Munster will start a run of three home games in a row when they take on another in-form side Ospreys at Thomond Park on Friday evening, with Graham Rowntree’s men getting the chance to nail down a knock-out place in the United Rugby Championship (URC) over the coming month after a shaky start to the season.
They are set to be boosted by the return of World Cup-winning lock RG Snyman next month, either in the March 3rd clash against Scarlets in Musgrave Park or, more likely, in the clash against Glasgow Warriors two weeks later at Thomond Park.
Attack coach Mike Prendergast said the return of the giant 6ft 9in Springbok will be a big boost heading into the business end of the season which sees them heading twice to South Africa in April for a Champions Cup clash against the Sharks and then returning to Durban again later in the month for a league clash after taking on the Stormers in Cape Town.
The first job though will be to get the 28-year-old back on the pitch after his injury nightmare since joining Munster almost three years ago. Two cruciate injuries, along with a few setbacks, have meant he has played only 54 minutes across four games since his big-money move.
“He’s not in full contact yet as such but his next step will be that,” said Prendergast. “In terms of his training, he’s with the group fully in terms of sessions. We’re obviously managing it a small bit because we train at a very high intensity so we have to be very careful obviously from a medical point of view.
“But yeah, look, he’s hopefully around a corner. Next weekend will come too soon but we’re hoping the game after that or worst-case scenario I suppose would be the game at the end of March, which would be Glasgow. But look, he’s in the right direction to hopefully play in a couple of weeks’ time.”
However, while one Munster international is finally poised to return, another is facing into another long spell on the sideline with Andrew Conway, who hasn’t played this season, poised to be out for another three or four months after suffering a setback to a knee injury which has required further surgery.
“It’s been hugely disappointing and the thing with Andrew is he probably thought he was going to come back two or three months into the season but that got pushed out and he had more news which set him back for another while only recently again,” added Prendergast.
“So, like RG, the time scale is a bit shorter but he’s had knockbacks. In terms of what’s happening with Ireland, he’s probably looking on and that is a tough one for him as well but it drives you on as well, to try and get back, I won’t say as quick as you can but as good as you can.
“He’s a very good pro. He’s had to deal with it and mentally it’s challenging but he’s in the group, he’s in and around our videos, he’s often out on the pitch passing on advice because he’s another guy with a huge amount of experience and happy to share that.”
Another who won’t wear a Munster jersey for a few months is tighthead John Ryan, who has departed for a stint with the Chiefs in New Zealand. The 34-year-old Corkman, who was let go by Munster at the end of last season, has made 205 appearances for the province.
Good business
He signed for Wasps during the summer but returned on loan to Munster when the Coventry-based Premiership club got into financial difficulty. He impressed on his return but had committed to the Chiefs by the time Munster came with an offer to stay. Both parties then reached an agreement for him to return next season on a one-year deal.
“Yeah, a great bit of business,” added Prendergast. “A great fella. I thoroughly enjoyed coaching him. I remember him as a young lad starting out here in Munster and coming back in to coach him, a pleasure to deal with. A very positive guy, had huge games for us this year and notably in Toulouse around that scrum area but also around the pitch.
https://t.co/9pa0sTrnUH | He's back! Springbok lock RG nears return from horror injury: Irish club Munster said on Monday that Springbok lock RG Snyman is expected to make his long-awaited return to action next month. https://t.co/pBMCXDQTKy
— SA Breaking News (@SABreakingNews) February 14, 2023
“He’s going off, he’s going to probably upskill himself by going to the other side of the world. It’s a new adventure for him and his family and these are things you’ve sometimes got to do, your career is short and I think it’s something that will add to him as a player for sure, both on and off the pitch.
“We’ll look forward to when he gets back and gets stuck back into it.”
Meanwhile, Munster confirmed that centre Malakai Fekitoa will depart at the end of the campaign after just one year at the province.
