Munster’s season comes to a disappointing end

A MONTH which promised much for Munster rugby ended in despair at the RDS on Saturday night as Leinster simply overwhelmed Tony McGahan’s side in their glamour Magners League semi-final play-off.


The disappointing defeat has raised questions over the future of the team, with several members of the squad - especially in the pack - coming towards the end of their playing careers at the highest level. For the fourth successive time Munster failed to score a try against tenacious opponents who were good value for their 16-6 victory.
Disappointingly, Munster lost the battle in the set-piece with Leinster assuming the upperhand in the scrums as well as forcing their opposition line-out to creak badly on occasion.
Afterwards a defiant Tony McGahan insisted that his squad - semi-finalists in both the Heineken Cup and Magners League this season - was not too far off the best sides in club rugby.
Tony McGahan said: “We have reached two semi-finals this season losing 18-7 and 16-6. I don’t think we are very far off the mark.
“But there are always going to be questions there about the age profile of the side. That is inevitable. That is always going to be there.
“I think it has been there for a few years. We kept rebounding back and keep competing for trophies at the top end of the season.
“I think there is no doubt there are players coming towards the end of their career,” he said.
“That is well-documented - 12 months and 24 months for the majority of them - so we need to keep moving on.
“We introduced a lot of players this year, up to 11 or 12. They have had a great opportunity to play rugby and next year it will be even more so,” McGahan said.
While Munster’s season ended with Saturday night’s defeat in Dublin several members of the squad are set to be involved in Ireland’s summer tour to Australia and new Zealand next month.
Irish coach Declan Kidney will announce a 32-man squad for the tour tomorrow.
Meanwhile three Munster players have been included in the ERC European Dream Team chosen as part of the celebrations to mark 15th season of European club rugby.
Out-half Ronan O’Gara, flanker David Wallace and number eight Anthony Foley have all been included in the Dream Team selection.
Ronan O’Gara and Wallace are two-time Heineken Cup medal winners while Anthony Foley skippered Munster to their first success in the competition in 2006. Munster’s long-serving number ten O’Gara, was named as the inaugural winner of the ERC European Player award.
O’Gara, who has scored a Heineken Cup record 1,138 points in 91 appearances, is the only double winner, becoming the first ever ERC European Player Award winner and a member of the Dream Team selection. Toulouse’s Guy Noves received the Best Coach award.
A disappointing weekend for Munster on the playing pitch continued last night when the province’s A side suffered a 23-14 reverse to the Cornish Pirates in the inaugural British and Irish Cup final in Camborne.
Afterwards Munster A team manager Mick Galwey said that while they were disappointed to lose the final the experience gained through the competition would stand to the squad.
Galwey said: “It was a big learning experience for our young guys - the average age was 22. We’ve had great success in the British and Irish Cup this season, but it was just a step too far.”

COLM KINSELLA

An ideal opportunity to salvage Munster’s season

MUNSTER out-half Ronan O’Gara believes the Magners League provides the province with the ideal opportunity to salvage something from the season following their bitterly disappointing Heineken Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of Biarritz.
Munster face old rivals Leinster in a glamour Magners League semi-final play-off at the RDS on Saturday (8pm).
Munster will be hoping to end their three-game losing run against Michael Cheika’s men, including a crushing 30-0 defeat at the RDS last October.
Ronan O’Gara, who captained Munster against the Cardiff Blues on Sunday in the continuing absence of the injured Paul O’Connell, turned in a Man of the Match display. O’Gara kicked all 12 of Munster’s points in their one-point defeat to the Blues. However, the losing bonus point Munster secured ensured their passage into the inaugural play-offs.
O’Gara said: “It will be a big match next weekend. From our point of view it was the European Cup, but you have to try and salvage something from the season. We are looking at the Magners League.
“That is the great thing about sport. You are down, but you get back up. Now we have an opportunity again. It is strange. We are obviously disappointed that we lost (to Cardiff), but I suppose the big target was to make it through to the semi-finals.”
Munster have a number of injury worries ahead of Saturday’s clash. However the Munster management team is hopeful that Doug Howlett, Ian Dowling and Mick O’Driscoll will be available for the crucial trip to Dublin. Keith Earls remains a doubt for the game with a groin injury while captain Paul O’Connell is not expected to feature in the tie.
Key front-row forwards John Hayes and Jerry Flannery are set to return to the squad for the clash.
Meanwhile the Munster A squad is gearing up for Sunday’s British and Irish Cup final showdown with the Cornish Pirates at the Camborne Recreation Ground. Kick-off for the final is at 6pm and the game will be televised live on Sky Sports.
Munster remain the only unbeaten side in the inaugural British & Irish Cup having won all six of their encounters in the competition so far.
That run of form has been based on a formidable defensive effort which has seen the Munster men yield just three tries in 480 minutes playing time.
Sunday’s opponents, the Cornish Pirates, finished in sixth place in the RFU Championship table this season, but could not progress through their play-off pool to reach the semi-final stage.
The Pirates’ only victory in their last four matches in all competitions was the semi-final triumph in the British & Irish Cup at home to Doncaster Knights.

