2016–17 Munster Rugby season


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The 2016–17 Munster Rugby season was Munster's sixteenth season competing in the Pro12, alongside which they also competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Anthony Foley's third season as head coach and Rassie Erasmus's first season as director of rugby.

2016–17 Munster Rugby season
Ground(s)Thomond Park (Capacity: 25,600)
Irish Independent Park (Capacity: 9,500)
Director of RugbyRassie Erasmus
Coach(es)Anthony Foley (Until 16 October 2016)
Captain(s)Peter O'Mahony
League(s)Pro12
2016–171st (runners-up)

1st kit

2nd kit

3rd kit

← 2015–16 2017–18 →

In August 2016, Munster started using the new central training base at the University of Limerick campus, thus marking an end to the days of splitting training between Cork and Limerick.[1]

Munster opened their pre-season with a 17–0 victory over Zebre in a pre-season friendly at Waterford Regional Sports Centre on 19 August.[2]

The new Pro12 season was launched on 23 August at the Aviva Stadium. Munster began the new season on 3 September with an away game against Scarlets.[3]

On 26 August, Munster defeated Worcester in their final pre-season friendly at Musgrave Park, scoring seven-tries during the game.[4]

On 16 October 2016, head coach Anthony Foley died suddenly while in Paris with Munster.[5] The team was preparing to face Racing 92 in their opening game of the 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup. The match was postponed as a result of Foley's death.[6][7][8][9]

On 22 October Munster paid tribute to the late Anthony Foley with a 38-17 bonus-point win over Glasgow in the European Champions Cup.[10][11] A minutes silence was observed before the match during which a special tribute took place in the West Stand with the words "AXEL" spelled out with the number 8 on either side. The Munster Rugby Supporter's Club Choir performed 'There Is An Isle', and soprano Sinead O'Brien joined the Choir to perform 'Stand Up And Fight.[12][13][14][15]

On 10 December, Munster defeated Leicester 38–0 at Thomond Park in their second European Rugby Champions Cup game of the season to go top of the pool with ten points after two games.[16][17][18]

Over the Christmas period, Munster defeated Leinster at Thomond Park on 26 December 29–17 to move five points clear of them at the top of the Pro12.[19][20] They followed up that victory with a 16–9 victory over Connacht on 31 December at the Galway Sportsgrounds.[21][22]

On 7 January, Munster played the re-arranged game against Racing 92 in Paris and had a bonus point victory by 32–7.[23][24]

On 14 January, Francis Saili scored the winning try in Munster's 12–14 away win against Glasgow Warriors, a win that secured Munster's place in the quarter-finals of the 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup. It was the 11th win out of the last 12 matches for Munster.[25][26][27]

In March, it was announced that Donnacha Ryan would leave Munster at the end of the season to join Racing 92.[28]

On 1 April, Munster reached their first European Champions Cup semi-final in three years with a 41–16 victory over Toulouse.[29][30][31]

On 22 April, Munster played Saracens in the European Champions Cup semi-final at the Aviva Stadium. They lost the game 26–10 to go out of the competition.[32] Munster minus the injured Conor Murray scored the first penalty of the game but Saracens took control of the game and scored two tries to win comfortably in the end.[33][34][35] It was also confirmed that coach Rassie Erasmus would remain in charge for the next season after much speculation that he would return to South-Africa.[36]

On 4 May, Tyler Bleyendaal was named as the Munster Player of the Year at an awards ceremony in Cork. The ceremony was attended by 250 guests with 11 awards presented on the day.[37]

On 20 May, Munster defeated the Ospreys by 23–3 in the Pro12 playoff semi-final to advance to the 2017 Pro12 Grand Final against Scarlets at the Aviva Stadium on 27 May.[38] The match was Donnacha Ryan's and Francis Saili's final appearance for Munster at Thomond Park.[39][40]

On 27 May, Munster lost the 2017 Pro12 Grand Final to Scarlets 46–22.[41][42][43]

Coaching and management staff 2016–17

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Position Name Nationality
Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus   South Africa
Head coach Anthony Foley   Ireland
Defence Coach Jacques Nienaber   South Africa
Team manager Niall O'Donovan   Ireland
Scrum Coach Jerry Flannery   Ireland
Technical coach Felix Jones   Ireland
Head of Fitness Aled Walters   Wales
Strength & conditioning coach Aidan O'Connell   Ireland
Strength & conditioning coach Adam Sheehan   Ireland
Performance analyst George Murray   Ireland
Operations manager Bryan Murphy   Ireland

