Back row tyro Dougall braced for battle to prove mettle for Munster

Sean Dougall has braced himself for a huge battle to make the Munster team this year.

After signing from Rotherham Titans last June, the 22-year-old flanker played six matches on the bounce and has shown impressive form. However, his colleague Niall Ronan laid down the challenge on his return from long-term injury with an excellent display, topped by a try, in the win over the Dragons.

“Actually I thought it was brilliant [for Ronan],” he said. “He has had a long spell out through injury and I know what it’s like to be injured for a while, so I was happy for him.

“I know anyway that there is going to be massive competition in the back row and it’s going to be very difficult to sit on a place. It’s the same for everyone. You’ve just got to keep the head down and you can’t really think too much about other people. But we certainly have depth here in the back row which is very positive.”

The arrival of South African signing CJ Stander in November will add to the competitive mix but Dougall’s attitude remains positive. His highlight so far was his first RaboDirect Pro12 appearance against Edinburgh in Murrayfield.

“It has all been a bit of a whirlwind but to get a first cap in Edinburgh and get the win was certainly nice,” he said.

“It was a bit of a surreal experience getting to play in Murrayfield and it was great to get the win and get my first Rabo cap. That was pretty much the highlight so far.”

The former Irish Under 19 international is willing to put in the hard work, knowing that it could be half the battle to nail down a place.

“No matter where you go, you always want to be playing, always want to be starting, so I tried to put myself into contention from the off. But the massive competition in the back row means you’re going to have to train hard and play well [at the same time].”