Colm Kinsella

Leinster loom large for McGahan’s men

MUNSTER’S ticket allocation for Saturday’s glamour Magners League semi-final showdown with Leinster at the RDS is likely to be in the region of 4,500 - Munster are entitled to a ticket allocation of 25 per cent of the ground capacity at the RDS which is 18,000.


Munster Rugby have indicated that the province’s ticket allocation for Saturday’s game which begins at 8pm will be distributed through the clubs in the province as well as the Munster Rugby Supporters Club.
Holders Munster secured their place in the inaugural Magners League play-offs after securing a vital losing bonus point in a 13-12 defeat to the Cardiff Blues at the Cardiff City Stadium last night. Munster had victory snatched from their grasp in injury time by a 52-metre penalty from Leigh Halfpenny.
Afterwards Munster coach Tony McGahan agreed Leinster deserved to finish top of the table at the end of the Magners League regular season, but he promised their fierce Irish rivals a mighty challenge in Saturday night’s shoot-out: “It’s always a tight clash between Munster and Leinster. They won by a point the last time we played and we are eager to go up there and get the result that means we can continue in this competition.
“Leinster have been the most consistent side this season, finishing on top, but we are defending a trophy. It was always our goal to get into the last four and now we have to go on from here.
“It comes down to one-off matches from here on in and both Leinster and ourselves will want to ensure we reach the final two weeks later. We are in a difficult place at this time with injuries. We lost three or four players going into this game, but we hope to have a few players back for what promises to be a great game in Dublin.
“Our first priority in Cardiff was to win the game, but at 13-12 we got the bonus point we needed. I am delighted for the players.”
Leinster secured the double over Munster in the Magners League this season and also beat them in the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup last year.
Munster captain Paul O’Connell is due to undergo an operation in Cork today to solve his on-going groin injury. It seems unlikely that O’Connell play any further part this season.
Meanwhile Munster have confirmed that Worcester Warriors centre Sam Tuitupou will join them - subject to the usual medical and fitness examinations - at the start of the next season along with the Leicester Tigers’ Johne Murphy. Tuitupou played nine times for the All Blacks between 2004 and 2006 and was a regular for Auckland Blues in the Super 14 before moving to English side Worcester in 2007.
Back-row Tommy O’Donnell, prop Dave Ryan and scrum-half Duncan Williams have moved up from development contracts to senior contracts as Munster finalise their squad for next season. O’Donnell, Ryan and Williams have all featured for Munster in the Magners League this season.
Academy players Ian Nagle, Dave Foley, Stephen Archer, Scott Deasy, Peter O’Mahony and Danny Barnes have been promoted to full development contracts with the province.
Training-contracted player Declan Cusack, of Thomond, who is Munster’s top scorer in the British & Irish Cup, has also been impressing the province’s management. The exciting out-half has been bumped up to a full development contract.
Meanwhile Young Munster were chosen as Senior Club of the Year in the Munster Rugby’s annual awards which took place last night.
Munsters’ scooped the award on the back of an excellent season which saw the Clifford Park club gain promotion to Division 1A of the AIL, as well as claiming the ODM Munster Senior Cup and Limerick Charity Cup.
Lock Mick O’Driscoll was selected as the Munster Player of the Year. O’Driscoll, who has played more than 160 matches for the province, beat off Keith Earls, David Wallace and Denis Fogarty for the award. O’Driscoll was selected as the award winner by readers of the Irish Examiner. Scott Deasy claimed the Academy Player of the Year Award while the Young Player of the Year accolade went to Billy Holland. The School of the Year went to Crescent College Comprehensive winners of this season’s Munster Schools Junior Cup. The Dooradoyle school also claimed the Kidney and McCarthy Cups. Thomond won the Club Mini Awards for the excellent work the club does with budding young players aged between six and 12. The club’s youth officer John Airey plays a key role in the development of Thomond’s under-age players.
On the club front Bruff suffered a 17-10 defeat to Lansdowne in the AIl Division 2 play-off final on Saturday.

