Munster Rugby

Munster Rugby

Nickname(s)	The Red Army
Founded	1879
Location	Munster, Ireland
Ground(s)	a) Thomond Park b) Musgrave Park
Capacity	a) 26,500 b) 8,300 (due to be upgraded to 16,000)
Coach	Tony McGahan[1]
Captain	Paul O'Connell
Most appearances	Anthony Foley (186)
Top scorer	Ronan O'Gara (1,679)
Most tries	Anthony Horgan (39)
League	Magners League
2007-08	3rd
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.munsterrugby.ie

Munster Rugby (more commonly known as Munster) is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the Magners League and Heineken Cup. The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch, and encompasses 15 domestic 'All Ireland League' clubs and a number of junior clubs. Their main home grounds are Thomond Park, Limerick, and Musgrave Park, Cork.

The Munster Rugby branch was formed in 1879. Its most famous victory occurred in 1978 when it defeated the All Blacks. It remains the only Irish side to have ever done so. With professionalism in rugby union in the mid 1990s the Munster team competed in the new European Heineken Cup. After three seasons of not making it past its group stage, Munster made the quarter finals in the 1998-99 season, and in the subsequent season made their first final appearance, losing to English club Northampton. They were again runners-up in 2001-02, losing to English club Leicester, though the following season it won its first Celtic League title, with the championship being introduced the previous season. In their third Heineken Cup final in 2005-06, Munster famously defeated French club Biarritz, by a margin of 23-19, to win their first European championship. On 24 May 2008, Munster won the Heineken Cup for the second time when it beat Toulouse 16-13.

Munster is known for its fan support and game day atmosphere (the noise during play and complete silence during an attempt to kick a goal). Games involving Munster hold several Heineken Cup records for highest attendances in every stage of the finals, as well as the highest ever attendance for a rugby game in both Spain and Switzerland. Munster players play in a red jersey, navy shorts and red socks. The Munster Rugby logo consists of three crowns and a stag. The team motto is "To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible." The ERC's European ranking system has placed Munster as the Number 1 team in Europe based on its performance in the last four seasons.

In 2008, Director of Coaching Declan Kidney left to take up the head coach job with Ireland, and Munster ensured continuity by promoting Australian Tony McGahan to the position from within the coaching setup.

History

Against the All Blacks

Munster drew with New Zealand 3-3 in 1973.

In 1978 Munster became the only Irish side to have beaten the All Blacks. The 12-0 victory occurred on Tuesday 31 October 1978 at Thomond Park. Christy Cantillon scored a try with Tony Ward converting. Ward also added a drop goal in each half. The game remains the only time an All Blacks team lost to any Irish side, and now forms part of Munster rugby mythology. A stage play named Alone it Stands (by John Breen), and a book named Stand Up and Fight: When Munster Beat the All Blacks (by Alan English) were both based on the events. Both have been commercially successful.^[2]

The All Blacks returned to Thomond Park in November 2008 - to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the previous test, and to celebrate the opening of the new stadium.^[3]. At the 76 minute mark Munster were winning 16-13. However a late try to Joe Rokocoko saw the All Blacks win 18-16

Early 1990s

In 1992, Australia, reigning world champions, having won the 1991 Rugby World Cup, visited Munster as part of a European Tour. Munster won 22-19 in a rough encounter in Cork. Ten years later, London newspaper The Daily Telegraph recounted part of the legend in a feature on Munster prop Peter Clohessy: "The then Wallabies coach, Bob Dwyer, who was not a man who readily accepted that opposition sides could legitimately score more points than his team, immediately branded the Munster Number 3 a "disgrace". It had been a typically rugged, robust and memorable Munster triumph, with leather and fists flying on both sides. Clohessy was no more guilty than the next man but world champions are not supposed to lose against a hastily assembled Irish provincial XV. There had to be a reason, an excuse, and Dwyer rounded on Clohessy".^[4]

