Reds jet out to Lanzarote training camp

THE Munster squad, minus its senior internationals, yesterday flew out to Lanzarote for a week-long warm-weather training camp.

The recent cold snap has affected squad sessions with the pro set-up regularly forced to change venues because of frozen grounds, but the Reds aren’t expected to encounter such problems at their Club La Santa base on the north-west coast of the island.

The 19 players who departed Shannon yesterday will be joined by a further nine tomorrow and Sunday: both Brian Carney and James Coughlan are involved with the Ireland Sevens squad; Donnacha Ryan, Niall Ronan and Barry Murphy are in the Ireland A squad for tonight’s clash with Scotland A, while Tom Gleeson, Timmy Ryan, Darragh Hurley (Cork Con) and Nick Williams (Dolphin) play their AIB Cup quarter-final tie at Musgrave Park tomorrow.

Head coach Tony McGahan is joined by Laurie Fisher, Jason Holland and Paul Darbyshire, and the coaching ticket intend to use the camp as an intensive training base while also preparing for their Magners League clash with Edinburgh tomorrow week.

“It was always in our plans to do something like this,” McGahan said.

“It not only gives us time as a senior squad together but also provides the opportunity to have an intense period with some of the younger players who are coming through the system. The biggest thing for us is to be able to get some quality training in an environment that is conducive to allowing us to train twice a day.

“And, more importantly, take the remaining members of the squad away and give them an opportunity to progress.

“The recent bad weather has affected us, no question about that. So the next week will give everyone a bit of a lift,” he added.