Niall Scannell Hits 200 Landmark

Niall Scannell will follow brother Rory in joining the Munster 200 club on Saturday evening, becoming the 17th player to reach the landmark on a special occasion for him and his family.

The hooker made his Munster debut almost 12 years ago, against Saturday’s opponents Scarlets, at Virgin Media Park in December 2013.

A 20-cap Ireland international, Scannell has been a leader in the Munster team since establishing himself in the side back in 2015.

A Dolphin RFC clubman and former PBC student, Niall captained the Ireland U20s at the 2012 Junior World Championships in South Africa after leading PBC to a Schools Senior Cup title in 2010.

2015/16 proved to be a breakthrough season as he made 23 appearances, starting 10 games for a total of 753 minutes of senior rugby, including a European debut against Leicester Tigers at Thomond Park.

Joined by his brother Rory in the starting line-up, the Scannells become the first set of brothers to start for Munster in the PRO12 in the December 2015 clash away to Newport-Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade.

He continued to flourish in 2016/17, making 26 Munster appearances and earning an Ireland debut as a starter in the 6 Nations clash with Italy in Rome before featuring in the remaining four games.

His good form earned Scannell a nomination for Munster Player of the Year at the 2017 Awards.

Included in the Ireland side for the Summer Tour to the USA and Japan, he played all three Tests and scored his first international try against the USA. In that same Test, he and younger brother Rory became the first Munster brothers to wear Irish jerseys together on the international stage in the professional era.

Finished the 2017/18 season with 24 appearances to his name before impressing on Ireland’s victorious Summer Series victory over Australia.

Scannell was included in the Ireland Rugby World Cup squad that travelled to Japan in 2019 and featured in four games.

An excellent 2022/23 campaign was capped off with the URC title as Niall made 22 appearances over the season (15 starts).

He made 14 appearances during the 2023/24 campaign, starting at hooker for the URC quarter and semi-finals.

Last season saw Scannell make his second-highest appearances in a single season as he racked up 24 appearances (14 starts).