Late 1990s and early 2000s

They reached the Heineken Cup quarter-finals in 1998/99, after three years of not being able to get out of the group stages. This led them to their first appearance in the competition's final in 1999/00, where they lost by one point to Northampton at Twickenham. Nevertheless, that season was most memorable with a fantastic win over Toulouse 25-31 in Bordeaux. Their good form and bad luck continued in the following year (2000/01) with a semi-final defeat to Stade Français, again by one point. In 2001/02 Munster lost the last match of their pool in Castres, but qualified as best runners-up. Munster beat Stade Français 16-14 in Paris. The only try of the game coming from Anthony Horgan. It was then on to Béziers to meet Castres for the semi-final. Munster were triumphant and went to the final at Millennium Stadium to meet the reigning champions, Leicester. Munster lost a tight game remembered as 'the hand of Back' final as a Leicester flanker used his hand illegally in a scrum when Munster had a last-chance attack.

In 2002/03, they reached the quarter-finals after a win against Gloucester, later issued on DVD under the title "The Miracle Match". In this game, Munster needed to win by a margin of at least 27 points and score a minimum of four tries to earn a quarter-final berth. They won 33-6 with four tries in a game that has become part of Munster rugby folklore. They again faced Leicester, this time at the Tigers' home of Welford Road, and defeated the reigning champions to progress to the semi-finals. They faced Toulouse in the semi-finals and lost out on a place in the final after losing by a single point in France.

In 2003/04 it was more of the same. After an assured performance in the Pool stage they defeated Stade Français at Thomond Park to set up a semi-final date with English champions Wasps. This was considered one of the best Heineken Cup matches of all time. Although leading by 10 points in the second half, having already lost Ronan O'Gara to injury early on, they succumbed to 2 Wasps tries in injury time resulting in a Wasps v Toulouse final. In 2004/05, after a shaky performance in the Pool stage, they qualified as 5th seeds and played Biarritz away. The match was played at Real Sociedad's ground, the Anoeta Stadium, in San Sebastián in Spain — the first Heineken Cup game ever played in Spain. Biarritz won 19-10 to avenge a 38-29 defeat at the same stage in 2001.

2005-06 to present

Inside the Millennium Stadium for the 2005-06 final where over 65,000 Munster fans were present.

In 2005/06, in order to qualify from the pool stage, they needed to beat Sale Sharks at Thomond Park. Unlikely though it seemed, to win the pool they needed to score four tries and avoid giving Sale a bonus point. This they did in some style, scoring a try in injury time to win the match 31-9 and reach the quarter-finals. To add to the drama, the team qualified for a home quarter-final thanks to Leinster beating Bath the following day. This was achieved not just by Leinster winning the away fixture, but by their denying the home side a bonus point as well. Their quarter-final was played at Lansdowne Road in Dublin against Perpignan. Munster eventually won the game 19-10 to set up a semi-final against rivals Leinster, which they won convincingly, 30-6.

They would return to the Millennium Stadium for the final against Biarritz which they won 23-19 to become European champions for the first time. Tries from Trevor Halstead & Peter Stringer along with 13 points from Ronan O'Gara kicks made up the Munster total. Alan English, author of Stand Up and Fight: When Munster Beat the All Blacks was commissioned to write an official account of the 2005/06 European campaign, entitled Our Road To Glory, with photographs by Billy Stickland. The book, a compilation of the players thoughts and feelings before and after the final, was launched to coincide with the 2006/07 campaign.

In the 2006/07 Heineken Cup, they started their campaign with a victory over Leicester at Welford Road from a Ronan O'Gara penalty from his own half. Munster continued the group stage undefeated until they met Leicester Tigers again, this time at Thomond Park. Munster, previously undefeated at "Fortress Thomond Park" in Heineken Cup play, ended up losing the game 6-13, but still clinched a quarterfinal berth as one of the two top second-place teams.

In August 2007, Munster sent a team, minus its international players, to the USA to play the US Eagles in a 2007 World Cup warm up game, Munster winning the tie 10-6 with Anthony Horgan scoring the only try of the match. Munster clinched arguably the most audacious signing in the province's history on 30 August 2007, when Doug Howlett, who succeeded Christian Cullen, himself a Munster signing, as all-time leading try scorer for New Zealand during the 2007 World Cup, agreed to join on a two and a half year contract.

