Kilcoyne eager to stake his claim

Munster prop Dave Kilcoyne says he hopes to nail down a permanent spot in the Irish squad when he starts his first international in a year against Argentina.

The 25-year old will win his 10th senior cap against the Pumas in Tucuman, with a strong season for Munster gaining him inclusion in the Pro12 team of the year and a recall to the national squad.

“It has been a long year. I was bitterly disappointed to miss out at the start of the year with the November internationals. Joe brought me in to the wider training group for the Six Nations. I was real hungry to get back in and was just trying to put my best foot forward with Munster. And in fairness to Joe, he’s watching every game and I’m delighted to be back starting this week.”