Munster Team Talk Thread - Beirne After Reading

Podge_irl · 12-09-2025 09:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123810903#Comment_123810903

I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but I suspect one of them came in after 24 years of no silverware 😉

I think Munster clearly had a different style of play, though particularly towards the end of things they didn't seem to be executing it very well (thinking of a lot of passes out to the wing going forward, into touch etc). I do think there was an element of "give the ball to Coombes" once they got into the 22, but to be fair Ireland had/have a massive element of that about their play too. Also it worked a lot so screw it.

You can never really know before you hire a first time head coach if he'll be up for it. I don't think he was ultimately great but I don't think he was a bad appointment.

phog · 12-09-2025 09:11PM

An ambulance left the ground shortly after Ryan left the pitch, he definitely looked as if he knew he had damage done but hopefully it's not a serious injury.

Their 2nd try was from atrocious tackling their third try was the try of the night but we made some great breaks throughout the night too.

Tough night in Cork to watch such a stop start match with 4 teams and rolling subs over 120 mins so I'm looking forward to reviewing it on Access Munster over the weekend

leakyboots · 12-09-2025 09:32PM

Conor Ryan, that's the very young second row I was thinking of, he has some very big moments under the cosh. Big lump too… 6'7 they said on commentary, that true?

We're so well stocked at second and back row, if we could get the front row at a similar level we'd have a serious pack

50HX · 12-09-2025 09:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123811533#Comment_123811533

I think we are light enough on 2nd row when Beirne is away. Not that long ago we were shifting Coombes in there to plug the gap.

Back row, I appreciate Gleeson & Quinn are only 21 but I hope they get meaningful game time this season to see what they are made of, Foy an outside chance too.

Kendellan to improve discipline & kick on a gear, if its going to happen now is the time for him & us to find out.

More Importantly who is going to stand up from the pack & become a leader?

Looking forward to the season, bar front row, if we keep injuries to a minimum (due that) we have makings of a nice squad who have shown in spurts that they can play ball at times

leakyboots · 12-09-2025 11:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123811566#Comment_123811566

Was that not due to injury to the likes of Kleyn, Edogbo and Aherne? We'll hardly be that unlucky again will we?

*Narrator* they will

Pepp1989 · 13-09-2025 01:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123811471#Comment_123811471

Might force them to recruit

CatFromHue · 13-09-2025 02:16PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123809699#Comment_123809699

On the signings I think all provinces would say they've signed some good imports, good pros, and duds. That's just the way it is as you don't know how someone will fit in until they're actually in the squad. That's the same for bigger name guys and relatively unknowns.

Jump_In_Jack · 13-09-2025 02:26PM

I think Murray’s point was that if the senior players were given the chance to give their input the number of duds could have been reduced.

I think his point is that as a player you may be aware if a player has a reputation for not applying themselves or for not fitting in with teams and culture of the club despite the player having been an international or high profile player. Players would network with each other after club matches and international matches and there might be information gathered that could be relevant to signings.

budhabob · 13-09-2025 06:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123812995#Comment_123812995

But is that reasonable? There is also a sense that senior players have had too much power in Munster hindering the implementation of change? It's a fine line, but I always sense the senior players of Munster felt they had all the power. I'm genuinely excited for the Munster future as there is none of that left. There isn't really a powerful player collective anymore.

phog · 13-09-2025 07:14PM

An injury update

Taken from MFs

Clayton McMillan gave an update on injured players in an article in the Examiner
"“John Hodnett is the one that may be the most serious. He's got quite a sore face,” said McMillan.
“He'll need to go for a scan on that, but potentially at least a couple of weeks (out), maybe a little bit more.
“John Ryan hyperextended his elbow. He's in a much better state now than what he was straight after it. We'll get that scanned and see what it's like, but I don't think it's anything serious.
“Michael Milne came off. His calf started to tighten up so didn't feel any need to push him any more than we needed to."

So Ryan not as injured as I first feared but Hodnett out a bit longer than I thought he'd be

Jump_In_Jack · 13-09-2025 09:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123813546#Comment_123813546

It’s not about letting players dictate to the club who to sign, it’s about consulting them for advice. It happens in every industry, if someone is being lined up for an interview and you may know something relevant about them, your manager should take whatever advice is pertinent and give it due consideration.

Why wouldn’t you use every bit of intel you could get?

Cookiemunster · 13-09-2025 10:52PM

Private industry isn't relevant to sport. Having worked with someone previously is not the same as having played against someone.

And what do senior player know of overseas signings? I guarantee that none of the senior players could have given any opinion on Nankivell other than what they saw on Sky. I doubt any of them knew any more about Frisch than we did.

So what advise could they have given about the 'duds' who none of us had heard of either?

Jump_In_Jack · 14-09-2025 06:41AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814136#Comment_123814136

There would have been players such as Fekitoa , Saili, Jean de Villiers, and Christian Cullen that they probably would have known about. That’s off the top of my head, he mentioned 50 signings, they probably wouldn’t know much about lesser known guys, but taking your example, didn’t James Lowe know Nankivell pretty well? I think they played together and even lived together. So ask Murray or O’Mahony, they ask Lowe etc.

Also Rhys Marshall knew him and he played against Ireland a couple of times so could ask those players what their impression was.

https://m.independent.ie/sport/rugby/new-munster-star-alex-nankivell-i-went-behind-my-dads-back-and-did-a-dna-test/a1685021171.html

“Nankivell follows Bundee Aki and James Lowe in making the move to Ireland from the Chiefs, while he spoke with ex-Munster players Doug Howlett and Rhys Marshall about what to expect.

“I actually lived with James Lowe during my first season at the Chiefs, so I have got a pretty good relationship with him after playing with him at the Chiefs and at Tasman,” Nankivell smiles.

