Mid-term report: Injuries and off-field issues mar faltering Munster season

Following the pattern of the opening half of the season will not be good enough for the province.

Munster out-half Jack Crowley gets through his work on a cold training day. Pic: James Crombie/Inpho

An interim head coach, two temporary coaching consultants, a lengthy injury list and a campaign on the brink as the Champions Cup pool stage reaches its climax over the next two weekends. As half-seasons go, Munster have already crammed enough drama into the opening segment of 2024-25 than most sporting organisations would care to experience in three seasons.

Even by Munster’s uncanny ability to grab the national rugby conversation by the horns, the first four months of this season have been extraordinary with Graham Rowntree departing as head coach by mutual consent just six weeks in, the senior squad decimated by injury and performance levels fluctuating wildly.

The upshot as 2025 gets underway is that Munster, with head of operations Ian Costello in interim charge and a permanent replacement for Rowntree still apparently some way off, sit in 11th place in the URC having reached the halfway point of the regular season with four wins and five defeats, one of them a first ever loss to perennial strugglers Zebre Parma.

In Europe, a home Champions Cup bonus-point pool win over Stade Francais was followed by the missed opportunity of a narrow loss at Castres before Christmas which leaves Munster third in Pool 3 behind their remaining opponents, this Saturday’s visitors to Thomond Park Saracens and yet another return trip to Northampton Saints a week later.

Significantly both those English Premiership sides are coming off big domestic league victories and are unbeaten after the first two rounds of pool play which mean the carrot of a top seeding for the knockout stages is tantalisingly close for each of them. Munster have it all to do if they are to join them in the Round of 16 and a home victory this weekend in front of a home crowd expected to rise above 20,000 in Limerick would go a long way to easing the pressure in that regard with a top-four pool finish the minimum requirement for progress.

The return to training this week for Diarmuid Barron, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Conor Murray and Jack O’Donoghue following injuries of varying degrees of seriousness will have provided some relief as Munster look to rebound from their December 27 home loss to Leinster and start the New Year with a distinct turning of the page. 

Following the pattern of the opening half of the season will not be good enough.

MUNSTER 2024-25 – THE STORY SO FAR 

URC: 11th in the table after nine of 18 rounds (four wins, five losses).

Munster lie three places and a single point outside of the top eight qualifying places for the end of season URC play-offs. They are 14 points adrift of fourth place, where a finish guarantees a home knockout draw, and 22 points behind unbeaten league leaders Leinster.

Remaining games: Dragons (a) 25/1; Scarlets (h – Thomond Park) 15/2; Edinburgh (h – Virgin Media Park) 28/1; Glasgow Warriors (a) 21/3; Connacht (a) 29/3; Bulls (h – TP) 19/4; Cardiff (a) 25/4; Ulster (h – TP) 9/5; Benetton (h – VMP) 16/5.

Champions Cup: Pool 3 – 3rd (beat Stade Francais 33-7 at home; lost at Castres 16-14) Remaining pool games: Saracens (h – Thomond Park) 11/1; Northampton Saints (a) 18/1.

Currently unavailable: Edwin Edogbo (Achilles tendon), Dave Kilcoyne (thigh), Diarmuid Kilgallen (wrist) - expected back this month; Scott Buckley (calf), Patrick Campbell (shoulder), Mark Donnelly (ankle), Josh Wycherley (neck), Sean O’Brien (leg) - Jan/Feb; Jeremy Loughman (hip) - Feb/March.

Jean Kleyn: Currently absent with a thigh injury.

To be determined: Thaakir Abrahams (shoulder), Craig Casey (knee), Liam Coombes (chest muscle), Cian Hurley (knee), Jean Kleyn (thigh), Alex Nankivell (hamstring), Roman Salanoa (knee).

Reasons to be cheerful

The annual trip to South Africa is out of the way, as are the mighty Leinster and the league table is incredibly bunched behind the current top dogs.

Just seven points separate Munster in 11th from Cardiff in third and if Costello’s squad can catch a break and welcome back some of their longer-term absentees, they will hope to finish the regular season with some momentum, particularly with three of their last four fixtures at home.

Reasons to be afraid

Despite an apparent restart following Rowntree’s abrupt and unexpected departure, and the exit of forwards coach Andi Kyriacou three weeks later, Munster are still struggling for consistency, from week to week and across 80 minutes. The injuries have not helped, there is no denying that, but the Reds look a shadow of the team that landed the URC title a little less than 20 months ago.

In Europe, Munster’s season hangs in the balance, their morale-boosting bonus-point win over Stade undone by a poor performance in Castres. The losing bonus point in France keeps hopes alive but the two-time champions face two in-form English clubs in the next fortnight and Munster may be facing into yet another road trip for the Round of 16, at best, if they come up short at home to Saracens this Saturday.

Standout Performer

Tom Farrell – the summer signing from Connacht’s hat-trick of tries at Ulster before Christmas pointed to an influential outside centre with the character and drive to carry his side to a hard-fought victory matched by the skill set to deliver three excellent finishes.

Munster’s Tom Farrell, their standout performer of the season, is tackled by Leinster’s Rónan Kelleher and Ryan Baird in their URC clash at Thomond Park last month. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho

Standout Performance

That win in Belfast on December 20 was the perfect riposte to a miserable effort the previous week when Munster snatched defeat from the jaws of what would have been a textbook European victory in France at Castres. Like Farrell, the Reds showed character to stay in the game and go toe to toe with their derby rivals despite the loss to injury of yet another key player in Alex Nankivell. Yet again, however, victory was followed by disappointment and a 28-7 home loss to arch enemies Leinster.

Elephant in the Room

The Vatican at least has the good sense to send out whiffs of black soot to indicate their search for a new Pope is ongoing before the white smoke finally wafts into the Roman air. Munster supporters have heard nothing of their province’s efforts to secure a head coach to replace Rowntree, never mind an explanation of his exit. 

Ian Costello: Continues to double job at Munster.

New two-year contracts for chief assistants Mike Prendergast (attack) and Denis Leamy (defence) provide some continuity, particularly if the former gets his wish and his promoted to the hot seat or at the very least is guaranteed to stay with the arrival of a different candidate. 

In the meantime, Ian Costello continues to double job, Alex Codling remains on secondment from his IRFU role as Ireland women’s forwards coach and Chris Boyd is still in situ as a performance consultant. Yet the continued radio silence is unnerving.