Greencore Munster Academy Update

Munster A Head Coach and Elite Player Development Manager Peter Malone takes a look at the last four weeks in the Greencore Munster Academy.

Defeat to Leinster in the B&I Cup…

"Undoubtedly a disappointing result for us. Leinster performed very well, especially over the first 30 minutes, meaning the game was almost beyond us at half time. The most disappointing thing about the game was that we didn’t perform any way close to our best. We kicked on a little in the second half with some replacements making an impact, but overall we can have no complaints and it was a deserved win for Leinster."

Munster Development XV v Enisei-STM…

"This provided some game time for most of those who didn’t feature in the B&I game against Leinster. It presented a new challenge for some of our guys, to face such a big and professional outfit. Academy and year one players performed well on the night and will learn a lot from experiencing rugby at that level.

It’s also good for those performing well in the club game to get the opportunity of wearing the Munster jersey. Joe McSweeney (Cork Con), Tom Kiersey (Lansdowne) and Jamie Glynn (UCD) just some of the club players who made the most of their chances on the night.

It continues to be a very worthwhile exercise and one which we are happy to continue should Enisei wish to come again."

Injury update…

"We’ve suffered some long term injuries, notably John Madigan, Sean McCarthy, Greg O’Shea, Gearoid Lyons and Darren Moroney. Thankfully these guys have now returned with the exception of Gearoid who should return to action for us next week.

Unfortunately this season has seen a number of preventable injuries such as groin injury. We’ll take this into account as we plan next season, adjusting our conditioning systems accordingly.

The plan towards the end of this season is to provide guys with light training this week following the conclusion of the All Ireland League. Next week and for the following three to four weeks we’ll work them pretty hard in preparation for next season. Those weeks will involve a heavy load in conditioning and skills. Being conscious of exams, sessions will be scheduled for early in the morning, giving players a chance to recover sufficiently for study and exams later in the day."

Current Schedule…

"Having now finished with the Munster A’s for this season, the cycle starts again with Munster 19s and 20s scouting and screening as part of our talent development process. Easter trials are a key part of this process and involve 19s, 20s, schools and clubs."

Representative Prospects…

"We remain hopeful for good representation in the IRB JWC in New Zealand. We were delighted to have had 6 Munster players involved in the Irish U20s’ final Six Nations game against France – Rory Burke, Dan Goggin, Alex Wootton, Jack O’Donoghue, Jack Cullen and Max Abbott. While France probably deserved to win the game, Ireland performed well and weren’t far off the quality of their opposition.

There were 9 Munster players involved in the extended Ireland U19s squad over the Easter break – Stephen Fitzgerald, Greg O'Shea, Mike O'Donnell, Liam O'Connor, Tomas Quinlan, Steven McMahon, Sean McNulty, Ben Kilkenny and Jack Cullen. Over the course of two games (against France) all players obtained valuable game time and experience.

We’ve also got 4 players involved with the schools side (Sean O'Connor, Paul Kiernan, Alan McMahon, Calvin Nash) and 6 players with the club side (Josh Barnes, Bens Betts, Brian Fanning, Sean O'Leary, Phillip Poillot and Joe White).

Numbers wise there are a lot of Munster players involved with Ireland squads which is very positive. We are particularly happy with our 19s and 20s involvement, hoping that our lads can kick on from there and perform well in those teams."