COLM KINSELLA

Hayes prepares for disciplinary hearing

PROP John Hayes will appear before an independent disciplinary hearing in Belfast tomorrow following his red-carding in Munster’s embarrassing Magners League defeat to old rivals Leinster at the RDS.
Hayes, who boasts an exemplary disciplinary record, was red-carded by referee Simon McDowell in the 57th minute of Saturday evening’s game on the advice of one of his touch judges for an alleged stamp on Leinster prop Cian Healy as he lay underneath a Munster maul.
Thirty-five-year-old Hayes will be accompanied to the IRFU’s independent disciplinary hearing in Belfast tomorrow by Munster manager Shaun Payne and a legal representative.
Cappamore man John Hayes, Ireland’s most capped international, had never been sent off during a career spanning close on two decades with Bruff, Shannon, Munster and Ireland.
Props Hayes and Healy did speak about the incident following Saturday night’s game.
Munster lock Donncha O’Callaghan said that while he did not see the red-carding incident, he stressed the Limerick man’s reputation as an honest, disciplined player.
“I didn’t see the incident. I knew Cian (Healy) was trying to pull down the maul, but I think we all know Hayes. You could not come across a more honest, disciplined fellow,” O’Callaghan said.
“It was nothing like him. I know the maul was being pulled down and Cian had a chat with him.
“John Hayes is an impeccable character. It was embarrassing for him to go off like that, but you know him lads, it was nothing like him.”
While Hayes’ hearing is of most immediate concern to Munster coach Tony McGahan, the side’s dismal showing against Leinster and this Saturday’s mammoth Heineken Cup opening round tie away to the Northampton Saints will also be occupying his thoughts.
Saturday’s shut-out was the first occasion Munster had failed to register a point in a competitive fixture since the province’s 9-0 loss to Leinster in 1971.
It was also Munster’s heaviest ever defeat in the Magners League, topping the 26-point loss to Ulster from last January.
Bitterly disappointed Munster coach Tony McGahan said the side needed to get back to basics as the focus now switches to Saturday’s Heineken Cup clash with the Northampton Saints at Franklins Gardens (6pm).
“The biggest thing for us is to get back to basics and put a few core principals of our game back together,” Tony McGahan said.
“It has been a disrupted start to the season.
“We have a few players who have not had a lot of game time.
“Getting continuity to the play is certainly a concern. We need to go back to the drawing board and get a response this week.”
Meanwhile, in the AIB All-Ireland League, an 87th minute drop goal from Garryowen out-half Willie Staunton helped the ‘light blues’ secure a dramatic 12-10 victory over city rivals and holders Shannon at Dooradoyle on Friday night.
UL Bohemian made a disappointing start to their Division 1A campaign after suffering a 8-3 home defeat to Blackrock College at Thomond Park.
In-form Young Munster made a winning start in Division 1B when recording a deserved 23-3 victory over Buccaneers at Clifford Park.
In Division 1B both Thomond and Bruff picked up bonus points in registering impressive opening day victories, but there was no joy for Old Crescent on their long trip to Belfast where Harlequins gained the spoils.

