Munster Team Talk Thread - Beirne After Reading

Seems like a handy excuse for the usual folk to put the blame the IRFU, like everything else that happens.

Rowntree knew the IRFU approach to front row signings, if Humphreys was telling the media there is no doubt similar was communicated to the provinces.

If a rejection of a medical joker was 'the straw that broke the camels back' excuse for him to instigate a departure, as I've seen it described by a few, then Rowntree was just looking for any excuse to get out of Munster.

I think more of the man than to believe he'd ditch his players at this point of the season like that just looking for any excuse but others are free to feel different.

I don't

PoM, Murray, Earls are the last 3 who fit that bill. Zebo and kilcoyne to a lesser extent. Munster have been afforded a lot of leeway with signings in the last 15 years and yes pathways take time to develop and produce results and we are seeing some good young players emerge but not many who I expect to see in an Ireland shirt regularly over an extended period of time.

Currently only Crowley and Casey are potentially going to get CC from IRFU anytime soon.

I remember when Jaco Taute had his contract extended about 6 years ago, one of the reasons being given on SM by some Munster fans was he is a capped springbok who will help develop centres at Munster

Next thing we know Fekitoa, De Allende, Frisch, Nankivell are signed in the intervening years. Yeah Munster lost Chris Farrell outside their control but still ...

Marquee signings with benefactor money are great if it adds to a thriving system, but to me it seems to be diverting attention away from failings elsewhere and the URC win in 2023 papered over a lot of cracks. Are these Marquee signings necessarily a good thing right now and is the benefactor money purely to make a splash with big name signings??

In this industry I don't think being sacked is as big an issue. Johan VanGraan technically wasn't sacked but he still picked up the Bath gig without much effort despite being seen as a disaster by many

Stuart Lancaster, Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree were all sacked by the RFU after the 2015 World Cup. None of them have done particularly badly for themselves since then

The academy is better, fixed, we shall see. As you say yourself time will tell but since the HC winning sides of 06 and 08, POM is the only forward who has been produced who has consistently played for Ireland

A case can be made for Kilcyone and D Ryan to a degree but beyond that ?

Munsters current predicament is the players aren't getting central contracts because elsewhere there is others ahead of them by a decent margin which has become a financial issue.

Until there is 5 or 6 Munster players with CC contracts in match days 23 for Ireland regularly it leaves Munster in a bind and the IRFU are not to blame for that.

There are, what, 13 central contracts now? Munster having 6 of them is just not realistic based on the current realities.

And it’s not all about central contracts either; there are an additional 20+ players who get called into Irish squads.

No, but it's been 15 years. Or more. And I agree, it has improved but it's going to take a longer time now to get anywhere near having 4-5-6 central contracts which will make a huge difference financially.

The argument is still relevant now because Munster have some way to go still before you can claim it's "fixed" I would say it's improved yes, fixed, no.

The general consensus not just here but elsewhere is the IRFU are favouring Leinster, have refused Munster signings etc. It wasn't necessarily aimed at you.

It’s harsh to suggest there’s no progression when some of these lads have played well in a URC win.

That has to be useful in its own right even if they’re not selected at international level.

At the same time there seems to be too much interference from the IRFU in provincial matters and not enough leeway given where it is badly needed for injury cover.

This wasn't always the case with the IRFU I hasten to add as I remember quite a bit of leeway shown in 2018 when Alby Mathewson's short term signing was green-lit despite us having filled our ridiculously low quota of internationals.