“He’s a good man and he looked after me very well. He likes to say that he mentored me, which is pretty funny!”

“Between playing against Ireland in New Zealand and the RDS last year, Nankivell had a good insight into Irish rugby before he joined Munster, and he is now relishing kicking on, including against Glasgow at a sold-out Musgrave Park tomorrow night.”

RichieRich_89 · 14-09-2025 07:03AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814359#Comment_123814359

Yeah, that seems to be what Murray's getting at, based on the quotes in the article in the 42:

“We’ve made some really good signings, but at times we were kind of scratching our heads at some of the signings and wondering why we weren’t consulted as senior internationals who would know people who knew the person you’re trying to sign,” says Murray.

“I got a couple of ex-team-mates to proofread those chapters in particular and those thoughts were pretty universal across the experienced players, so I think it’s a lot of people.

“It’s not just me. Maybe I’m the first one to put it in a book, but it’s for Munster to do better. I don’t want them to fail at all. I want them to do really well, and this is something that probably needs to be looked at.

“It’s not from a bad place, it’s just this could have been done better or this may have helped us on the quest for European silverware or whatever, so you know, maybe it needs to be looked at a bit.”

sydthebeat · 14-09-2025 09:52AM

John Ryan was a team mate of nankivell in 2023, so Munster didn't have to go far to get opinions on him.

JanuarySnowstor · 14-09-2025 10:04AM

Surprised at the poor take up for the Croke match against Leinster. At this rate its looking like a lot of the upper section won't even open!! I was there last year and it must have been 85% Leinster fans. Munsters support really has fallen away, especially in the last 2/3 years

Tipp1991 · 14-09-2025 10:10AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814658#Comment_123814658

or maybe people are over the novelty of rugby in Croke Park and realise now that it's a terrible stadium for anything other than GAA?

If I wanted to go to that Croke Park game, it would cost me €150 minimum and that would be returning home on the night.

If Leinster need away supporters to sell out their own home games, that says a lot more about Leinster than it does about Munster travelling support.

JanuarySnowstor · 14-09-2025 10:37AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814674#Comment_123814674

Maybe but the fact remains that Munster alone would have filled Croke park back in the day. For older members on here the fall off in Munster travelling support is quite the surprise. Of course it was also a time when we regularly beat Leinster and drew support from well outside the province.

Positives of course are the Pairc looks like selling out well in advance, a week before Christmas should be interesting!!

phog · 14-09-2025 11:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814724#Comment_123814724

There's no great fall off in travelling support as can be evidenced in the numbers that travel to SA, the support two weeks running in France last year

Speaking for myself, I'm done with going to Dublin to away matches though I did go to the knock out game there. Aside from the cost, there's a section of fans there that just go out of their way to make you feel unwelcome, something I haven't experienced anywhere else

Pepp1989 · 14-09-2025 11:46AM

Poor attendance at a leinster home game being blamed on the away team?

Agree with Phog. Not a great experience. Much better away days which get my money.

RichieRich_89 · 14-09-2025 11:50AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814636#Comment_123814636

That's what I was thinking, but I don't think the timelines allow it. Ryan played against Toulouse for Munster on 22/01/2023, and then played his first game for the Chiefs on 24/02/2023, but the Nankivell signing was announced on 16/02/2023 https://www.irishrugby.ie/2023/02/16/munster-sign-nankivell-and-announce-extensions-for-archer-and-kilcoyne/

Factoring in that the decision to try to sign him must have been made before it was announced, it doesn't leave much possibility for Ryan getting to know what he's like before the deal was finalised.

Podge_irl · 14-09-2025 11:54AM

Croke Park is an utterly miserable stadium and experience for rugby. Don't think there is much more to it than that.

phog · 14-09-2025 12:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814902#Comment_123814902

ROC tried that last season or the year before, complaining that the away fans were not buying tickets.

I would think Munster fans out number any other visiting fans to a Leinster home game and I'd also think that Munster fans traveling to Leinster home games out number the Leinster fans that travel to a game in Thomond Park

P.Walnuts · 14-09-2025 12:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814965#Comment_123814965

Far more Munster men/women living in Dublin than vice versa to be fair

phog · 14-09-2025 12:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123815047#Comment_123815047

There is that but leaving those aside, I'd still guess that more fans travel up than those that travel down.

P.Walnuts · 14-09-2025 12:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123815061#Comment_123815061

Very hard to quantify that, but you're entitled to your opinion.

phog · 14-09-2025 12:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123815067#Comment_123815067

I understand that but I'm basing it on what I see on public transport and traffic on the M7 on match days.

50HX · 14-09-2025 03:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814724#Comment_123814724

It filled back in the day as you put it because it was Cup rugby.

Good luck to Leinster trying to maximise revenue, thats their perogative.

As an away venue to be going to they can keep it, I was there last season & its an awful stadium for rugby.

Thats the main reason I suspect along with value for money nowadays, cheaper to do an overnighter in Edinburgh or some parts of France

JanuarySnowstor · 14-09-2025 06:58PM

I'm inclined to agree about the venue but curious why people love it for gaa but not rugby??

I have 2 reasons, It's very cold in the heart of Winter and the wind blows right through it. The locality isn't the best at 8pm at night when a rugby match typically ends....

phog · 14-09-2025 07:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123816498#Comment_123816498

The simple answer is a rugby pitch is a smaller pitch so the deadball line and touchlines are more infield than a hurling pitch would be.

I assume if we grew up with municipal stadiums than it would be less of an issue but now that we're used to being closer to field of play then some rugby fans don't like venues like Croke Park.

It's similar in Edinburgh with the running track down one side.

Munster Team Talk Thread - Beirne After Reading

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