Munster handed Snyman boost as World Cup winner pens new contract

CONNACHT HOST Munster this New Year's Day in a highly-anticipated United Rugby Championship bout. Both sides will be looking to bounce back from defeats in last week's derbies as Connacht fell to a 20-19 defeat in Ulster. Meanwhile, Graham Rowntree's side lost out 9-3 to Leinster on a soaking wet night at Thomond Park. Here's everything you need to…

Dan Sheridan/INPHOTadhg Furlong at the World Cup. depth chart There are a handful of younger Irish props who could push through in this position. This piece on Irish rugby's depth at tighthead prop follows articles about the loosehead options and the hookers at each of the provinces. TADHG FURLONG ONLY just turned 31, not old for a tighthead prop,…

Oli Jager could be set for a Munster debut against Leinster in Dublin this Saturday, offering a potentially huge boost to an injury-hit squad that has now seen Peter O'Mahony and Jack O'Donoghue join the casualty list. Irish-qualified tighthead prop Jager's move from the Crusaders was confirmed by the URC champions last week, bringing to an end a…

Photosport/John Davidson/INPHOJager has been with the Crusaders for the past seven years. Irish Abroad The 28-year-old had been chasing All Blacks caps but is now set to pursue Ireland honours. MUNSTER ARE UNDERSTOOD to be closing in on the signing of tighthead prop Oli Jager, who has been playing with the Crusaders in New Zealand since 2017. The…

South African rugby has left its mark across the rugby world. There are very few teams, players or nations who have not been affected or influenced by South Africa. As Nelson Mandela once stated, "Know your enemy- and learn about his favourite sport." Many nations have quality South African-born players involved in their squad in this year's Rugby…

Regardless of what happens at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday, Munster are already in bonus territory. Not that that should or will in influence the way Graham Rowntree's men take on the huge challenge of beating the Stormers. With yet another opportunity to end a trophy drought that has dogged successive Munster management teams for over…

Six weeks ago, when Munster went to Cape Town for the first of two games in South Africa, their most pressing need was to qualify for next season's Champions Cup and, by extension, the URC play-offs. Now, by the most circuitous and perhaps even unlikely route imaginable, Munster are within one game of winning their first trophy in a dozen…

Munster have a huge URC semi-final against Leinster this weekend after Saturday's quarter-final victory over Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun. The province upset the odds to defeat Glasgow becoming the first away side to beat Warriors at home this season. This is Munster's fifth away game on the bounce after trips to Durban, Cape Town, Durban (again)…

Champions Cup, round of 16: Sharks v Munster Saturday, Kings Park, 12.30 Irish time (Live on BT Sport) Munster head coach Graham Rowntree has entrusted Jack Crowley with the team's game management plan, a demonstration of faith in promoting the 23-year-old Innishannon native for this pivotal Heineken Champions Cup clash, preferred in the role of…

MUNSTER welcome South African opposition in Emirates Lions to Musgrave Park this evening. The Reds dug out a late, and much-needed, win over Ulster last time out. The Lions have a similarly mixed record in the competition so far this season as they sit three points behind Munster having played one game fewer. Here are all of the key details ahead…

Munster face Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast for a New Year's Day interpro clash. On the injury front following a St Stephen's Day derby with Leinster, Graham Rowntree's side were left in 11th place on the URC table. This Sunday, Ulster hosts again after Munster visited the Kingspan Stadium twice last season - winning in Belfast in the…

SUNDAY will see two interpros take place with the meeting of Ulster and Munster at Ravenhill getting us going. It's hard to know who's favourite for this one really although only two months ago it would definitely have been Ulster but for them to embark on a mystifying loss of form since then. Meanwhile Munster showed some real green chutes on St…

MONDAY is one year since a Munster side containing a dozen debutants defied all the odds to secure a famous bonus point victory over Wasps in the opening round of the Heineken Champions Cup in Coventry on 12 December, 2021. A lot of water has passed beneath Thomond Bridge since. The global Covid crisis has dissipated, Munster have a new coach,…

The Heineken Champions Cup is back this weekend as Munster open their campaign with a visit from Toulouse. Here's all you need to know about the game. Where and when is it on? The match takes place at Thomond Park in Limerick with a 3.15pm kick-off on Sunday. Where can I watch the game? The match will be shown live on RTE2 from 2.30pm and BT Sport…

South Africa's Northern Hemisphere tour continues when their second string take on Munster in a challenge match this week. Here's all you need to know about the game. Where and when is it on? Thursday's match takes place at the Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork with a 7.30pm kick-off. Where can I watch the match? The game will be shown live on Virgin Media…

The Munster team has been named for Thursday's historic clash against South Africa Select XV, in association with Pinergy, at Páirc Uí Chaoimh (7.30pm, live on Virgin Media 2). The sell-out game will see 41400 supporters make their way to Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the largest-ever attendance at a rugby game in the province. See some of the key info…

Ireland's'A' team take on an All Blacks XV to give those outside the first team a chance to stake a claim this week. Here's all you need to know about the match. Where and when is it on? Friday's match takes place at the RDS in Dublin with a 7.45pm kick-off. Where can I watch the match? The game will be shown live on Virgin Media Two with coverage…

We're only three games into the new season, but Keynan Knox has already started as many as he had in each of the last three campaigns. The 23-year-old has played 28 times for the province in total, but for the majority of his young career to date he has featured off the bench, tagging in to replace either Stephen Archer or John Ryan. Ryan's…

Another year, another failure. Once again, a Munster squad heads for the summer break with nothing to show for their efforts. Graham Rowntree will become the club's sixth head coach in 10 years this summer. He will be joined by a new backroom team. There will be fresh optimism next season and hope that the province can finally turn things around…

Munster felt they pulled off a real transfer coup when they signed young Keynan Knox back in 2018. A highly-rated teenage tighthead, Knox was signed straight out of school after impressing in the hallowed Craven Week competition down in South Africa. Many questioned the merits and ethics of poaching a schoolboy from a foreign land. Knox was…

Andy Friend has hailed Tiernan O'Halloran's loyalty as the full-back becomes only the fourth Connacht player to reach the 200 cap mark - while Cathal Forde makes his debut at no 10. O'Halloran, 30, made his debut for the westerners just over 12 years ago at the age of 18 and, when he runs out against Glasgow Warriors at the Sportsground tomorrow…

Munster and the IRFU have announced that five players have signed new deals with the province as Ulster confirm Jared Payne will leave the club at the end of the season. Lock RG Snyman, props Stephen Archer, Roman Salanoa, Liam O'Connor, and hooker Scott Buckley have all committed their futures to Munster Rugby. World Cup-winning Springbok RG…

Day one - November 20: 29 days since last game Munster depart Ireland for Pretoria with a squad of 33 players for the URC games against the Bulls followed by the Lions in Johannesburg, their first games since the October 23 loss at Ospreys. Simon Zebo, Gavin Coombes, Jason Jenkins, and Cian Hurley are late additions to the travelling party with…

The old adage of "one man's pain is another's gain" held true for a whole cohort of aspiring Munster rugby players who were handed the golden ticket to represent their province on the European stage in Coventry last Sunday. Sport is full of incidences where someone is plucked from relative obscurity only to produce something special. Just think…

IN many ways, Tony Buckley was the great, white hope. ince he first caught the eye as Shannon's socks-rolled-down, front-row behemoth at the start of the last decade, 'Mushy' was seen as the long-term future for Munster and Ireland rugby, regularly referred to as'the new John Hayes'. Ten years on and, despite 88 provincial caps and 21 for his…