Kilgallen eager to put injury nightmare behind him and make mark for Munster

Munster’s Diarmuid Kilgallen on the attack.

Munster winger Diarmuid Kilgallen is looking forward to a big second half to the season after finally shaking off injuries which has limited him to just two appearances since making the short trip down the road from Galway during the summer.

Connacht were reluctant to let the Kildare native go after a strike rate of more than a try every two games, but after arriving with a hamstring problem in the summer, he then suffered a wrist injury after making his debut against an All Blacks selection at Thomond Park in November.

The 23-year finally got to make his competitive debut in Franklin’s Gardens last weekend and crowned it with a brace of tries in the 34-32 loss to Northampton Saints.

“It was a pretty big game to be coming back in for so preparation was a huge one for me, particularly having been out for a while since that All Blacks game. So it was great to get out of the pitch and especially in a ground like that, a big European ground, so it was class. I definitely felt it a couple of days after, it was tough but really enjoyable,” said the former Irish U-20.

Kilgallen, a product of Naas RFC and Cistercian College, Roscrea, made his Connacht debut against Munster in 2020 in the final game of the season at the Aviva Stadium, and his first try was also at headquarters when he scored against Ulster in October 2021. He went on to play 23 games for Connacht, scoring 12 tries in the process.

The 6’3” winger has a sharp eye for the line and while he has been frustrated to see so little action in the past year he used his time injured well.

John Ryan and Kilgallen after the Northampton game.

“There's a lot of frustration there, but you have to use it as an opportunity, because you will go insane otherwise,” added Kilgallen. “The frustration is there. But then you park that very quickly or as quick as as you can.

“You put a plan in place because you have to use that time to try and get better, and you actually can get better in front of a laptop or sitting with coaches and just learning as much as you can. You really do have to go out and you can go after things as well in the gym. There were a lot of things that I was able to learn and chase after. So, I actually found that I definitely gained a lot from it, which is strange. You wouldn't think that you can actually become a better player by not being on the pitch, but I just think I did.” 

He has a lot to look forward to for the remainder of the season. Top priority is to get out there, make his league debut away to Dragons on Saturday and play his part in getting Munster from 11th into the knockout places and beyond.

“:It's just small things that we need to fix now that will get us over the line in these fixtures,” he said. “So now it's it's definitely not difficult to get up for these things and that momentum, I think that will come as we start to nail these things down. The results will follow and we believe that. And because we believe that, that's why it's easy to come into work every morning and do that because everyone is on the same boat, and we all believe that we have the tools.” 

The Six Nations will be followed by a return to European action and a mouth-watering trip for Munster to La Rochelle to take on Ronan O’Gara’s side in a knockout Champions Cup game.

“It's something we have openly discussed but obviously there will be huge excitement for a game like that. That will be a brilliant place to go and play.

“So there will be huge excitement but for now what’s important is playing the Dragons this week, to be honest, given how important that is in the context of our season. So that has been the absolute focus really this week,” added Kilgallen.