McMillan urges Munster to 'come out of the blocks' in Leinster test 

The southern province face a derby showdown at Croke Park on Satuday. 

Head coach Clayton McMillan with his Munster players this week. Pic: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Do not be fooled by the URC standings at this early stage of the 2025-26 season, Munster’s unbeaten start to the campaign will come under severe pressure when they visit the champions at Croke Park on Saturday.

Leinster’s title defence did not get off the most promising of starts with back-to-back defeats in South Africa at the Stormers and the Bulls but last Saturday’s return to Dublin with reinforcements of the calibre of five British & Irish Lions saw normal service resume and then some with a 31-5 Aviva Stadium victory over the Sharks.

Munster’s progress under new head coach Clayton McMillan has been more impressive in terms of outcomes with three wins from three and 14 league points accruing from a possible 15, yet while victories at Scarlets and then at home to Cardiff and Edinburgh have delivered match points, performances have been far from fluent and there has been nothing so dominant as their derby rivals produced seven days ago.

McMillan knows that as well as anyone and after naming his strongest side to date for this first derby of his short tenure since leading New Zealand’s Chiefs to a third successive Super Rugby final this summer, he warned that the lapses shown in slow starts to both Cardiff and Edinburgh will not be so easily papered over against Leo Cullen’s side.

“We haven't started the way that we've wanted to albeit with the first game aside and if we do that against a team of Leinster's quality, it'll be game over by half-time,” McMillan said.

“We can’t come out of there and sit on our heels and wait to feel what a quality Leinster side looks and feels like. If we do that then we’ll get run over.

“So we’ve got to come out of the blocks. We’ve got to be physical, we’ve got to be accurate, we’ve got to be disciplined. Before I even landed in Ireland, I think Leinster would be a team that is admired around the globe for the style of rugby that they play, the quality of player they have.

“So you know what you’re getting yourself in for and you certainly can’t afford to gift them any opportunities. You’ve got to make them work for everything and if you can do that for long enough you can give yourself a chance.” 

It is two seasons since Jack Crowley kicked the drop goal that saw off a largely second string Leinster side in the 2023 URC semi-final en route to a first Munster trophy in a dozen years. And the gap between the rivals has arguably never been wider after four successive regular season defeats. That was again underlined this week when Ireland boss Andy Farrell named his squad for next month’s Gallagher Cup clash with New Zealand in Chicago and three home games of the Quilter Nations Series which follow back in Dublin against Japan, Australia and South Africa. Just four Munster players made the 34-man squad with two more, the uncapped forwards Edwin Edogbo and Brian Gleeson additional selection for the week in the USA. Leinster will have 21 players aboard the plane and head coach Leo Cullen, having restored five of his 2025 Lions to the team last week will welcome back another four as well as former Munster lock and double World Cup-winning Springbok RG Snyman for Saturday’s Croke Park clash.

In a further addition, an all-Lions front row of Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter and Thomas Clarkson will start the game on the Leinster bench.

McMillan recognises the size of the tasks, directly ahead this weekend and also over his initial three-year contract, in redressing the balance of power.

“Yeah, look, I’ve come into this job eyes wide open. I was aware of the international talent that was leaving, the likes of Peter O'Mahony and those guys that were leaving and the relatively young squad that was left here.

“So, I'm under no illusions as to what I was walking into, but what I've encountered is a highly motivated group of young men who I think have a huge ceiling that we're nowhere near and what really excites me is where we can get to. And so part of my motivation for being here is around ensuring that we do change our fortunes around getting more players in the national side because there's a lot of flow on positives that come from that.

“But it won’t happen overnight, it only comes through hard work and grit and determination and the selection on the weekend brings into stark reality the gulf that exists between Leinster and the other teams.

“But you won’t hear me complaining about it and you won’t hear me making excuses for anything. We’ve just got to roll up our sleeves and be better in a number of different areas to help bring that change to fruition.” 

LEINSTER: J Osborne; T O’Brien, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; P McCarthy, R Kelleher, T Furlong; RG Snyman, James Ryan; A Soroka, J van der Flier, J Conan – captain.

Replacements: D Sheehan, A Porter, T Clarkson, B Deeny, M Deegan, S Penny, F Gunne, C Frawley.

MUNSTER: S Daly; A Smith, T Farrell, D Kelly, T Abrahams; J Crowley, E Coughlan; M Milne, D Barron, J Ryan; E Edogbo, F Wycherley; T Beirne - captain, J O’Donoghue, B Gleeson.

Replacements: Lee Barron, J Loughman, R Foxe, J Kleyn, G Coombes, P Patterson, JJ Hanrahan, A Nankivell.

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy).