2021–22 Munster Rugby season

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2021–22 Munster Rugby season
Ground(s)Thomond Park (Capacity: 25,600)[note 1]
Musgrave Park (Capacity: 8,008)
ChairmanGerry O'Shea
CEOIan Flanagan
PresidentSeán McCullough
Coach(es)Johann van Graan
Captain(s)Peter O'Mahony
League(s)United Rugby Championship
← 2020–21 →

The 2021–22 Munster Rugby season is Munster's twenty-first season competing in the United Rugby Championship, alongside which they also compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It is Johann van Graan's fifth and final season as head coach.[1][2]

Events[]

The big news in terms of player movements ahead of the 2021–22 season was the retirement of three club stalwarts: Billy Holland,[3] CJ Stander[4] and Tommy O'Donnell,[5] and the return to the province of the club's record try scorer Simon Zebo after three seasons with French club Racing 92.[6]

Fly-half JJ Hanrahan[7] left the province to join French club Clermont, whilst winger Alex Wootton departed to join Connacht on a permanent basis, having spent the previous season on loan at the western province.[8] Scrum-half Nick McCarthy left to re-join his native province Leinster,[9] whilst prop James Cronin joined French club Biarritz, who had recently been promoted to the Top 14,[10] and hooker Rhys Marshall was released by the province and returned to New Zealand, where he joined North Harbour.[11] Centre Alex McHenry joined English club Wasps on loan in October 2021,[12] and new signing Declan Moore joined Ulster as short-term injury cover in late December 2021[13] and on loan in February 2022.[14]

Nine academy players were promoted to the senior squad: Thomas Ahern,[15] Jack Crowley,[15] Jack Daly,[15] Jake Flannery,[16] James French,[16] Seán French,[16] Ben Healy,[16] John Hodnett[16] and Josh Wycherley.[15] South African lock Jason Jenkins joined the senior squad from Japanese club Toyota Verblitz,[15] scrum-half Rowan Osborne joined from Leinster,[17] and hooker Declan Moore, who was on the books with Australian Super Rugby side Melbourne Rebels, joined for the season.[18]

In coaching news, former Munster assistant coach Ian Costello returned to the province to become their academy manager, having spent the previous five seasons working in England as head coach of RFU Championship club Nottingham and, since 2018, defence coach at Premiership club Wasps.[19] Sports psychologist Caroline Currid, renowned in Ireland for her work with the Limerick hurlers who won back-to-back All-Ireland's in 2020 and 2021, joined the province's backroom team in a part-time role.[20]

Three players joined year one of the academy: prop Mark Donnelly, back-row Daniel Okeke and scrum-half Ethan Coughlan, whilst Leinster academy scrum-half Paddy Patterson, who spent part of the previous season on a short-term contract with Munster, joined year three of the academy.[21] Three additional players joined the academy in November 2021: lock , fly-half Tony Butler and back-three Patrick Campbell.[22]

With the four South African Super Rugby teams - the Bulls, the Lions, the Sharks and the Stormers - joining the league ahead of the 2021–22 season, the Pro14 was rebranded and restructured as the United Rugby Championship. The teams were divided into regional pools, with Munster joining their provincial rivals Connacht, Leinster and Ulster in the Irish pool. The regular season took place over 18 rounds; Munster played their pool opponents home and away, and played home or away fixtures against the other 12 teams in the league. All sixteen teams were ranked in one league table after the 18 rounds, with the top 8 teams qualifying for the quarter-finals, followed by semi-finals and a grand final.[23]

Eight teams qualified from the United Rugby Championship for the Champions Cup. The highest ranked team from each pool qualified for the Champions Cup, with the remaining four qualification spots going to the next four highest-ranked teams in the single league table who have not already qualified from their pool. Subject to approvals, the South African teams will be eligible for the Champions & Challenge Cup.[23]

