Cork All-Ireland winner and Clare minor hurler among new faces in Munster Rugby Academy

The Munster Rugby Academy has announced three newcomers, including a first-ever recruit from Cobh Pirates RFC

Patrick Campbell scored a hat-trick of tries for a Munster Development XV against Ulster in September. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Patrick Campbell, an All-Ireland minor football champion with Cork, has joined the Greencore Munster Rugby Academy.

Campbell, 19, also enjoyed rugby success at schools level, helping PBC to the 2020 Munster Senior Cup final (shared with CBC due to Covid) alongside fellow Academy member Alex Kendellen.

He has since relocated to Limerick for rugby and college, lining out at full-back with All-Ireland League leaders Young Munster and studying Law and Accounting at UL, where Munster’s high performance centre is based.

He scored a hat-trick of tries for a Munster Development XV against Ulster in September before making his Munster A debut against Connacht last Friday. He has previously been selected for the Ireland U18 Clubs and Schools squad.

Munster Development captain Tony Butler kicks a conversion. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

He was joined in making his Munster A debut by Tony Butler, who played minor hurling for Clare in 2019 and won a Harty Cup with St Flannan’s the following spring.

The out-half has made an impressive start to life in the AIL with Garryowen, scoring 40 points in four games.

Butler, 19, is a product of Ennis RFC and has progressed through the Munster Youths system. He captained Ennis at underage level, lining out with fellow Academy player Ethan Coughlan in the half-backs for the past number of years.

He captained the Munster Development XV against Ulster and also studies at UL, where he’s enrolled in Construction Management and Engineering.

Munster's Edwin Edogbo makes a break against a Leinster Development team. Picture: INPHO/Ben Brady

They’re joined as Academy newcomers by Edwin Edogbo, who makes history for Cobh Pirates RFC as their first player to earn a place in the Academy.

Edogbo, 18, was picked for the Munster U18 Clubs team in 2019 after helping Pirates reach the Munster U18 final. He has lined out for the Ireland U18 Clubs team and was also selected for the Ireland U18 Schools side.

A second-row forward, he trained with the Munster senior squad throughout pre-season last summer.

Edogbo is studying Engineering at UCC and featured for UCC RFC in the early rounds of the AIL season but is set for a spell on the sidelines with an achilles injury.

Greencore Munster Rugby Academy 2021/22 

Year Three: Paddy Kelly (Lock/Garryowen), Eoin O’Connor (Lock/Young Munster), Paddy Patterson (Scrum-half/UCD), Jonathan Wren (Back three/Cork Constitution).

Year Two: Scott Buckley (Hooker/UCC), Cian Hurley (Lock/Garryowen), Alex Kendellen (Back-row forward/UCC), Conor Phillips (Winger/Young Munster).

Year One: Tony Butler (Out-half/Garryowen), Patrick Campbell (Back three/Young Munster), Ethan Coughlan (Scrum-half/Shannon), Mark Donnelly (Prop/Garryowen), Edwin Edogbo (Lock/UCC), Daniel Okeke (Back-row forward/Shannon).