Munster seek IRFU clearance to sign a prop

MUNSTER are hoping to get clearance from the IRFU this week to add an additional prop forward to their squad as a result of their on-going injury crisis in the front-row.
With uncertainty over when international prop Marcus Horan will return to competitive action, confirmation that Dave Ryan is set to be sidelined for three months due to injury and Darragh Hurley will miss a couple of weeks also due to injury Munster are now short of options in the front-row.
John Hayes is suspended until the middle of the month while Tony Buckley is likely to be sidelined for up to two weeks with a calf muscle injury.
However, Horan, Hayes and Buckley have all been named in the Irish squad for the up-coming autumn internationals.
Munster coach Tony McGahan said: “Tony Buckley has a calf muscle injury, but should be back in two weeks.
“Dave Ryan is out for three months, while Darragh Hurley is out for a couple of weeks
“Marcus Horan was up in Dublin having tests on Friday.
“We are awaiting results and hope he gets some positive news on that front.
“We would like to sign a prop. We are very short in that area.
“We are in dialogue with the IRFU about it. We will know more this week.
“Any new prop would be available to play Heineken Cup if he hadn’t played Heineken Cup with another club already this season.”
Munster moved up to fifth place in the Magners League table as a result of their 24-10 bonus-point win over Ulster at Thomond Park on Saturday night. The result was the perfect way for Munster to complete the opening phase of the season. Munster’s next competitive outing will be an away Magners League tie against the Ospreys on December 5.
Munster skipper Paul O’Connell said he felt confident the team would perform against Ulster following their excellent attitude to training in the lead up to the match.
“It was a much better performance, much better intensity and much better enthusiasm in how we played,” Paul O’Connell enthused.
“When we bring that to our game, sometimes it doesn’t matter if we make mistakes, we can still play well and pull out performances.
“I think the intensity was there in bucket loads.
“If we couldn’t pick it up after the Edinburgh game, we never would.
“We worked very hard all week, players, coaching staff, everyone.
“It was one of those weeks where coming up to the game on Thursday and Friday I didn’t really worry about the performance. I knew it was going to happen.
“I played in teams where we have struggled before and been slated plenty of times.
“Last Saturday after the Edinburgh game was the worst I had felt about rugby for a long time.
“The way we worked during the week, when you hit Thursday or Friday, you can be confident about how the team is going to perform based on what we did in training during the week.”
O’Connell said a lot of the criticism of the team in recent weeks had been uninformed.
“I know some guys do read a lot of stuff which is written in the papers,” O’Connell said.
“I don’t really read it. A lot of it is uninformed comment.
“Some of the ex-players who are writing, they were barely informed when they were playing with us, not to mention when they are outside now. A lot of it is uninformed. We are our own harshest critics. We know where we are as a team.
“We know where we can be. We know how good we can be, we know how bad we can be.”

COLM KINSELLA