The province was drawn in pool B for the 2021–22 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, and faced French club Castres, whom Munster have met in nine previous Champions Cup seasons in a record 16 fixtures, and English club Wasps, who defeated Munster in a classic semi-final in the old Lansdowne Road in 2004, and whom the province last met during the 2007–08 tournament, which Munster went on to win.[24][25]

Munster opened their 2021–22 United Rugby Championship campaign with a bonus-point 42–17 win against the Sharks, one of the four new South African teams, on 25 September 2021. Simon Zebo, making his return for the province, scored two tries, extending his club record to 62, with Gavin Coombes continuing his try-scoring exploits from the previous season with two tries of his own. Chris Cloete and player of the match Craig Casey also crossed the try line. Fly-half Joey Carbery scored seven points off the kicking tee, with his replacement Ben Healy contributing five points off the tee in the second-half. RG Snyman made his eagerly-awaited return from long-term injury as a second-half replacement, and scrum-half Rowan Osborne made his competitive debut for the province, in a match that saw fans return to Thomond Park for the first time since February 2020.[26]

Munster were in South Africa for rounds 6 and 7 of the United Rugby Championship, in which they were due to play the Bulls and the Lions, however, the emergence of the omicron variant of COVID-19 led to travel restrictions being implemented by UK and EU authorities, meaning the fixtures had to be postponed.[27] 34 players and staff arrived back in Ireland on 1 December 2021 and immediately entered 10 days of mandatory self-isolation. 14 players and staff who had tested positive for COVID-19 had to remain in South Africa.[28]

In the wake of this disruption for Munster and other clubs, and with Munster's opening Champions Cup fixture away to Wasps falling on 12 December, the EPCR extended the deadline for registering players for the tournament to 8 December, meaning Munster could look to supplement their squad with short-term signings,[29][30] and 22 players were subsequently registered with the province's Champions Cup squad.[31]

A depleted Munster squad made up of internationals who'd been away with Ireland during the Autumn tests, academy players and members of the national and provincial talent squads travelled over to England to face Wasps on their opening Champions Cup fixture on 12 December 2021. The team, which featured 12 debutantes, pulled off one of the great Munster away victories, defeating their opponents 35–14 in a thrilling contest in front of a large contingent of Munster fans who had made the journey to Coventry.[32]

Munster made it back-to-back wins in the Champions Cup with a gritty 19–13 win at home against French club Castres on 18 December 2021, with a 58th minute try from number 8 Jack O'Donoghue and 14 points off the tee from fly-half Ben Healy being enough for the province to see off their opposition.[33]

Following the 10–8 defeat away to Connacht on 1 January 2022, the province received criticism for its style of play, or lack thereof, aimed in particular at head coach Johann van Graan, who had recently confirmed his departure from the province at the end of the season. Critics also pointed to the poor performance in defeat against the Ospreys back in October 2021, prior to the COVID-19 issues the province faced in South Africa and the first two rounds of the Champions Cup, and also to the dour win against Castres in round two of the Champions Cup. Former captain Donal Lenihan, writing in the Irish Examiner, said: "If Munster continue in the vein of the last two limp attacking efforts against Castres and Connacht, then you can forget about any prospect of breaking the trophy drought for another season,", whilst club legend Alan Quinlan described the performance against Connacht as "dreadful", before adding; "Look, you have to acknowledge there has been a lot of good in the last few years, I do want to say that.".

Eddie O'Sullivan, former Ireland coach and Munster player, added: "If you want a cameo to show people how Munster have not developed in attack, show them the last five minutes of that first half against Connacht.".[34] Keith Wood, another former Munster player and an Ireland legend, was similarly critical of the province, describing the display against Connacht as "turgid nonsense", adding "There's no point in talking about Munster's attack, that doesn’t exist at the present moment in time. I think we're beginning to ruin some of the players. I'm finding it incredibly hard to watch."[35] Munster forwards coach Graham Rowntree, speaking to the media ahead of the province's fixture against Ulster the following week, described the performance as "more than disappointing" and "very frustrating", but added that a series of clear-the-air meetings had been held,[36] saying "It can only be good to get it all out on the table and clear the air and people air some things.".[37]