Senior Playing Squad 2016–17

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Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Duncan Casey Hooker   Ireland
Rhys Marshall Hooker   New Zealand
Kevin O'Byrne Hooker   Ireland
Niall Scannell Hooker   Ireland
Mike Sherry Hooker   Ireland
John Andress Prop   Ireland
Stephen Archer Prop   Ireland
James Cronin Prop   Ireland
Thomas du Toit Prop   South Africa
Dave Kilcoyne Prop   Ireland
Peter McCabe Prop   Ireland
John Ryan Prop   Ireland
Mark Chisholm Lock   Australia
Dave Foley Lock   Ireland
Billy Holland Lock   Ireland
Jean Kleyn Lock   South Africa
John Madigan Lock   Ireland
Seán McCarthy Lock   Ireland
Darren O'Shea Lock   Ireland
Donnacha Ryan Lock   Ireland
Dave O'Callaghan Flanker   Ireland
Tommy O'Donnell Flanker   Ireland
Peter O’Mahony (c) Flanker   Ireland
Robin Copeland Number 8   Ireland
Jack O'Donoghue Number 8   Ireland
CJ Stander Number 8   Ireland
Player Position Union
Angus Lloyd Scrum-half   Ireland
Conor Murray Scrum-half   Ireland
Tomás O'Leary Scrum-half   Ireland
Cathal Sheridan Scrum-half   Ireland
Te Aihe Toma Scrum-half   New Zealand
Duncan Williams Scrum-half   Ireland
Tyler Bleyendaal Fly-half   New Zealand
Steve Crosbie Fly-half   Ireland
Ian Keatley Fly-half   Ireland
Sammy Arnold Centre   Ireland
Cian Bohane Centre   Ireland
David Johnston Centre   Ireland
Collie O'Shea Centre   Ireland
Francis Saili Centre   New Zealand
Rory Scannell Centre   Ireland
Jaco Taute Centre   South Africa
Andrew Conway Wing   Ireland
Keith Earls Wing   Ireland
Ronan O'Mahony Wing   Ireland
Alex Wootton Wing   Ireland
Darren Sweetnam Fullback   Ireland
Simon Zebo Fullback   Ireland
  • Internationally capped players in bold.
  • Players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. *
  • Irish provinces are currently limited to four non-Irish eligible (NIE) players and one non-Irish qualified player (NIQ or "Project Player").

2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup

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Munster faced Racing 92, Glasgow Warriors and Leicester Tigers in Pool 1 of the 2016-17 Champions Cup. They were seeded in the bottom tier following their sixth-placed position in the 2015–16 Pro12.[61]