Colm Kinsella

Leinster loom large for Munster men

MUNSTER’s season cranks up a gear this weekend as the Magners League champions lock horns with Heineken Cup holders Leinster in a mammoth Magners League tie at the RDS this Saturday (6.30pm).
Memories of Munster’s defeat to Leinster in last season’s Heineken Cup semi-final at Croke Park still haunts the province’s supporters.
But Saturday’s fixture, between the league’s second and third-placed sides, gives Munster the opportunity to gain part compensation at least, as well as providing a timely boost ahead of Saturday week’s Heineken Cup opener away to Northampton.
Munster manager Shaun Payne said the rivalry between Munster and Leinster had taken on an added dimension in recent seasons as the profile of the fixture has grown.
“This has always been a massive game. When I arrived here I was left in no doubt about the significance of the fixture,” Shaun Payne explained.
“But it has taken on an added dimension in recent seasons.
“We won our two Heineken Cups and Leinster won theirs last season.
“There were the two Heineken Cup semi-final meetings between us as well. They were epic games, two of the most amazing games that I have ever been involved in.
“Obviously the last one didn’t work out for us and it is something we have to live with.
“The 2006 semi-final was something the Leinster boys will always remember, I can guarantee it. But this fixture has taken on more importance, if that is possible.”
Payne said the round five Magners League clash with Leinster was also the ideal preparation for the Heineken Cup clash at Franklin’s Garden.
“It is a proper test before the Heineken Cup. There is no bigger test or rivalry for us.
“And Leinster probably feel the same way about it,” Shaun Payne pointed out.
“It is a real chance to test yourself out before the Heineken Cup starts.
“It is early in the season. Both sides are finding their feet in terms of team selection and especially with the Lions just coming back into both squads. I think it is great preparation for what is coming next.
“But as a stand alone game it has always been up there.”
Munster welcome back Jerry Flannery, Ian Dowling, Peter Stringer, David Wallace, Paul Warwick, Niall Ronan, Paul O’Connell, Keith Earls and Denis Leamy into contention for selection for Saturday’s game.


New signing Jean de Villiers is available after recovering fully from cramp he picked up towards the end of the Magners League clash with he Dragons last weekend.
Flanker Alan Quinlan is a doubt however with a neck injury.
Barry Murphy, who went over on his ankle in the early minutes of the Dragons tie, is unavailable.
Meanwhile centre Brian O’Driscoll is one of 13 Ireland internationals named in the extended Leinster squad for Saturday’s interprovincial derby - the Leinster team is set to be named at lunchtime this Friday.
Leinster coach Michael Cheika said this week that the kind of rivalry which exists between Munster and Leinster is rare.
“The two matches against Munster are the highlights of your season,” Michael Cheika said.
“For me as a foreigner who has come to understand the rivalry, it’s a real classic.
“You don’t find these types of rivalries in many other places. What we have to is break the tit-for-tat nature of this encounter. They win and then we win, we win two and then they win two. If we want to be successful on Saturday then we’ll need to break that cycle because I want us to be the team that’s mentally angrier and wants to come back and win the match even though we won the last time.
“Last time means nothing.”

Colm Kinsella

Neck injury could rule Quinlan out

THE Munster management team are keeping their fingers crossed that flanker Alan Quinlan will be available for selection for Saturday’s big Magners League showdown with Leinster, despite injuring his neck in the victory over the Dragons at Musgrave Park on Sunday last.
Thirty-five-year-old Quinlan was replaced in the opening half of Munster’s bonus-point win over the Welsh side after injuring his neck in a tackle.


Munster manager Shaun Payne admitted Quinlan was struggling with the injury, but the management team were not ruling him out of contention for selection for the RDS clash with rivals Leinster (6.30pm).
Barry Murphy, who went over on his ankle in the early minutes of Sunday’s game with the Dragons is unavailable for the Leinster tie. Jean de Villiers, who made his Munster debut at the weekend, did suffer a touch of cramp towards the end of the match, but has recovered fully.
Jerry Flannery, Ian Dowling, Peter Stringer, David Wallace, Paul Warwick, Niall Ronan, Paul O’Connell, Keith Earls and Denis Leamy are also back in contention for places on the starting XV.
Munster manager Payne said the Leinster clash was ideal preparation for Saturday week’s big Heineken Cup opener away to Northampton.
“It is a proper test before the Heineken Cup. There is no bigger test or rivalry for us. And Leinster probably feel the same way about it,” Shaun Payne pointed out.
“It is a real chance to test yourself out before the Heineken Cup starts. It is early in the season. Both sides are finding their feet in terms of team selection and especially with the Lions just coming back into both squads. I think it is great preparation for what is coming next, but as a stand alone game it has always been up there.”
Payne said the management team had been especially pleased with Nick Williams’ Man of the Match performance against the Dragons on Sunday when the number eight bagged a hat-trick of tries.
“Nick (Williams) had a particularly good pre-season. He was very sharp in training. You could hardly wish to see a more powerful guy in the gym,” Shaun Payne said.
“To see him finally translate all of that into a performance on the pitch is very pleasing for us. That was one of the most positive things we took from the game with the Dragons.
“We see Nick day in and day out. We see what he is capable of. It is frustrating for him and for us that he hasn’t been able to do that on the pitch until now. He had the injury from the pre-season game with Sale.
“He started on Sunday and powered over for three tries. That was pleasing.”