The Heineken Cup campaign for 2007/08 began on a losing note, with a 24-23 defeat to London Wasps at Coventry City FC's Ricoh Arena. A home win against a weakened Clermont Auvergne side followed. Munster gained revenge for last season's quarter final exit at the hands of Welsh side Scarlets with a victory over the Welsh side at a rain-sodden Stradey Park and a second win at Thomond Park. A bonus point 26-19 loss to Clermont, a match which marked Doug Howlett's debut for the province, kept Munster in the hunt for qualification for the knockout stages. A win over Wasps at a wet and windy Thomond secured top spot in the "Pool of Death" for Munster and they booked a quarter-final berth against Gloucester at Kingsholm, which was duly won 16-3. The semi-final saw Munster beat Saracens 18-16 at Ricoh Arena and in the final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium they defeated Toulouse 16-13 to claim their second Heineken Cup title in 3 years. Denis Leamy's first half try along with 11 points from the boot of O'Gara accounted for the scores.

Colours and logo

The 'three crowns' emblem used by Munster alludes to the three constituent historic kingdoms of Munster; Thomond in the north, Desmond in the south, and Ormonde in the east. A revamped logo was introduced for the 2003-04 season which included the addition of a stag with the three crowns.^[5] The crest was designed to maintain the three crowns, and the new red stag symbolizes strength and competitiveness.^[5] The decision for change was a product of two years of planning of research and design.^[5] Elements of blue were also introduced into mainly red Munster jersey. The current kit consists of a red shirt with blue trimming (such as the collar), blue shorts and red socks. The kit is made by Adidas, replacing Canterbury of New Zealand, in a deal covering kit supply for the next three seasons. The name of Munster's title sponsors, Toyota appears on their shirt.

Home grounds

Munster have two main stadiums where they play their home matches - Thomond Park in Limerick and Musgrave Park in Cork. Thomond Park is the bigger of the two, with a capacity of around 26,500, while Musgrave holds 8,300. As well as Munster, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC play at the grounds of Thomond Park. Thomond Park is famous for its atmosphere and unique history^[6] - its noise during play and complete silence when a player (home and away) is kicking at goal. It is also famous for Munster's intimidating record that it held for over a decade - having never been beaten at home during the Heineken Cup.^[7] However the record was broken during the 2006-07 season when they were defeated by the Leicester Tigers.^[7]

Thomond Park went through a major renovation in 1999, and in 2006, Munster announced plans to upgrade it. In autumn 2008 the new 26,500 capacity stadium was opened. Two sweeping arches are one of the defining features of the stadium as well as the concourse outside of the new East Stand.^[8] A long discussion and consultation on the new name concluded with the decision that the name would remain Thomond Park.^[9]

Supporters

Thousands of fans watch the 2006 Heinken Cup final in Limerick.

This support was demonstrated during Munster's 2006 and 2008 Heineken Cup final wins. News reports detailed the lengths some fans were willing to go to secure tickets to the game. Some Munster fans travelled to Biarritz to buy up the French allocation of tickets.^[10] On the day of the game the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was filled with a capacity crowd of 74,500. Of those numbers it is estimated that in excess of 55-65,000 were Munster fans^[11] with the remainder being neutrals and Biarritz supporters. The Millennium Stadium was intended to be a neutral venue but commentators on the day remarked that it could hardly be counted as such. In North America there is an official supporters club called Munster Rugby USA.^[12]

Munster have played in the most-attended quarter-final and semi-final matches of the Heineken Cup:

• Semi-final. 2004, v London Wasps, Lansdowne Road, Dublin - 49,500^[13]
• Quarter-final. 2006, v Perpignan, Lansdowne Road, Dublin - 49,500^[14]

Munster's appearance in the 2002 final against Leicester at Millennium Stadium, which drew 74,600, was the record attendance for a Heineken Cup final^[15] until the 2007 final between Leicester and Wasps at the newly expanded Twickenham, although it is estimated that as many as 10,000 Munster fans attended this game, having bought tickets before Munster were knocked out of the competition. Munster's 2005 quarter-final against Biarritz Olympique in Estadio Anoeta, played as it was across the border in San Sebastián, with an attendance of 32,000 also set the record for the biggest rugby match ever played in Spain.^[16] Their October 2006 Celtic League game against Leinster at Lansdowne Road beat the record for that competition with an attendance of 27,252^[17] - this record lasted just two months however with the Leinster and Ulster match on 31 December, 2006 filling Lansdowne Road (over 48,000 in attendance) for the last match at the stadium before redevelopment.^[18]