In the reverse fixture against Castres in round 3 of the Champions Cup on 14 January 2022, Munster earned a 16–13 away win thanks to a 77th minute try from Gavin Coombes, converted by rookie fly-half Jack Crowley, who was faultless off the kicking tee in his first European start for the province. The win secured a place in the knockout stage of the tournament for Munster.[38] Nine days later, Munster followed up their away win against Castres with a 45–7 home win against Wasps, with the tries coming from Jeremy Loughman, Conor Murray, Jack O'Donoghue, who was player of the match on the occasion of his 150th cap for Munster, Rory Scannell and Simon Zebo, who scored a brace to become Munster's all-time leading try-scorer in the Champions Cup and the leading Irish try-scorer in the competition overall. Fly-half Ben Healy and his replacement on the day, Jack Crowley, were both 100% from the kicking tee, with Healy scoring four conversions and a penalty, and Crowley adding two late conversions. The win secured home advantage for Munster in the second leg of the round of 16,[39] in which they face English club Exeter Chiefs.[40]

Player movements[]

Below are the players who joined and left the Munster senior and academy squads ahead of the 2021–22 season. Italics indicates players that transferred during the 2021–22 season.

Senior squad[]

Academy squad[]

Coaching and management staff[]

Position Name Nationality
Head coach Johann van Graan  South Africa
Senior coach Stephen Larkham  Australia
Defence coach JP Ferreira  South Africa
Forwards coach Graham Rowntree  England
Team manager Niall O'Donovan  Ireland
Head of athletic performance Ged McNamara  Ireland
Strength and conditioning coach Damien O'Donoghue  Ireland
Strength and conditioning coach Adam Sheehan  Ireland
Performance analyst George Murray  Ireland

Players[]

For a full list of player movements before or during the 2021–22 season, see List of 2021–22 United Rugby Championship transfers.

Senior squad[]

Munster Rugby senior squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Back three

(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players.
* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.
ST denotes a short-term signing.
L denotes a player on loan at the club.
Players and their allocated positions from the Munster Rugby website.[41]

Academy squad[]

Munster Rugby academy squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

  • None at present

Back three

(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players, number in brackets indicates players stage in the three-year academy cycle.
* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.
Players and their allocated positions from the Munster Rugby website.[42][22]

Additional players[]

These 19 players were registered with Munster's Champions Cup squad in December 2021 following the disruption caused by the province's recent tour to South Africa, and are National Talent Squad or Provincial Talent Squad members. They are not contracted to Munster. Three additional academy members - Tony Butler, Patrick Campbell and Edwin Edogbo - were also registered for the squad and are listed in the academy squad above.

Munster Rugby additional players

Props

  • Alessandro Heaney
  • Darragh McCarthy
  • Darragh McSweeney
  • Kieran Ryan

Hookers

  • Dylan Murphy

Back-row

Scrum-halves

  • Adam Maher
  • Andrew O'Mahony

Centres

  • Alan Flannery
  • Darragh French

Back three

  • George Coomber
  • Jamie Shanahan
Players and their allocated positions from the Munster Rugby website.[31]

Pre-season[]

4 September 2021
15:00
Munster Greys Ireland 38–21 Ireland Munster Reds
Report
Thomond Park[note 2]
11 September 2021
15:00
Exeter Chiefs England 19–31 Ireland Munster
Report

2021–22 United Rugby Championship[]