COLM KINSELLA

De Villiers signals intent

THE prospect of South African star Jean de Villiers lining out for Munster next season received a boost with the exciting centre confirming his intention to play overseas.
De Villiers, who has been capped 46 times for the Springboks and was SA Rugby’s 2008 player of the year as well as the players’ player of the year, is seen as an ideal replacement for Rua Tipoki who returns back to New Zealand at the end of this season.
A number of French clubs are also understood to be interested in signing Stormers captain de Villiers and one is reported to be willing to pay the talented centre a whopping €500,000 a year to sign up.
“My contract expires at the end of the year,” 28-year-old de Villiers told Die Burger, a daily Afrikaans language newspaper.
“I have always had an open mind about playing overseas at some stage.
“I will do that at some point in the future.”
De Villiers revealed that he would make a decision on his future after the Lions tour of South Africa is completed on July 4.
De Villiers is currently in a race against time to be fit for the series with the Lions. He picked up a groin injury in his side’s recent Super 14 defeat to the Wellington Hurricanes. A scan revealed that de Villiers will be out of action for up to six weeks, with the first test against the Lions scheduled for Durban on June 20.
Meanwhile Munster’s Alan Quinlan is sweating over his place on the Lions tour to South Africa after being cited in the wake of the shattering Heineken Cup semi-final defeat against Leinster at Croke Park. Alan Quinlan is due to appear before an independent disciplinary committee in the coming days as a result of a citing lodged by the Citing Commissioner John Byett for ‘alleged contact with the eye/eye area of Leinster player Leo Cullen, in contravention of Law 10.4 (k).’ The independent disciplinary committee is set to be appointed as ‘soon as practicable.’
Both parties to the hearing, European Rugby Cup Ltd and the player, have the right to appeal the decisions of this committee. Appeals must be lodged within 72 hours of receiving the full written decision from the Chairman of the independent disciplinary committee.


Meanwhile, Munster, who secured their second Magners League title when the Ospreys failed to claim maximum points against the Newport Gwent Dragons on Thursday night last, return to league action on Sunday next when they face the Cardiff Blues.
The Arms Park clash will begin at 4.35pm and will be televised live on Setanta Sports.
Munster will be presented with the Magners League trophy on Friday week, May 15 following their final fixture in the competition against the Ospreys at Thomond Park (7.45pm).
Munster coach Tony McGahan said that while their success in regaining the Magners League was a boost from a squad perspective, it provided little solace in the wake of the crushing defeat by Leinster.
“From a squad perspective winning the Magners League is something from the season,” head coach Tony McGahan said.
“The Heineken Cup, for Munster, is everything.
“We have put a lot of effort into it. We have a very strong tradition and history with the competition.
“We certainly wanted to get to the final in Edinburgh, but, alas, we are not there.”

Colm Kinsella

Paul predicts unique occasion

“WHEN I was growing up, the guy I hated to lose to was my brother. That is the way it is now. These guys, (Leinster players), after what we achieved together with Ireland, will be friends for life. But those are the guys you hate to lose to most and I am sure Leinster will be saying the same thing. It’s because we know each other so well and are friends that this is such a big rivalry.”


