With Edwin Edogbo and Calvin Nash announced on Monday and Tuesday as having extended their contracts, there was much to feel positive about in Munster this week as they face into Saturday’s URC derby at Thomond Park.
But with attack coach Mike Prendergast leaving at the end of the season and New Zealander Roger Randle appointed to succeed him, there was no escaping the continued fallout from that decision.
Randle was accused of raping a woman in Durban in 1997 when he was part of the Hurricanes team that were playing a Super Rugby match in the South African city. He denied the allegations and the charges were withdrawn.
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When asked about the appointment Munster captain Tadhg Beirne was not interested in any further discussion.
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“There’s obviously a lot being said at the moment,” said Beirne. “But like I said, I can’t be distracted by any of that stuff at the moment because in here, all our focus is on Ulster.
“Clayton [McMillan] has worked with him, has a great relationship with him. He sat down with us as a leadership group and spoke very highly of him. So, we’re just mainly focused on the next this week and then come the summer, we can focus on everything else.”
Beirne probably would have realised as he answered the question that the appointment has been a distraction this week. There was an obvious divergence of opinion within the Munster camp as Billy Holland, Mick O’Driscoll and Killian Keane resigned from the Professional Game Committee.
But Ulster’s visit is also a reality and after a near comeback-of-the-season ending to their match against Leinster last Friday night in Belfast, Munster are bracing for a Ulster side to arrive in Thomond Park with their dander up.
The home team can afford to throw all their resources into the meeting as they have no match the following week with the Champions Cup semi-finals taking place.
There is also the matter of Munster’s seven-try, 45-10 win over Benetton last weekend. It was a timely return to scoring form which they are hoping to back up before the rest week.
“I think it was a badly needed win, but more importantly, a badly needed performance from us,” said Beirne. “Not just for the 23 that were playing, but I think everyone inside here, because we’ve been quite disappointed with some of our performances over the last, probably a couple of months, not even just a couple of weeks.
“We had two long weeks to prepare for that game, and I think we had a good look at ourselves to bounce back and thankfully we got a good response.”
Beirne sees Munster’s physical dominance as one of the key ingredients for their success in Italy and knows it must be more of the same against Ulster.
“Look, there’s a lot of frustration for sure on a lot of performances, particularly the Exeter game,” said Beirne. “We wanted a reaction. I think when you’re hurting, you’re going to get a reaction.
“So, the big question for us this week is, are we able to back up the performance against a very good Ulster side? I’m very much looking forward to this Saturday.”
More so because Munster’s season has boiled down to the URC, the lone trophy still available to them. Also, they are back at Thomond after two games in South Africa, the Challenge Cup loss in Exeter and last week in Treviso.
“One hundred per cent,” said Beirne. “We have an opportunity to put ourselves right in contention for this competition if we put in a good performance. And I think the fans deserve a good performance from us.
“I don’t think we’ve put in one in Thomond Park for a while now. So, that’s something we’ve touched on. The crowd that turned up in Treviso was incredible, to be honest, just the travelling support. So, everyone in Thomond Park will deserve a big performance. Hopefully we’ll be able to give them one.”
Munster announced a two-year contract extension for their Irish winger Nash, who scored the opening try in their win over Benetton, his 99th appearance for the province.
The new deal will see him extend his time at the province until at least 2028. The 28-year-old, who has had his fair share of injuries this season, has earned 12 Irish caps since his debut against Italy in August 2023.
