Dave Kilcoyne gears up for derby battle

When you ply your trade in the front-row of the Munster scrum, following legendary figures like Tom Clifford, Phil O’Callaghan, Peter Clohessy, and John Hayes, there’s little confusion over your responsibility to the famous red shirt.

It may not be one of the more glamorous positions on the pitch but rugby teams rarely come out on the right side of the result without a scrum that can at least hold its own. At 28 years of age and with a successful career behind him at Ardscoil Ris (where he won a Schools Junior Cup medal) followed by considerable success with UL Bohemian, Munster, and Ireland, there is no need to beat that message into Dave Kilcoyne.

His most recent challenge came at Musgrave Park last Saturday against Glasgow Warriors with whom Munster’s rivalry is well chronicled. While there was little or no controversy on this occasion, it was a proper battle.