It’s all available hands on deck for Munster out west

Come Monday, it will have been exactly a month since the league champions last savoured victory with a 40-29 success over then-table toppers Glasgow at Musgrave Park.

Dave Kilcoyne of Munster leaves the pitch with an injury.

Munster will continue to look at the positives in their play as they seek to start 2024 with a much-needed victory at URC derby rivals Connacht on New Year's Day.

When they arrive at The Sportsground next Monday, it will have been exactly a month since the league champions last savoured victory with a 40-29 success over then-table toppers Glasgow at Musgrave Park.

A Thomond Park draw with Champions Cup newcomers Bayonne, defeat at Exeter Chiefs in the second of their European pool matches, and a St Stephen’s Day reverse to Leinster back in Limerick have followed and with them an uptick in resource-stretching injuries that will have head coach Graham Rowntree rounding up all available and able bodies for the trip up the M18 form Limerick to Galway.

Yesterday’s news of further setbacks, with surgery slated for academy lock Edwin Edogbo (Achilles tendon) and potential procedures for Dave Kilcoyne (shoulder) and Diarmuid Barron (foot) added further sobriety to the post-Christmas mood at Munster’s High Performance Centre as preparations for the second interprovincial clash of the holiday season got underway. Yet the mood remains positive and though post-Leinster review was honest and pulled no punches there was also an emphasis on the promising elements of Munster’s recent performances, as both forwards coach Andi Kyriacou and back-rower John Hodnett outlined yesterday.

“Yeah, look, there’s no-one more frustrated than us in terms of the results but there’s huge plusses in terms of some of the things we’ve done in our performances,” Kyriacou said. “We’ve stuck in fights well (but) some critical moments within games we’ve either put ourselves under pressure or the bounce of a ball has gone the wrong way.

“Conditions were a bit of a leveller (against Leinster) with the rain and the wind but they’re all things we have to be better at controlling and imposing our game on teams more and that’s what we’ll look to do.” Clearly turning narrow defeats, 32-24 at Exeter and 9-3 to Leinster, into victories is the most immediate priority with the resumption of the Champions Cup pool campaign following on next Monday’s derby clash with Connacht. Munster will start the New Year in sixth place on the URC league table, nine points off Leinster in top spot after eight rounds, while Rowntree’s men are six points adrift of unbeaten European pool leaders Exeter and Northampton Saints with two matches remaining and a place in the knockout stages to secure in the coming weeks.

In-form openside flanker Hodnett feels Munster are not too far away from rediscovering their groove.

“It’s obviously disappointing losing but we’ve been in the game, there or thereabouts in every one,” he said. “We just need to try to be a bit better this week, iron out the bits that need to be ironed out and go from there I suppose.

“Just a few small things. We’re right in it in those games, we’re very close. Just a few small things, nothing major, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing and it will turn all right.” 

Kyraicou yesterday reported no development in Rowntree’s search for a permanent captaincy appointment in the wake of Peter O’Mahony’s decision to step away from the role after a decade as skipper but the assistant coach did recognise the willingness of other players to step up to the leadership plate.

“It’s been good. We’ve got guys who have shown real leadership qualities within the group. It’s been a nice process because it’s actually opened up a bit more of a forum at times, you know, sharing ideas, sharing thoughts on it within the leadership group.

“They’re taking the areas they’re looking after incredibly seriously and the nice thing about it is no-one’s working in a silo here. It’s very much shared and we’re all in it for the team to win and the team to get better.

“Wig (Rowntree) will make that decision as and when he’s ready and that’s where that process is at the minute.” The potential return of Ireland regulars Tadhg Beirne and scrum-half Conor Murray will bring more leadership to bear for the tricky away day in Galway. The World Cup duo missed the Leinster clash due to player welfare guidelines but their availability for January 1 was welcomed by Kyriacou.

“It's great, we had to give them that down week last week in line with the IRFU, and it's two lads with unbelievable experience, and behind them world-class players. It's great to have them back in the mix this week, they'll add value to the group and hopefully the performance come Monday.”