Brian Gleeson targets Munster return after injury as Ireland ambitions remain firmly in sight

After surgery and a missed Ireland call-up, the Munster back rower is driven to resume his rise at pace

Thu, 01 Jan, 2026 - 06:22

Simon Lewis

The elbow fracture could not have come at a worse time in Brian Gleeson’s season but with a return to Munster colours imminent, the powerhouse back rower is eager to pick up where he left off, in barnstorming form and on the cusp of Ireland recognition.

The 21-year-old returned to full training at the High Performance Centre in Limerick last Monday, right on schedule after 11 weeks on the sidelines since the injury at Croke Park on October 18 which took away his chance to train with Andy Farrell’s squad in Chicago a fortnight later.

Gleeson’s target was always this Friday’s URC derby at Ulster and there was optimism from assistant coach Denis Leamy last Monday that his fellow Tipperary native would be set for a comeback in Belfast, though it could be the following week’s Champions Cup visit to Toulon. All will be revealed at noon on Thursday when Clayton McMillan’s team for the trip north is announced but whenever the time comes for the former Ireland Under-20 international he will be determined to continue the progress that marked him out as a potential Test player over the opening weeks of Munster’s 2025-26 campaign.

The 28 minutes he played against Leinster at GAA headquarters before injury struck was a case in point, Gleeson’s power in possession seeing him get over the tryline following a tap penalty for his side’s opening try, laying the foundations for their 31-14 bonus-point victory in Dublin. It was a pivotal moment, replying to Leinster’s opening score, but crucially it was an action-packed contribution which looked to be heading towards the type of complete performance he has been striving for.

“I was lucky enough to get an opportunity at the first game of the season against Scarlets,” Gleeson said. “I thought I had good moments, but there was still more work to be done … my game was more in moments than throughout the game.

“So I was just focused on trying to get more involved throughout the game and get more moments and build moments on top of each other. I felt like I built on that well, especially in the Leinster game, I felt like I was doing really well until I got the injury.

“But that'll be it again. The focus running back is how many moments I get in the game. The more I'm involved in the game, the better it'll be for me.”

Gleeson had needed surgery following the elbow injury, dashing his hopes of a week in Ireland camp as the national side prepared to face the All Blacks at Soldier Field on November 1, as it did also for fellow uncapped Munster forward, lock Edwin Edogbo. The No.8 used his recovering time well, motivated by his missed opportunity to return this month and stake a claim once more ahead of the Six Nations.

“Well, initially I got the bang. I thought it was a dead arm, so the physios came running onto the field and I was like, ‘I'm grand, I'll be fine’.

“So, I got up to go play and I felt it move and I was like, ‘this is gone’. So, I think there and then my mind kind of went to, ‘that's Chicago gone’. So, that was disappointing at the start, but I think once I got a day or two after I got the surgery done, I just focused on, ‘okay, I've got to get back there, I've got to get back’.

“I was really looking forward to it but it just gives me more motivation to try and get back involved.”

Gleeson admitted he was blindsided by Ireland boss Farrell’s invitation.

“I didn’t know how to react on the phone when he said who he was so I just let out a nervous laugh and he wasn’t expecting that either! But he said I’d been going well and thought it would be a good experience for me. That was kind of it.

“When he rang he just said that I’d be going to Chicago with the team and basically left it open then. He said I’d go back and play that Ireland A game (against Spain) and then take it from there.

“It was something to fight for anyway, going to camp and you’re not just there for numbers.

“I think I've used it as a motivation for my recovery. I have to play in January to try and get back and try and make the Six Nations squad. That's been the real driver for everything I've been doing so far.

“When you're coming into January, there's a block of Champions Cup games, there's Interpro derbies, so to feature in those games would be a boost if I was to do well in them. But look, I can only take care of what I do on the pitch. I'm not thinking about selection when I'm playing. It's just trying to play as well as I can.”