Munster captain Paul O’Connell is explaining the uniqueness of squaring up to his Irish international colleagues when Munster lock horns with Leinster in Saturday’s mammoth Heineken Cup semi-final clash at Croke Park. The Lions captain is also predicting a unique, GAA-style, atmosphere at Saturday’s big clash.
“The atmosphere at Lansdowne Road for the 2006 semi-final meeting of Munster and Leinster was phenomenal. This weekend will be no different,” O’Connell predicted.
“There might be a bit of a GAA element to the atmosphere as well.
“That will add to it.
“It will be fabulous to play a provincial game in Croke Park.
“It is something neither team has done before. Definitely the atmosphere will be a little bit different to an international.”
O’Connell said it was important in a pressure cooker setting like this weekend’s clash that players have confidence in their own ability.
“You have to be confident in your ability to play. Padraig Harrington said pressure makes you perform better, makes you focus, makes you concentrate. Hopefully, that is what it will do for us,” O’Connell stressed.
“There is a different hype to this game. There is a more intense rivalry. But for the players on the pitch, a big game is a big game. Both sets of players are used to handling the hype.”
Munster skipper O’Connell said he had been hugely impressed with Leinster’s quarter-final win at The Stoop against NEC Harlequins.
“I think Leinster are mentally very strong,” O’Connell stressed.
“They had a fabulous performance against Harlequins in the quarter-finals. I have a lot of respect for the win away from home against a very competent side.
“Their stuff around their breakdown is top class.
“They have five or six guys who are very strong in that area, brilliant at slowing ball, poaching ball and getting penalties. It is something we have to be very aware of.”
Munster have been installed as odds-on favourites to win through to a fifth final this weekend.
Lock O’Connell dismissed the notion that Munster might suffer from any over-confidence.
“We keep a cap on over-confidence because we know we can be as bad as any side in the Magners League or Heineken Cup on any given day if our heads are not right,” he stressed.
“We saw it happen this year against Ulster also against Connacht and Montauban at home.
“We know how bad we can be if the head is not on. We keep reminding ourselves. The papers and media have to tag someone as the favourites and someone as the underdogs. One thing we have been good at is realising that it is about what happens on the day. It is a cup match, knock-out rugby, something we have been raised on.
“We know no matter how much a team is an underdog, how big a team are favourites, how level teams are, it is down to the performance on the day. That is what we have been reminding ourselves.”

Colm Kinsella

Munster maintain double dream

MUNSTER’S double dream is still very much alive as Tony McGahan’s men soared seven points clear at the top of the Magners League table with a convincing 22-5 victory over old rivals Leinster at Thomond Park on Saturday night - The hugely impressive Keith Earls and replacement Denis Fogarty bagged a brace of second half tries as Munster easily claimed the bragging rights before a capacity 26,000 attendance.


Munster coach McGahan will have been further pleased by the impressive return from injury of winger Ian Dowling - the 26-year-old had been sidelined since January.
Back-row forward Denis Leamy, who missed Saturday’s game due to a shoulder injury, is still in contention for a starting place in Sunday’s mammoth Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with the Ospreys at Thomond Park (kick-off 1pm), however centre Rua Tipoki will not be available for selection.
Ronan O’Gara, who kicked 12 points in Saturday night’s victory, said the squad’s goal was to win both the Magners League and Heineken Cup trophy: “The ambition within this team is to try and win both trophies. For the first time in a while Munster have made a really strong challenge in the Magners League.
“Tony (McGahan) has been really effective in the squads he has picked and he picked sides to win every game. Everyone has bought into that. There is strong competition for places and obviously the European Cup speaks for itself. We are trying to maintain a double campaign.”
Munster coach McGahan agreed that try-scorer Keith Earls had the ability to excite the crowd when in possession which few players possess: “There are not many players who have that ability. You can feel the anticipation and the crowd rise the very second the ball is going out there. Very few players have that.
“We are lucky Keith has it and we are very pleased with his performances this season.”
McGahan said he had watched part of the Ospreys game with Ulster in the Magners League on Friday night at Ravenhill, but had learned little from it. However he is expecting the Welsh side to prove formidable opponents in Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final clash at Thomond Park.
“I saw a little bit of the Ospreys v Ulster game, but it was a wasted 35 minutes, really,” McGahan revealed.
“It was not a good game to watch.
“The Ospreys are a quality outfit and they have been for quite some time. They have been building a good squad down there. They are well organised and they have some real world class players who can attack. They are also very solid defensively.
“The game with Ulster will mean nothing. Then you look into the conditions and other things. We are expecting a very good Ospreys side to come here and that is all we are concerning ourselves with.”
Meanwhile Wasps Limerick-born scrum-half Eoin Reddan is again being tipped for a move to Leinster in the summer. Twenty-eight-year-old Reddan has made close on 130 appearances and scored 16 tries since joining the Guinness Premiership side from Munster at the start of the 2005-06 season.
Closer to home Young Munster’s prospects of playing in Division One of the All-Ireland League next season received a major blow on Saturday when the side suffered a disappointing 11-9 defeat to St. Mary’s College at Clifford Park.

Colm Kinsella

McGahan promises a ‘high-class’ affair

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan is predicting that Saturday night’s crunch top-of-the-table Magners League clash with Leinster at Thomond Park will be a ‘high class’ affair.


