a few I’m missing that we need to get in?

Would like to see some Kerry representation other than JJ after Jack Daly was released and has moved to the western force

Was getting a lot of shit from 'fans' but i thought he played brilliant, along with Sean o brian who made go forward ball every carry.

Simply what is going on with Crowley and is he okay? Concerning he has pulled out of a game with a dead leg again.