McGahan’s Munster men begin pre-season programme

JUST six weeks after they signed off on last season, members of the Munster rugby squad have assembled this week to begin pre-season training for the 2009-10 campaign.
Players not involved in the British & Irish Lions or Churchill Cup squads have gathered in their respective Limerick and Cork bases to begin their pre-season training regime under the watchful eye of strength and conditioning coach, Paul Darbyshire.
Limerick-based players, including the likes of Marcus Horan, Ciaran O’Boyle, Alan Quinlan, Ian Dowling, Barry Murphy and Paul Warwick were due to report to conditioning coaches Tom Comyns and Joe Gallanagh at the University of Limerick this week while Daragh Hurley, Doug Howlett, Billy Holland, Denis Leamy, Lifeimi Mafi and James Coughlan are due to present themselves to Paul Darbyshire and Aidan O’Connell at the Cork facility in Forge Hill.
These senior internationals are joined by academy and development squad members while the players involved in the recent Churchill Cup success will arrive back on Monday, July 13.
Munster’s Lions contingent are set to commence their build up to the 2009-10 season some three weeks later.
The Munster squad this season will include hooker Damien Varley who returns to the province having spent 12 months with English Guinness Premiership side London Wasps.
Varley, who won a Munster Senior Cup, AIB Cup and AIB League medal with Garryowen, was in the extended Munster pre-season training squad in 2006, before being offered a trial by Shaun Edwards last summer. The trial ended with Varley being offered a contract.
Varley said the experience of playing with a top English side was highly beneficial to the development of his career.
“The move to Wasps came about when Pat Chesser contacted Warren Gatland and he in turn got onto Shaun Edwards,” Damien Varley explained.
“I really enjoyed my time there and learned a lot and it’s an experience I think will stand to me.
“I was, of course, delighted when Munster contacted me and it’s great to be back home and with a squad like Munster. I am really looking forward to the season ahead.”
Munster squad members are set to jet off to Portugal in the first week of August for a week long pre-season training camp.
Munster begin a series of pre-season friendlies with a fixture against the Sale Sharks at Musgrave Park on Friday, August 14 followed by a clash with London Irish at the same Cork venue a week later.
Munster complete their programme of friendlies when they travel to Welford Road to tackle the Leicester Tigers on August 28. The new Magners League season is set to begin a week later.
The draw for the ODM Munster Senior Cup will take place this evening at the ODM Offices in Bandon.
The competition is due to begin in September with the final set to take place in early January 2010.
Cork Constitution defeated Old Crescent 21-13 in last season’s final at Clifford Park.
Shannon and Garryowen have dominated the competition for the past 25 years with Shannon winning it 15 times and Garryowen on five occasions.
Meanwhile South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has finally apologised for his defence of Schalk Burger’s eye-gouging against the British & Irish Lions on Saturday.
Burger was banned for eight weeks after the incident involving Ireland’s Luke Fitzgerald in the second Test. But De Villiers had continued to insist the flanker did nothing wrong in Pretoria.
However, last night the coach said: “It was never my intention to suggest that I condone foul play.
“That is the last thing I would ever do and I apologise for that impression.”
De Villiers went on to say that ‘eye-gouging is something that we as a team will never be part of.’ But after a meeting with the South African Rugby Union (SARU) De Villiers finally apologised, along with South African rugby chief Oregan Hoskins.
The Paul O’Connell led Lions face the Springboks in their final Test match at Coca Cola Park (formerly Ellis Park), Johannesburg on Saturday next at 2pm.
South Africa have already clinched the best of three match series.

Colm Kinsella