Main article: 2021–22 United Rugby Championship
2021–22 United Rugby Championship · · discuss
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA Try bonus Losing bonus Pts
1 Ireland Ulster 10 7 0 3 241 160 +81 28 17 5 2 35
2 Scotland Edinburgh 9 6 1 2 224 147 +77 31 16 6 2 34
3 Scotland Glasgow Warriors 9 6 0 3 240 177 +63 32 19 5 2 31
4 Ireland Leinster 8 6 0 2 246 114 +132 34 12 5 1 30
5 Ireland Munster 8 6 0 2 209 124 +85 28 11 4 1 29
6 Wales Ospreys 10 6 0 4 203 238 –35 17 31 1 1 26
7 Italy Benetton 9 4 1 4 193 205 –12 18 24 2 2 22
8 Ireland Connacht 10 4 0 6 238 253 -15 29 29 3 1 20
9 Wales Cardiff 7 4 0 3 159 175 –16 16 18 1 1 18
10 South Africa Stormers 8 3 2 3 171 181 –10 20 22 1 1 18
11 South Africa Sharks 8 3 1 4 194 208 –14 20 55 1 1 16
12 South Africa Bulls 8 3 0 5 146 184 –38 15 18 2 2 16
13 Wales Scarlets 7 3 0 4 157 206 –49 20 29 3 1 16
14 South Africa Lions 8 2 0 6 167 222 –55 17 28 3 1 12
15 Wales Dragons 8 1 1 6 144 187 –43 15 20 2 3 11
16 Italy Zebre Parma 7 0 0 7 83 234 –151 8 29 1 0 1
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[43]
  1. number of matches won;
  2. number of matches drawn;
  3. the difference between points for and points against;
  4. the number of tries scored;
  5. the most points scored;
  6. the difference between tries for and tries against;
  7. the fewest red cards received;
  8. the fewest yellow cards received.
Green background indicates teams that are playoff places that top their regional pools and earn a place in the 2022–23 European Champions Cup

Blue background indicates teams that did not top their regional pool but are in play-off places and earn a place in the 2022–23 European Champions Cup
Pink background indicates teams that did not top their regional pool but are in play-off places, and earn a place in the
Yellow background indicates teams that top their regional pool and thus currently in a qualification place in the 2022–23 European Champions Cup, but are not in a play-off place
Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the .

2021–22 United Rugby Championship Regional Shield Pools · · · discuss
Irish Shield
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP Pts
1 Ireland Leinster 7 6 0 1 219 85 +134 31 10 5 0 29
2 Ireland Ulster 8 5 0 3 182 133 +49 24 16 4 2 26
3 Ireland Munster 7 5 0 2 175 107 +68 23 9 3 1 24
4 Ireland Connacht 8 4 0 4 206 179 +27 27 25 3 1 20
Scottish/Italian Shield
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP Pts
1 Scotland Edinburgh 8 6 1 1 205 124 +81 28 16 6 1 33
2 Scotland Glasgow Warriors 8 5 0 3 198 157 +41 26 17 4 2 26
3 Italy Benetton 8 4 0 4 180 192 –12 23 28 3 2 21
4 Italy Zebre Parma 6 0 0 6 66 200 –134 8 29 1 0 1
South African Shield
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP Pts
1 South Africa Lions 5 2 0 3 107 120 –13 11 16 2 1 11
2 South Africa Sharks 5 2 0 3 115 129 –14 11 15 0 1 9
3 South Africa Stormers 5 1 1 3 79 103 –24 9 13 0 1 7
4 South Africa Bulls 5 1 0 4 65 131 –66 5 13 0 1 5
Welsh Shield
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP Pts
1 Wales Ospreys 9 5 0 4 180 219 -39 15 28 1 1 22
2 Wales Scarlets 6 3 0 3 142 179 -37 18 25 3 1 16
3 Wales Cardiff 6 3 0 3 130 148 -18 13 15 1 1 14
4 Wales Dragons 7 1 0 6 131 174 -43 15 19 2 3 9
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[44]
  1. number of matches won
  2. the difference between points for and points against
  3. the number of tries scored
  4. the most points scored
  5. the difference between tries for and tries against
  6. the fewest red cards received
  7. the fewest yellow cards received
Green background indicates Shield winner teams guaranteed a place in the 2022–23 European Champions Cup

