Young gun Nagle ready for final push

WITH Magners League silverware still on the line, Munster Rugby’s Young Player of the Year Ian Nagle vows he will not be resting on his laurels.

Nagle, 22, was honoured on Friday night at the 2011 Munster Rugby Awards, in association with the Irish Examiner, but the second row insisted he still has a contribution to make as head coach Tony McGahan deliberates over his team to face Ospreys on Saturday night in their home Magners League semi-final.

“It was a happy enough year but there’s still two weeks left and it’s irrelevant how good my year was, it all depends on how the team does, silverware-wise,” Nagle said.

The Buttevant player said he was “surprised and delighted” at the award and despite two painful European defeats in both the Heineken Cup pool phase in January and the Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final last month, Nagle backed Munster’s blend of rising talent and proven experience to get the province back on a winning roll.

“We didn’t get the results we wanted in a few games but I think with the young players that are coming through and the older players that are still there, there are enough players there to make a great team that can win things again.”

Nagle’s Young Player of the Year award, which he received from Munster captain Paul O’Connell at Thomond Park, reflects an impressive debut season in the province’s senior squad in which the 6ft 6ins second row was named man of the match in the 15-6 victory over Australia in Limerick last November.

Nagle, who signed a new two-year contract in January, was also rewarded with an Ireland A debut against Scotland that month which extended into a second Wolfhounds appearance as a replacement in the win over England Saxons at Ravenhill on February 4.

“Definitely the highlight this year was Australia and maybe the Irish A cap,” he said. “Those were definitely the two games I enjoyed the most and Australia particularly because, whatever about an individual thing, it’s nice to be part of a team that beat Australia. Whatever happens in the rest of my career, that will always be something I can look back on and be proud of being a part of that team.”

For Nagle, his award was as unexpected as the opportunities that arose for him this season in a squad already containing four Irish international second rows in O’Connell, Mick O’Driscoll, Donncha O’Callaghan and Donnacha Ryan.

“You have goals at the start of the year but it’s very difficult sometimes as a young player to make those goals because it depends on who’s there injury-wise and stuff like that. But I’m happy with things. Nine Magners League caps, at the start of the year I would have taken that and I’m lucky that the coaches favoured some of the young lads and gave them opportunities. I’ve two more years signed and the plan is to keep putting pressure on the bigger players and hopefully get more game time. We’ll see how it goes.”