Team

 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
  Munster (2) 6 5 0 1 160 64 +96 18 4 3 1 24
  Glasgow Warriors (6) 6 4 0 2 160 86 +74 18 10 2 1 19
  Leicester Tigers 6 2 0 4 61 190 –129 3 23 0 0 8
  Racing 92 6 1 0 5 89 130 –41 12 14 1 0 5
  1. ^ "'It's the 1st time I've been in his house': Munster squad learning to love centralised training". The 42. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  2. ^ "'Solid start' for Rassie Erasmus". Irish Examiner. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Dublin's Aviva Stadium to host 2017 Pro12 final as Guinness extends league sponsorship". The 42. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Tyler Bleyendaal impresses as Munster earn emphatic pre-season win". The 42. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Losing hurt him deeply, losing him hurts deeper still". Irish Independent. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Statement On The Sudden Passing Of Anthony Foley". munsterrugby.ie. 16 October 2016. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  7. ^ "'Heartbroken…We have lost an incredible man': Rugby world mourns Munster great Anthony Foley". Irish Examiner. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  8. ^ "He is part of the history of Munster, he is Monsieur Munster". The 42. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Frankie Sheahan: 'It seems so wrong to be talking about Anthony Foley in the past tense'". Irish Independent. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Munster reborn on a day when the province finds new strength in adversity". Irish Independent. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Inspired Munster deliver stunning Anthony Foley tribute". Irish Examiner. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Anthony Foley To Be Remembered At Munster V Glasgow". Munster Rugby. 20 October 2016. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Alan Quinlan: Axel impact shines through on tough occasion". Irish Independent. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Munster 'Stand Up and Fight' at emotional send-off for their great number eight Foley". Irish Independent. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  15. ^ "'From boys to men' - Munster pay Foley the ultimate compliment". Irish Independent. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  16. ^ "Munster 38 Leicester 0: Sorry Tigers are mauled as hosts inflict record rout". Telegraph. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  17. ^ "European Rugby Champions Cup: Munster 38-0 Leicester Tigers". BBC Sport. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  18. ^ "Tony Ward: Munster lead way as provinces fire a warning across Europe". Irish Independent. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  19. ^ "Munster move clear at top of Pro12 with bonus-point win over Leinster". The 42. 26 December 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Munster 29-17 Leinster". BBC Sport. 26 December 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  21. ^ "Anthony Foley factor has Ian Keatley firing again". Irish Examiner. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  22. ^ "Connacht 9-16 Munster". BBC Sport. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  23. ^ "No stopping Munster's march in Paris". Irish Independent. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  24. ^ "Racing 92 7 Munster 32: Visitors honour Anthony Foley with bonus-point Champions Cup win". Telegraph. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  25. ^ "Battling Reds squeeze through". Irish Independent. 15 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  26. ^ "Glasgow 12 Munster 14: Late Francis Saili try stuns Warriors and earns Irish place in Champions Cup quarter-finals". Telegraph. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  27. ^ "Comment: There's plenty more to Munster's revival than emotion". Irish Independent. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  28. ^ "Munster angry with IRFU as Donnacha Ryan heads off for Racing 92". Irish Independent. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  29. ^ "European Rugby Champions Cup: Munster 41-16 Toulouse". BBC Sportl. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  30. ^ "Munster 41 Toulouse 16: Dream of honouring Anthony Foley lives on with place in Champions Cup semi-finals". The Telegraphl. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  31. ^ "Munster into Champions Cup semi after late flourish ends stubborn Toulouse". The 42l. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  32. ^ "Saracens reach Champions Cup final as Chris Wyles seals win over Munster". Guardian. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  33. ^ "Munster 10 Saracens 26: Champions produce brutally efficient display to seal final spot". Daily Telegraph. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  34. ^ "Saracens show champion qualities to send Munster out of Europe". ESPN. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  35. ^ "Tony Ward: Munster's brain-dead tactics should never be repeated". Irish Independent. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  36. ^ "As you were: Erasmus happy to stick with same coaching team for next season". The 42. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  37. ^ "Tyler Bleyendaal pays tribute to Anthony Foley as he wins Player of the Year award". Irish Independent. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  38. ^ "Munster v Ospreys: as it happened". The 42. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  39. ^ "Alan Quinlan on why Donnacha Ryan is right to be peeved with IRFU decision to let him go". Irish Independent. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  40. ^ "Miserly Munster ensure Dublin will be red as they reach Pro 12 final". Irish Times. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  41. ^ "Leinster 15-27 Scarlets". BBC Sport. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  42. ^ "Munster 23-3 Ospreys". BBC Sport. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  43. ^ "Scarlets fever ravages Munster". Irish Independent. 27 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  44. ^ "Munster sign Ulster prospect centre Sam Arnold". Independent.ie. 4 February 2016.
  45. ^ "Munster sign Edinburgh prop John Andress and Worcester lock Darren O'Shea". Sky Sports. 29 March 2016.
  46. ^ "Munster sign Stormers second-row forward Jean Kleyn". Sky Sports. 25 July 2016.
  47. ^ "Taute hoop hy kan sy vuur by Munster herwin". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). 21 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  48. ^ "Munster hopefuls will take centre stage against Zebre". Examiner.ie. 18 August 2016.
  49. ^ "Rassie Erasmus has signed a new out-half for Munster". Independent.ie. 29 September 2016.
  50. ^ "Munster bring in Chiefs hooker Rhys Marshall". BBC Sport. 4 October 2016.
  51. ^ "Latest Player Signings". munsterrugby.ie. 4 October 2016. Archived from the original on 4 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  52. ^ "Nottingham sign Munster back-rower Jordan Coghlan". Nottingham Rugby. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 31 July 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  53. ^ "Nottingham sign Munster fly-half Gearoid Lyons". Nottingham Post. 13 May 2016.[permanent dead link]
  54. ^ "Nottingham sign Munster back-row forward Shane Buckley". Nottingham Post. 13 May 2016.[permanent dead link]
  55. ^ "London Scottish to sign Munster scrum-half Jack Cullen". London Scottish. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 July 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  56. ^ "Former Munster scrum-half takes player/coach role with UL Bohemians". Limerick Leader. 24 August 2016.
  57. ^ "Lyon sign former Springboks prop BJ Botha for next season". Rugby365.fr (in French). 30 August 2016.
  58. ^ "Munster fly-half Johnny Holland force to retire at 25 from recurring hamstring injury". Sky Sports. 1 September 2016.
  59. ^ "Departing Players". Munster Rugby. 10 May 2016. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016.
  60. ^ "Former Munster winger Gerhard van den Heever joins Japanese club Yamaha Jublio". Yamaha-Motor.co.jp (in Japanese). 22 October 2016.
  61. ^ "O'Donovan On Champions Cup Draw". Munster Rugby. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.