Round 1[]

25 September 2021
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland 42–17 South Africa Sharks
Try: Zebo (2) 5' m, 79' m
Casey 35' m
G. Coombes (2) 40'+3 c, 50' c
Cloete 77' c
Con: Carbery (2/4) 40'+4, 51'
Healy (1/2) 78'
Pen: Carbery (1/1) 28'
Healy (1/1) 68'
 Report
Report 		Try: Chamberlain 56' c
Penxe 70' c
Con: Bosch (2/2) 57', 70'
Pen: Bosch (1/2) 31'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 11,418[a]
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)

Round 2[]

2 October 2021
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland 34–18 South Africa Stormers
Try: O'Donoghue (2) 40' c, 55' m
Kleyn 45' c
N. Scannell 50' m
Snyman 67' c
Con: Carbery (2/4) 40'+1, 46'
Healy (1/1) 68'
Pen: Healy (1/1) 80'
 Report
Report 		Try: Gelant 8' m
Zas 19' c
Con: Libbok (1/2) 21'
Pen: Gelant (1/1) 29'
Swiel (1/1) 65'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 10,723[a]
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)

Round 3[]

10 October 2021
14:00
Scarlets Wales 13–43 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: McNicholl 28' c
Con: Costelow (1/1) 29'
Pen: Costelow (2/4) 16', 33'
 Report
Report 		Try: O'Sullivan 3' c
L. Coombes (2) 22' c, 58' c
Nash 35' m
Loughman 43' c
Cloete 61' c
Con: Healy (5/6) 4', 24', 44', 59', 63'
Pen: Healy (1/1) 10'
Parc y Scarlets
Attendance: 6,336
Referee: Ben Blain (SRU)

Round 4[]

16 October 2021
19:35
Munster Ireland 20–18 Ireland Connacht (1 BP)
Try: Cloete 38' c
Barron 77' c
Con: Carbery (2/2) 39', 79'
Pen: Carbery (2/2) 48', 58'
 Report
Report 		Try: Boyle 52' c
Carty 68' c
Con: Carty (1/2) 69'
Pen: Carty (2/2) 2', 9'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 17,198[a]
Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU)

Round 5[]

23 October 2021
19:35
Ospreys Wales 18–10 Ireland Munster
Pen: Myler (6/6) 1', 31', 35', 45', 63', 71'
 Report
Report 		Try: Casey 53' c
Con: Crowley (1/1) 54'
Pen: Crowley (1/1) 5'
Swansea.com Stadium
Attendance: 5,678
Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)

Round 6[]

27 November 2021
17:45
Bulls South Africa P–P Ireland Munster
  • Fixture postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions.[27]

Round 7[]

4 December 2021
15:30
Lions South Africa P–P Ireland Munster
  • Fixture postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions.[27]

Round 8[]

26 December 2021
19:35
Munster Ireland P–P Ireland Leinster
Thomond Park
  • Fixture postponed due to COVID-19 cases amongst the Leinster squad.[45]

Round 9[]

1 January 2022
17:15
Connacht Ireland 10–8 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Aki 57' c
Con: Fitzgerald (1/1) 58'
Pen: Carty (1/1) 14'
 Report
Report 		Try: Conway 22' m
Pen: Healy (1/2) 17'
The Sportsground
Attendance: 3,064[a]
Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU)

Round 10[]

8 January 2022
19:35
Munster Ireland 18–13 Ireland Ulster (1 BP)
Try: Haley 60' m
Kendellen 75' c
Con: Healy (1/1) 76'
Pen: Crowley (2/2) 32', 39'
 Report
Report 		Try: Herring 7' c
Con: Cooney (1/1) 9'
Pen: Doak (2/3) 40'+2, 56'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 5,000[a]
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

Round 11[]

