Burns enjoying new lease of Munster life, eyes longer stay 

Billy Burns was at a career crossroads when he signed a one-year deal with Munster, but he is loving life down south

Billy Burns during Munster rugby squad training at Thomond Park in Limerick. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Billy Burns may have only been a Munster player for a matter of weeks but the Ireland fly-half already feels the southern province is a place to lay down some roots for much longer than his current one-year contract.

Head coach Graham Rowntree confirmed on Tuesday, when previewing this Saturday’s home URC opener against derby rivals Connacht, that he has seen enough in pre-season to be interested in extending the stay of a player he described as being at a career crossroads following his summer move from Ulster.

Having turned 30 in June and having been deemed to be surplus to requirements at Ravenhill after six years of service since moving to the island of his grandfather’s birth from Gloucester, Burns would seem to have something to prove. Yet he explained there was no sense of a clock ticking on his Munster career given the one-year deal he signed for the 2024-25 campaign.

“Not really. To be honest with you, I haven’t really thought about it,” Burns said. “I hope to stay here for a long time, the one-year contract is probably more a thing that I wanted to make sure, I’ve got a young family, that they settle well.

“I back myself in terms of how I perform to hopefully be rewarded with another contract and stay here for longer. But no, if I’d signed a two-year, I’d still be training the same way that I am. I’d still be preparing for the season the same way I am. No, it’s not come into my mind too much.” 

A Munster debut at Thomond Park this weekend will hopefully put the icing on the cake of an enjoyable start to life with the province.

Billy Burns in the thick of it at Thomond Park. Pic ©INPHO/James Crombie

“Feels like I’ve been here a long time, I moved down about two weeks before pre-season started to get the family settled. But, yeah, all good so far. I've really enjoyed training, really enjoyed the group of lads; getting out and enjoying a new place.

“The family has settled in well, so I’m just looking forward to getting into the new season.

“It's also been refreshing. I was at Ulster for such a long period of time and I loved my time there, I've nothing but good things to say about the place, but sometimes a change in environment, in ideas, maybe a way of seeing the game has really given me a new lease of life I think.

"So far I've really enjoyed it.

"I was very nervous before coming in, because I didn't really know many of the lads. A lot of the lads I would have known through Ireland camp were still off for their off-season, but there's something about that that's brought the best out in me, challenging myself a little bit and bringing me outside my comfort zone.

"So, yeah, so far, so good."

Burns is not naïve about the challenge of remaining in the number 10 jersey beyond the first two rounds, with the returning Ireland internationals including out-half rival Jack Crowley set to make their seasonal debuts on October 5 at home to Ospreys in URC round three. Yet there is confidence that his best rugby maybe still ahead of him, as it was for so many Test-capped fly-halves.

"I hope so. I hope that all the experiences that I've had along the way will help me become that player because I don't know what perception there is out there of me, but I've never for one minute thought that I'm the finished product.

"I'm always hungry to learn, hungry to get better and I know I need to get better because I want to play out-half for Munster this year and if I want to do that then I need to be outperforming the number one fly-half in Ireland at the moment.

"I need to be improving and every single training session, walkthrough, whatever it may be - any little place I get those one per cents will help.

"I now know more through experience the things that I need to do, the things that I can maybe put on the back-burner a little bit.

"Things around how I look after my body. Maybe in the past I've gone too hard around certain areas, I've ended up breaking down and not being able to be consistent.

"Ultimately, if I'm out on the pitch most weeks that's where you get consistent, comfortable and play your best rugby.

"Little things like that I guess, with experience, have helped me along the way.

"Then, with the guidance of the coaches here... from minute one they've come in and told me where they see my game, where they can see I can get better.

"It's been nice to have good conversations and have a real plan about where I'm going."