League leaders Munster will defend their 11-year unbeaten run against their arch rivals in Limerick when the sides meet before a sell-out attendance of 26,000 - Munster’s last defeat to Leinster in Limerick was a 18-24 reverse in the inter-provincials at Dooradoyle in August 1998. Munster, who have won just one of their last six games against Irish provinces in all competitions, currently enjoy a three-point lead over Leinster at the top of the table.
Just five series of games remain to be played and Munster will enjoy home advantage for four of them.
Saturday night’s game, which begins at 7.30pm, will be refereed by French official, Christophe Berdos.
Munster coach McGahan said he expected the round 14 tie to be another tight affair. McGahan said he could feel the intensity and sense of anticipation building in the lead up to the game: “Games between Munster and Leinster are traditionally close affairs. A local derby is always like that.
“The players from both groups are looking forward to it immensely. This fixture is one which is certainly circled on the calendar each season.
“It brings it own passion and has got its own identity with the supporters. Everyone can feel the intensity building during the week. Everyone is looking forward to a high class game on Saturday evening.
“This is a massive game in its own right, regardless of where you meet them in the competition. Certainly, we know that if a result was to go our way and we worked hard enough, it would open up a bit of space at the top of the table.
“Each game between Munster and Leinster which has been played in my short time here has been very close.
“I think last year we lost both at home and away. That gives us added motivation to do well and even the result up in Dublin earlier this season was very close. The final score was 18-0, but we scored a try under the posts in the last minute.
“It was very, very close. A missed tackle or a conversion can make all the difference.”
“The absence of the international players during the RBS Six Nations Championship gave us a great opportunity to develop our game and to expose a number of players to the rigours of professional rugby. For the players to come through and garner 14 points from a maximum 15 over the last three games has been a tremendous achievement.
“It is one which has not been done here before.”
Meanwhile Munster have confirmed that the versatile Paul Warwick will spend two further seasons at least with the province. London Irish had claimed that Warwick had signed a contract to move to the Exiles at the end of this season. However, the Aussie-born star has since changed his mind and agreement has now been reached between the parties which will see the UL Bohemian player remain at Munster until the end of the 2010-11 season at least.
And in a further boost for Munster coach Tony McGahan winger Ian Dowling has recovered from a long-term hamstring injury and is included in the Munster squad to face Leinster. Dowling has been sidelined since picking up the injury in training at the start of February. However, influential centre Rua Tipoki is still recovering from a hamstring injury and has not been included in the 26-man squad for Saturday’s game.
Tipoki’s participation in the Easter Sunday Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with the Ospreys at Thomond Park must now be in doubt.

Munster Squad: Marcus Horan, Federico Pucciariello, Jerry Flannery, Denis Fogarty, John Hayes, Tony Buckley, Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan, Mick O’Driscoll, Alan Quinlan, Niall Ronan, Donnacha Ryan, David Wallace, Denis Leamy, Tomas O’Leary, Peter Stringer, Ronan O’Gara, Paul Warwick, Jeremy Manning, Lifeimi Mafi, Barry Murphy, Keith Earls, Kieran Lewis, Doug Howlett, Ian Dowling, Denis Hurley.

Colm Kinsella

Double boost for Munster

MUNSTER have received a double boost ahead of their critical series of matches in both the Magners League and Heineken Cup.
It has been confirmed that the versatile Paul Warwick will spend two further seasons at least with the province. London Irish had claimed that Wariwck had signed a contract to move to the Exiles at the end of this season. However the Aussie-born star has since changed his mind and agreement has now been reached between the parties which will see the UL Bohemian player remain at Munster until the end of the 2010-11 season at least.


And in a further boost for Munster coach Tony McGahan winger Ian Dowling has recovered from a long-term hamstring injury and is included in the Munster squad to face Leinster in Saturday night’s crucial top-of-the-table Magners League clash at Thomond Park (7.30pm).
Dowling has been sidelined since picking up the injury in training at the start of February. However influential centre Rua Tipoki is still recovering from a hamstring injury and has not been included in the 26-man squad for Saturday’s game.
Tipoki’s participation in the Easter Sunday Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with the Ospreys at Thomond Park must now be in doubt.
Munster include all their Grand Slam-winning Irish stars in their squad for Saturday night’s big game.
Coach Tony McGahan welcomed the fact that Paul Warwick would be remaining on at Munster.
“We are delighted. Paul is an excellent player and he has certainly played well this season, not only at 10, but at 15 when he has played there,” Tony McGahan said.
“As a squad, and for Paul personally, we are delighted that things have been worked out and come to a decision that he will be staying here.”
“Ian (Dowling) will be available for selection for this weekend and is in the squad.
“In relation to Rua (Tipoki) he has had a very disrupted season. It is not something which has just come upon us.
“He has been out for long periods of the season and we have adjusted to that. Again for this weekend, he won’t be available, so we will make do.
“Overall, we are probably missing six to seven guys out of the entire squad.
“Our medical guys have done a terrific job in conjunction with the strength and conditioning team.
“We are lucky to be in the position.”
Meanwhile Garryowen set up an all-Limerick Munster Junior Cup final after securing a dramatic 14-11 semi-final win over UCC at Musgrave Park last night.
Garryowen trailed 9-11 in injury time, but a smashing try from exciting winger Ronan O’Mahony in the final minute of play saw the ‘light blues’ advance to a Junior Cup final meeting with UL Bohemian on Easter Monday.