29 January 2022
17:00
Zebre Parma Italy 17–34 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Cronjé 39' c
Laloifi 80'+1
Con: O'Malley (1/1) 40'
Rizzi (1/1) 80'+2
Pen: O'Malley (1/2) 44'
 Report
Report 		Try: O'Donoghue 21' m
Goggin 28' c
F. Wycherley 36' c
J. Wycherley 66' c
Barron 71' m
Con: Flannery (3/3) 29', 37', 66'
Pen: Crowley (1/1) 18'
Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)

Rescheduled round 18[]

11 February 2022
20:15
Glasgow Warriors Scotland v Ireland Munster

Round 12[]

18 February 2022
19:35
Munster Ireland v Scotland Edinburgh
Thomond Park

Round 13[]

5 March 2022
17:15
Munster Ireland v Wales Dragons
Thomond Park

Rescheduled round 6[]

12 March 2022
14:05
Bulls South Africa v Ireland Munster

Rescheduled round 7[]

19 March 2022
12:00
Lions South Africa v Ireland Munster

Round 14[]

25 March 2022
19:35
Munster Ireland v Italy Benetton

Round 15[]

2 April 2022
19:00
Leinster Ireland v Ireland Munster

Round 16[]

22 April 2022
19:35
Ulster Ireland v Ireland Munster

Round 17[]

29 April 2022
19:35
Munster Ireland v Wales Cardiff

Rescheduled round 8[]

20/21 May 2022
Munster Ireland v Ireland Leinster
TBC

2021–22 European Rugby Champions Cup[]

Main article: 2021–22 European Rugby Champions Cup

Munster were ranked second out of the eight United Rugby Championship teams that qualified for the 2021–22 Champions Cup, owing to their runners-up position after defeat against Leinster in the 2021 Pro14 Grand Final,[46] and were seeded in tier one for the pool stage draw.[47] The province was drawn in pool B for the 2021–22 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, and faced French club Castres and English club Wasps.[25]

Pool B Standings [48]
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
England Leicester Tigers 4 4 0 0 102 64 +38 14 7 3 0 19
England Harlequins 4 4 0 0 135 101 +34 18 15 3 0 19
Ireland Munster 4 4 0 0 115 47 +68 12 5 2 0 18
England Bristol Bears 4 3 1 0 108 38 +70 16 4 3 0 17
Ireland Connacht 4 1 0 3 118 104 +14 16 14 3 3 10
France Bordeaux 4 1 1 2 58 54 +4 8 7 1 1 8
France Toulouse 4 1 1 2 61 65 –4 8 8 1 0 7
France Stade Français 4 1 1 2 63 95 –32 7 14 1 0 7
Wales Cardiff 4 1 0 3 85 118 –33 13 16 2 1 7
England Wasps 4 1 1 2 51 102 –51 6 13 0 0 6
France Castres 4 0 0 4 77 91 –14 9 9 1 4 5
Wales Scarlets 4 0 1 3 31 125 –94 4 19 0 0 2
Key to colours
     Top 8 of each pool, advance to last 16.
     Teams 9–12 in pool advance to 2021–22 European Rugby Challenge Cup last 16.

Round 1[]

12 December 2021
15:15
Wasps England 14–35 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Barbeary 30' c
Le Bourgeois 63' c
Con: Gopperth (2/2) 31', 64'
 Report
Report 		Try: Earls 34' c
Campbell 42' m
Conway 47' c
Buckley 56' c
Con: Carbery (3/4) 35', 48', 56'
Pen: Carbery (3/4) 6', 27', 66'
Coventry Building Society Arena
Attendance: 6,716
Referee: Romain Poite (FFR)

Round 2[]

18 December 2021
20:00
Munster Ireland 19–13 France Castres (1 BP)
Try: O'Donoghue 57' c
Con: Healy (1/1) 58'
Pen: Healy (4/5) 7', 28', 34', 69'
 Report
Report 		Try: 76' c
Con: Urdapilleta (1/1) 77'
Pen: Urdapilleta (2/2) 39', 62'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 21,250
Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)