Honours

• Heineken Cup
  • Winners: 2005-06, 2007-08: 2
  • Runners-up: 1999-00, 2001-02: 2
• Celtic League:
  • Winners: 2002-03 : 1
• Celtic Cup:
  • Winners: 2004-05: 1
• Irish Inter-Provincial championship:
  • Winners: 22

Season records

Celtic League

Heineken Cup

Current squad (Season 2008/2009)

Nat. Position Player FB Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution) WG Brian Carney (Clonakilty) WG Ian Dowling (Shannon) WG Anthony Horgan (Cork Constitution) WG Doug Howlett WG Kieran Lewis (Garryowen) WG Ciaran O'Boyle (Garryowen) CE Keith Earls (Young Munster) CE Tom Gleeson (Cork Constitution) CE Lifeimi Mafi CE Barry Murphy (UL Bohemians) CE Rua Tipoki FH Jeremy Manning (Cork Constitution) FH Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution) (Vice Captain) FH Paul Warwick SH Tomás O'Leary (Dolphin) SH Peter Stringer (Shannon) SH Mike Prendergast (Young Munster) SH Duncan Williams (Cork Constitution)

Nat. Position Player PR Tony Buckley (Shannon) PR John Hayes (Bruff R.F.C.) PR Marcus Horan (Shannon) PR Darragh Hurley (Cork Constitution) PR Federico Pucciariello (Old Crescent) PR Tim Ryan (Cork Constitution) HK Jerry Flannery (Shannon) HK Denis Fogarty (Cork Constitution) HK Frankie Sheahan (Cork Constitution) HK Michael Essex (UCC) LK Mark Melbourne (Garryowen) LK Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution) LK Paul O'Connell (Young Munster) (Captain) LK Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution) LK Donnacha Ryan (Shannon) FL Billy Holland (UCC) FL Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution) FL Alan Quinlan (Shannon) FL Niall Ronan (Shannon) FL David Wallace (Garryowen) FL Justin Melck N8 James Coughlan (Dolphin) N8 John O'Sullivan (Garryowen) N8 Nick Williams

^[19]

Players in (Season 2008/2009)

• Michael Essex development contract
• Tom Gleeson development contract
• Billy Holland development contract
• Mark Melbourne development contract
• Justin Melck on loan from Stormers
• Mike Prendergast from Gloucester
• Duncan Williams development contract
• Nick Williams from Auckland Blues

Players out (Season 2008/2009)

• Sean Cronin to Connacht
• Anthony Foley retired
• Gerry Hurley released
• John Kelly retired
• Mossie Lawlor released
• Eugene McGovern released
• Jake Paringatai released
• Shaun Payne retired

Notable players

See also Category:Munster Rugby players

Ireland

The following Munster players have represented Ireland at full international level.

British and Irish Lions

The following Munster players have also represented the British and Irish Lions ^[20].

Notable Overseas Players

• John Langford
• Jim Williams
• Christian Cullen
• Trevor Halstead
• Doug Howlett

Other Notables

• Tommy Moroney played for Munster during the 1940s and also represented Ireland at soccer. In 1949 he was a member of an Ireland soccer team that defeated England 2-0, becoming the first non-UK team to beat England at home.

References

Further reading

• English, A, (2005) Stand Up and Fight : When Munster Beats the All Blacks, Random House, London
• English, A, (2006) Munster: Our Road to Glory, Penguin Ireland, Dublin
• Murphy, E, (2006) Munster Rugby: The Secret of Their Success, Maverick House Publishers, Dublin
• Cronin, C, (2006) Beyond Our Wildest Dreams: Munster's Heineken Cup Odyssey, Tuatha Mumhan Books

External links

• Official site
• Munster Supporters Site
• European Rugby Cup
• Celtic League Site
• Irish Rugby Site
• European Rankings