Door shut on Munster arrivals, says Leamy

Denis Leamy said developing homegrown talent from within Munster should be the top priority.

Thu, 04 May, 2023 - 07:31

Simon Lewis

Denis Leamy believes the door has shut on Munster bringing in any more new signings for next season and that the province’s recruitment focus should focus on reinforcing the pipeline of exciting talent coming the academy.

The BKT URC quarter-finalists have confirmed the arrival of three players for next season, with tighthead prop John Ryan set to rejoin Munster at the conclusion of his Super Rugby title bid with the Chiefs, from where they have also signed New Zealand A’s Alex Nankivell as a replacement for the departing Malakai Fekitoa.

Head coach Graham Rowntree has signed another centre in former Connacht player Sean O’Brien, from Exeter Chiefs, with Chris Farrell having already exited Munster during the season to play with Oyonnax.

With qualification for next season’s Heineken Champions Cup secured, defence coach Leamy was asked where there was any wiggle room for more signings ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

“I don’t believe there is,” Leamy said. “I think right now that’s what we’re looking at and I’m not expecting a huge amount of changes around that.

"Obviously there’s financial constraints and stuff like that but to my understanding that’s where we are at the moment around recruitment.”

Rowntree has given game time to eight current academy members so far this season, making back-rower Ruadhan Quinn Munster’s youngest player in a competitive fixture of the professional era in the process when the Killaloe native, now an Ireland Under-20 Grand Slam winner, made his senior debut off the bench against Zebre last October 1 at the age of 18 years and 11 months.

Leamy, in his first season back at his home province following a spell on the Leinster coaching staff, said developing homegrown talent from within Munster should be the top priority.

“We’ve got to grow our academy, we’ve got to get our own, we’ve got to get Munster-born players through. Ian Costello and his academy team are doing an amazing job and we can really see the structures in place.

“We see day to day the excellence. I worked with the Leinster academy for two years, a really, really strong production line, world class. I see very similar workings going on, on a daily basis and it gives me great hope that we can start to produce the Munster-born boy and get him into the jersey for 50, 100, 150 caps.

“That is ultimately what we want to do. We want to get indigenous players playing in a Munster jersey.”

Meanwhile, an older homegrown player is facing a decision on his future having been ruled out of action for the next few weeks due to injury.

Keith Earls looks set to miss the rest of Munster’s season following his latest fitness setback, with Denis Leamy admitting the groin injury the wing sustained in South Africa was “not great”.

The 35-year-old wing made his first appearances since January 1 on Munster’s BKT URC tour to South Africa, but sustained the groin injury in the second of their games at the Sharks and underwent an MRI on the squad’s return to Ireland with the province announcing on Tuesday he was starting rehabilitation with the medical department.

“No, it’s not great,” Munster defence coach Leamy said on Tuesday. “He’s got a Grade 3… which would probably mean that he’d be out for a number of weeks. That would be our understanding.

“It’s hugely frustrating because he’s come back and he was brilliant on tour in South Africa, two really strong showings off the bench as well and then unfortunately he’s done that injury.”

Earls, who turns 36 on October 2, will be out of contract at the end of the World Cup when the IRFU central contract he extended 12 months ago expires and Leamy said his former team-mate remained in Munster’s plans beyond that date but would sit down with the player to determine his future plans.

“Such a pity but look, Keith’s with us until the end of the World Cup so who knows? We’ll have to revisit and have a discussion around that but he’s still very much in our plans.

“I suppose at some stage we’ll have to sit down with Keith and see what he wants to do.”