Round 3[]

14 January 2022
20:00
(1 BP) Castres France 13–16 Ireland Munster
Try: 27' c
Con: Botica (1/1) 28'
Pen: Botica (2/2) 54', 66'
 Report
Report 		Try: G. Coombes 77' c
Con: Crowley (1/1) 79'
Pen: Crowley (3/3) 10', 46', 49'
Stade Pierre-Fabre
Attendance: 5,000[a]
Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)

Round 4[]

23 January 2022
15:15
(1 BP) Munster Ireland 45–7 England Wasps
Try: Murray 8' c
Zebo (2) 17' c, 78' c
O'Donoghue 29' c
Loughman 43' c
R. Scannell 80'+2 c
Con: Healy (4/4) 9', 18', 30', 44'
Crowley (2/2) 80', 80'+3
Pen: Healy (1/1) 15'
 Report
Report 		Try: Robson 26' c
Con: Atkinson (1/1) 26'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 13,047[b]
Referee: (FFR)

Round of 16 (1st leg)[]

9 April 2022
17:30
Exeter Chiefs England v Ireland Munster

Round of 16 (2nd leg)[]

16 April 2022
15:00
Munster Ireland v England Exeter Chiefs
Thomond Park

2021–22 Munster A/Development season[]

18 September 2021
16:00
Munster Development XV Ireland 25–24 Ireland Ulster Development XV
Report
IRFU High Performance Centre, Dublin
24 September 2021
16:00
Leinster Development XV Ireland 14–0 Ireland Munster Development XV
Report
IRFU High Performance Centre, Dublin
12 November 2021
14:00
Munster A Ireland 36–21 Ireland Connacht Eagles
Report
University of Limerick
30 December 2021
14:30
Munster Development XV Ireland 13–21 Ireland Ireland U20
Report

Player statistics[]

Player statistics from the 2021–22 season. Stats from the league and European competitions only are shown. Academy players in italics. † indicates additional players used who are not contracted. Updated 31 January 2022 after URC round 11

References[]

  1. ^ "Johann van Graan to join Munster as head coach". South African Rugby Union. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Munster Rugby Confirm Johann van Graan Departure At End Of Season". Munster Rugby. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Billy Holland grateful to retire from rugby on his own terms". Irish Examiner. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "CJ Stander To Retire At End Of Season". Munster Rugby. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Munster and Ireland flanker Tommy O'Donnell announces retirement". The42. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Munster Rugby Re-Sign Simon Zebo". Munster Rugby. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b "JJ Hanrahan Move Confirmed". Munster Rugby. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Permanent move for Wootton among 21 new contracts announced by Connacht". The42. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Nick McCarthy rejoins Leinster from Munster". Irish Examiner. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  10. ^ a b "James Cronin set to join Biarritz in the Top 14 after leaving Munster". The42. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  11. ^ a b "North Harbour recruit former All Blacks trainee, lose capped flanker". RugbyPass. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Wasps: Alex McHenry & Paddy Harrison join on short-term deals". BBC Sport. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Ulster sign Munster hooker for injury cover while Academy star earns upgraded contract". Belfast Telegraph. 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Squad Update". Munster Rugby. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Player Signing, Contract Extensions & Academy Promotions". Munster Rugby. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Latest Player Contracts Confirmed". Munster Rugby. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Munster Rugby Sign Rowan Osborne". Munster Rugby. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
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Notes[]

  1. ^ Thomond Park's official capacity is 25,600 but can be expanded up to 26,276 with temporary seating.
  2. ^ Munster were originally scheduled to host Bath in a pre-season friendly, but Bath were unable to travel due to COVID-19 cases amongst their squad. Munster instead arranged a challenge match, fielding two Munster teams made up of senior, academy and All-Ireland League players from the province.
  1. ^ a b c d e f Reduced stadium capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions.
  2. ^ Reduced attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions being lifted only 24 hours before the fixture.

External links[]

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