Munster to continue rewarding form regardless of squad status

Exposing younger players such as locks Edwin Edogbo and a fit-again Tom Ahern, now a senior player, as well as scrum-half Ethan Coughlan will add a layer of experience that strengthens squad depth. 

MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES: Munster attack coach Mike Prendergast. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher

Munster’s next-gen players have been urged to make the most of their first-team opportunities as the BKT URC champions continue their early-season campaign without a host of frontline stars.

With the majority of Munster’s contingent of World Cup participants still weeks away from a return to provincial colours, it was a timely reminder issued by attack coach Mike Prendergast this week to the younger generation of players, both in the senior squad and the academy, that now is the chance to shine.

Since stepping up to head coach in the summer of 2022, Graham Rowntree has not been afraid to go deep into the talent pool and hand first-team chances to less experienced players on the basis of impressive showings in training. 

Nor has the management been slow to omit more established players in favour of fielding a more in-form individual.

Right now, in these early weeks of the new URC campaign, it is more a case of needs must. 

Scrum-half Craig Casey, who saw 25 minutes of action in France in Ireland’s pool match against Tonga in Nantes on September 16, is the first World Cup player to return to Munster training and is expected to be available for Saturday evening’s Musgrave Park clash with the winless Dragons.

Yet having used six academy players in the opening-round 34-21 league victory over the Sharks at Thomond Park on October 21 and five in Treviso last Sunday in the 13-13 draw with Benetton, opportunities remain for Munster’s young guns while Ireland stars such as Tadhg Beirne, Conor Murray, and captain Peter O’Mahony, as well as South African World Cup-winning duo RG Snyman and Jean Kleyn complete their post-tournament breaks. 

The coaching staff also hope they will provide them and their more experienced positional rivals with plenty of headaches when they do eventually return.

“Yeah, the way we select teams, if you look at it last year, there were a few big names left out,” Prendergast said. “It was just what we felt and we’re very much a team and a club week by week.

“We’ve always said we’ll judge guys on training etc. There’s going to be form and injuries and whatnot but we will pick the best players we feel for the weekend that’s upon us.

“We did that last year and it can send a message out to players that everyone has a realistic opportunity of playing on this team if you’re training to the ability we want you to.” 

Exposing younger players such as locks Edwin Edogbo and a fit-again Tom Ahern, now a senior player, as well as scrum-half Ethan Coughlan will also add a layer of experience that strengthens squad depth and which in turn will prove invaluable throughout the season. 

The attack coach feels it is already reaping rewards given the impactful contribution made by a callow bench in Italy last Sunday as Munster came from 13-3 down against Benetton to snatch a draw and continue an unbeaten start to the campaign.

“That’s what we’re all about,” Prendergast continued. “We’re trying to build that as much as we can. Our academy trains with us so when they do have the opportunity to step up it’s not too alien for them in terms of how we want to play but also being familiar with players around them and in terms of getting to know them off and on the pitch and feeling comfortable with each other.

“That’s something that when we came in as a coaching staff we sat down and decided we’d all train together. So we train with big numbers and we have to because we have to build that depth.

“This year it’s probably more evident than ever with a World Cup and then coming into a Six Nations. It just exposes and gets the young players out there. There were six out there for the first game and five last weekend and I feel they acquitted themselves very, very well.

“We need to keep driving that as much as we can and they’re getting great exposure early doors in their careers as well.”