Munster squad v Leinster: Marcus Horan, Federico Pucciariello, Jerry Flannery, Denis Fogarty, John Hayes, Tony Buckley, Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan, Mick O’Driscoll, Alan Quinlan, Niall Ronan, Donnacha Ryan, David Wallace, Denis Leamy, Tomas O’Leary, Peter Stringer, Ronan O’Gara, Paul Warwick, Jeremy Manning, Lifeimi Mafi, Barry Murphy, Keith Earls, Kieran Lewis, Doug Howlett, Ian Dowling, Denis Hurley.

Colm Kinsella

Munster must pull out all the stops

HOOKER Jerry Flannery says Munster must ‘pull out all the stops’ if they are to maintain their hopes of completing a big Magners League and Heineken Cup double this season - Munster currently enjoy a three-point lead over great rivals Leinster at the top of the Magners League with five series of games remaining.
The Irish provinces meet in a crucial League tie at Thomond Park on this Saturday night (7.30pm).
Eight days later Munster are due to host the Ospreys in a mouth-watering Heineken Cup quarter-final tie in Limerick as the season reaches a critical point.
Hooker Flannery said Saturday night’s big Magners League tie at Thomond Park has been in the back of Munster players’ minds throughout the RBS six Nations Championship.


“The Leinster game has been in the back of everyone’s mind through the Six Nations.
“It has been on the minds of the Munster boys and I am sure the Leinster guys have been thinking about it as well,” Flannery said.
“It is going to be a big test.
“We had a review meeting in Cork recently and we have almost 80 per cent of our season complete.
“Things are within our control. That means we have to crank things up a bit more.
“We are in contention for the Magners League and for the Heineken Cup.
“It is important that we pull out all the stops.
“The good thing is that we have snapped straight back into work mode coming away from the Grand Slam victory.”
Munster maintained top spot in the Magners League thanks to an impressive 26-13 bonus-point away victory over the Glasgow Warriors at Firhill on Friday night.
Holders Leinster remained within three points of the Heineken Cup champions when four second half tries saw Michael Cheika’s side secure a bonus-point victory over Ulster at the RDS on Sunday evening.
Meanwhile a leading bookmaker has closed the betting on who will become Lions captain for this summer’s tour to South Africa after strong support was reported for Munster skipper Paul O’Connell.
Paddy Power has shut up shop on betting for the role after a sustained splurge on the Munster lock.
Last week Irish skipper Brian O’Driscoll had been an odds-on shot at 1/2 to be named as Lions captain by head coach Ian McGeechan
Paul O’Connell was next best in the market at 13/8 with Paddy Power while Wales skipper Ryan Jones had been available at 6/1.
Ian McGeechan is set to announce his 35 or 36-man squad and confirm his choice of captain at a Heathrow Hotel, London on April 21.
Meanwhile in the AIL, Garryowen moved to top of the pile with a six-try bonus-point victory over Ballymena at Dooradoyle.
It was the ‘light blues’ 10th successive league victory.
Fifth-placed Shannon maintained their top four play-off hopes with a narrow victory over Old Belvedere while UL-Bohemian are closing in on a spot in next season’s new Top 8 section of the league after registering a bonus-point win over UCD. Young Munster’s prospects of retaining their Division One status for next season were severly dented following a last-gasp defeat to Dolphin at Clifford Park.
In Division Two Thomond have given themselves a fighting chance of avoiding relegation after recording a 19-9 win over Wanderers.
Fourth-placed Old Crescent lost 13-20 to DLSP while Bruff went down 20-22 against Ballynahinch.

Colm Kinsella