Rowntree will give Munster youth its chance in search of next Edogbo

Munster's Seán Edogbo in the pre-season friendly with Gloucester at Virgin Media Park. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

Graham Rowntree has promised to keep giving opportunities to Munster’s academy players in 2024-25 after praising the pre-season impact of back-rower Seán Edogbo.

Munster get their new United Rugby Championship underway on September 21 at home to Connacht as they look to learn from the mistakes that cost them a play-off semi-final victory against eventual champions Glasgow Warriors last June.

Two defeats in pre-season to English Premiership opposition, at Bath and then to Gloucester in Cork last Friday night, did stop the head coach declaring the preparations for the new campaign a success on Monday and he pointed to the contribution off the bench at the weekend of Ireland Under-20 international and academy first year Edogbo as evidence of the trust he has in blooding the younger members of his extended squad.

Talking on a United Rugby Championship conference promised to at least match the 80 senior appearances made by his academy players last season at Munster finished top of the regular season URC league table.

“Certainly on my watch, yes. We’re a big province, we’ve got to get guys through as soon as we can and get them under the senior coaches’ noses as quickly as we can,” Rowntree said. “Then it’s getting the training model where you can bring them in, where they’re exposed to pressure, where they’re training alongside the likes of Peter O’Mahony etc.

“It’s just got to happen. We have to keep that production line coming through. It’s very well headed up by (Head of Rugby Operations) Ian Costello and the net is cast wide to make sure we’re looking at the right lads.

“So I’m confident with how it’s working at the moment.

“I think that a point of difference of ours,” he added, “the pathway and the connection that we have right down to the 16s, 15-year-olds in the pathway, what’s coming through and the coaching that we try and give them.

“Certainly the way we’re set up, these guys are training with us as soon as they can, when it’s appropriate for them to train with us. So I’d like to think we’ll find the next Seán Edogbo, Gene Kareem O’Leary as another example, fairly quickly and that’s been evidenced by the guys coming through.

“So I’m very confident in the pathway and the production line.” 

Of the 20-year-old Edogbo, whose older brother Edwin, a second row, made a similar impact for Munster during his time in the academy but is currently sidelined through injury for another two months, Rowntree was asked to identify the back-rower’s attributes.

"Athleticism. He has come back bigger. I think everyone had a double take of him, he certainly came back bigger. That's testament to the work he's been doing in the gym with our staff.

Munster head coach Graham Rowntree. Pic ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

“He gives us something different - power, pace, athleticism, detail around his handling game, little tip passes and sweep passes that he'll get better at. He's got a great lineout jump shape and he's easy to coach as is his brother, Edwin.

“We'll hopefully get the two of them on the field soon enough. We're not expecting Edwin back until November at this stage but I'm delighted with Sean. He's a bolt from the blue, he's come from nowhere, played a bit with the Ireland 20s in the last six months. He was another standout for us on Friday night, his performance."

The Munster boss also picked out new signing Thaakir Abrahams, the South African wing who joined from French Top 14 club Lyon in the summer, as a standout from the 33-19 Gloucester defeat at Virgin Media Park and praised the impact of all the province’s incoming players, chiefly former Ulster and Ireland fly-half Billy Burns.

"Billy has been outstanding. It was a crossroads for him. I remember speaking to him early in the year when the possibility first reared its head. He's at a crossroads in his career at 29 coming to a new province. He wants to advance, he's not giving up on his Ireland dreams certainly.

“We signed him to challenge Jack Crowley, not just fill a slot that was vacant. From day one, he has immediately been pulling lads around him. He's a great communicator, he has moved well, moved quickly. I've been delighted with him.

"The lads from Connacht, Tom Farrell and Diarmuid Kilgallen, they have been as good. So far, so good.

“Thaakir Abrahams has had visa issues, he's only been on deck for a couple of weeks, but he is rapid. He's a real jack in the box as we saw Friday night. One of the few highlights from Friday night was just how dangerous Abrahams is going to be."