The UAFC

MUNSTER CONFIRM GRAHAM ROWNTREE AS FORWARDS COACH AFTER WORLD CUP

The anglo takeover of irish rugby is complete.

The problem for home grown coaches is they may have baggage or face unwarranted pressure from local interests .

Secondly if or when things go wrong it is harder to avoid the abuse that comes with blame whether right or wrong .

We’ve exported a fair number of coaches etc but local are possibly better suited to underage and Academies where their local knowledge and approachability may be best suited .




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Very quiet year on the transfer front for Munster as well, just McCarthy coming in from Leinster to sit on the bench behind whoever is the current SH "short-term" import

Props (10): Kilcoyne - Cronin - Loughman - O'Connor - Ryan - Archer - Parker - Scott - Gleeson - Knox
Hookers (3): Scannell - Marshall - O'Byrne
Second Row (5): Kleyn - Beirne - O'Shea - Holland - O'Connor
Back Row (8): O'Mahony - Wycherley - O'Donnell - Oliver - Cloete - Stander - O'Donoghue - Botha
Scrum-half (4): Murray - Cronin - Mathewson - McCarthy
Out-half (3): Carberry - Bleyendaal - Hanrahan
Centre (4): Scannell - Farrell - Arnold - Goggin
Back three (6): Earls - Sweetnam - Wooton - Nash - Conway - Haley

Seems like the IRFU demand to trim the squad back has worked, just 43 which is as low as it's been for a while. Forward-heavy squad, hopefully they'll lean more on the academy this year, they certainly have some cracking players coming through the 20s at the minute.

Where are Hart and Williams the SHs off too for next season? AIL? Hart came up with the right boxes ticked IQ, playing in Top 14 etc but didn't do a lot tbf.

Neill_M wrote:Where are Hart and Williams the SHs off too for next season? AIL? Hart came up with the right boxes ticked IQ, playing in Top 14 etc but didn't do a lot tbf.

Hart is going back to France i believe.

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Neill_M wrote:Where are Hart and Williams the SHs off too for next season? AIL? Hart came up with the right boxes ticked IQ, playing in Top 14 etc but didn't do a lot tbf.

Hart to Biarritz I believe, along with Dave O’Callaghan. Williams released, I think he’s retiring


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Columbo wrote:

Neill_M wrote:Where are Hart and Williams the SHs off too for next season? AIL? Hart came up with the right boxes ticked IQ, playing in Top 14 etc but didn't do a lot tbf.

Hart to Biarritz I believe, along with Dave O’Callaghan. Williams released, I think he’s retiring


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Very good, old DOC2. Biarritz will be keen to get promotion with Bayonne going up this season.

Stephen Larkham joining the Munster Coaching staff for next season.

Neill_M wrote:Stephen Larkham joining the Munster Coaching staff for next season.

A lot of work ahead of him.

Still the coaching appointments are encouraging.

Shan wrote:

Neill_M wrote:Stephen Larkham joining the Munster Coaching staff for next season.

A lot of work ahead of him.

Still the coaching appointments are encouraging.

As eddie would say "he needs to look in the stables before entering the grand national ".
Larkham and rowntree will bring plenty of knowledge thats for sure.

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I see Larkham is claiming that the Munster attack improved last year. Seriously is he having a laugh. Munster fluked their way to the H Cup semi last season. They were terrible. Joey and Earls created some off the cuff attacking play as you'd expect but otherwise the backline was non-existent.

I suppose he's hardly likely to say they were dull as f*ck but still.

Now he is saying he wants to add line breaks to the attack. That's grand but let's make sure first we actually have an attack that is not based on Murray hoofing the ball away every chance he gets. We also need a 12 because Scannell just dies with it. He's even better than Aki at murdering ball and not as good as Aki at bashing through a tackle. Munster should tell the IRFU they are going after Olding and that the fatcats can go f*ck themselves if they don't like it. I bet Joey would love it.

The IRFU would probably let them have Olding.

Well Munster gave Dragons an expected hammering.

Mike Haley, the useless goat, got himself a deserved yellow card. I wish the Irish Govt could find a way to revoke this guy's right to be in Ireland.

Well now Munster looked like they were going to make a balls of it but somehow they managed to grab the bonus point try just before full time. Ospreys were fairly hopeless so I'm exactly dancing about 16 point win.

One thing which surprised me is that apart from one or two inept moments Haley actually played pretty well. First time I've seen this so possibly a one off but hopefully he can prove me wrong.