Clayton McMillan: 'I honestly believe we’ve got some bloody good 10s in the building'

Tony Butler has been asked back in to help with the out-half numbers at training this week just months after he was released by the province.

Charlie O’Shea will start against Leicester Tigers. Pic: Dan Clohessy/Inpho

Munster’s scramble to fill the out-half void left by Jack Crowley’s absence will see 20-year-old Charlie O’Shea start against Leicester Tigers this Friday.

And the lack of depth in the position is such right now, with the new season just ten days away, that Tony Butler has been asked back in to help with the numbers at training this week just months after he was released by the province.

Will Harrison, a versatile back with a ten’s skillset and a long injury profile, suffered a reoccurrence of a knee injury in pre-season and is aiming to put his hand up for early October and the round two at home to the Bulls or the following week’s trip to Ulster.

JJ Hanrahan stepped into the breach at the back end of the last campaign but is unavailable for Friday’s pre-season game in Virgin Media Park after suffering a concussion in a head-to-head knock with Brian Gleeson in an internal hit-out at Crescent College Comprehensive.

Tom Wood, who impressed McMillan with the minutes he banked in the friendly away to La Rochelle at the end of last month, has his own problems right now with what the coach called a bang and a resultant reoccurrence of an old issue.

More news on that is expected on Wednesday, but McMillan said there was no drama there.

That leaves O’Shea who, like Wood, banked a lot of time with the Ireland U20s last season. A product of Dolphin, he captained CBC to a Munster Senior Schools Cup in 2025 and he was one of eight academy recruits over the summer.

It’s a big opportunity for the player but a far from ideal roster to work off at a key position for a club that faces into an extremely difficult sequence of matches between URC and Champions Cup commitments this side of the November Test window.

“I just I honestly believe that we've got some bloody good 10s in the building,” said McMillan.

“Obviously, JJ. I thought JJ really stood up at the back end of the season when Jack was a little bit invalided in the last few games, and I'm really, really encouraged in particular, around the two young guys.

“Charlie O'Shea, we haven't mentioned him. He'll start the game this weekend, and he's one of those young guys who doesn't lack for confidence. He does his homework, and he's shown some really, really nice touches out on the field.

“So, if they if they end up playing a significant amount of games, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.” Butler’s involvement may need to be extended for another handful of weeks, depending on the next batch of injury updates. For now, McMillan is confident that he will have Hanrahan, Wood and O’Shea for the season’s opener in two weekend’s time.

The head coach has also expressed renewed confidence in the prospect of Crowley returning from the lower limb vascular injury that is likely to keep him sidelined until the New Year. Crowley’s issue arose towards the end of last season and took some time to diagnose.

McMillan painted the picture of a diligent player in good spirits who will follow the medical advice to the letter of the law in an effort to regain full fitness. The hope is that he will hit that Christmas/New Year timeline but the priorities are clear.

“So we just have to trust in the professionals, that the advice will ultimately lead to him being back out on the field within the timeframes that we have already signposted, but if it needs to be longer, then it'll just be longer.

“Like, we're talking about a guy's health and well-being, and it's far, far more important than trying to rush him out onto a rugby field.” 

Improvement is being logged, but the reality is, and McMillan said as much, that the player and the province won’t have a huge handle on where he is at until he gets back running and that is still some way off yet.

That turns the spotlight to the next men up.

Elsewhere, hooker Max Clein is another who isn’t fit for the Tigers test this week. He is dealing with a neck injury.

There is better news with the confirmation that new hooker Marnus van der Merwe is good to go after recovering from the calf injury he sustained with Scarlets at the end of last term. Centre Alex Nankivell is another ready to go, having sat out the La Rochelle tie.