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2021–22 Munster Rugby Season
The 2021–22 Munster Rugby season was Munster's twenty-first season competing in the United Rugby Championship, alongside which they also competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Johann van Graan's fifth and final season as head coach. Events The big news in terms of player movements ahead of the 2021–22 season was the retirement of three club stalwarts: Billy Holland, CJ Stander and Tommy O'Donnell, and the return to the province of the club's record try scorer Simon Zebo after three seasons with French club Racing 92. Fly-half JJ Hanrahan 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. Scrum-half Nick McCarthy left to re-join his native province Leinster, whilst prop James Cronin joined French club Biarritz, who had recently been promoted to the Top 14, and hooker Rhys Marshall was released by the province and returned to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomond Park
Thomond Park is a stadium in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and has Munster Rugby, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. Limerick FC played home games in Thomond Park from 2013 to 2015 in the League of Ireland while the Markets Field was being redeveloped. The capacity of the stadium is 25,600 following its large-scale redevelopment in 2008. History The stadium holds a special place in rugby due to its own unique history and atmosphere. The stadium is famed for its noise during play and the complete silence while home and away players are kicking for goal. Munster also retained an intimidating 12-year unbeaten run at Thomond in the Heineken Cup—running from the competition's start in 1995 until 2007 when the Leicester Tigers broke the streak with a 13–6 win. On 31 October 1978 Munster celebrated their historic 12–0 victory over the All Blacks in front 12,000 fans at Thomond Park. Pre redevelopment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy O'Donnell
Tommy O'Donnell (born 21 May 1987) is an Irish former rugby union player, who spent his entire career with his native province of Munster, whilst also earning 13 international caps for Ireland. After retiring in 2021, O'Donnell moved into coaching and joined Munster's academy staff in 2022. Early life O'Donnell began playing rugby for Clanwilliam at an underage level, before progressing to senior level. He also played for East Munster and Irish Youths whilst at Clanwilliam. Munster O'Donnell made his Munster debut against Scarlets on 22 September 2007, during a Magners League fixture. He was part of the historic Munster team that beat Australia 15–6 at Thomond Park on 16 November 2010. He made his Heineken Cup debut off the bench during Munster's 19–13 victory against Scarlets on 18 December 2011. He signed a new two-year contract with Munster in March 2012. O'Donnell made his first Heineken Cup start in the quarter-final against Ulster on 8 April 2012. He was named ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area, covering . New Zealand is about east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The country's varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps, owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland. The islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and then developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight and record New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhys Marshall
Rhys Joseph Jennings Marshall (born 12 October 1992) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays as a hooker for Waikato in the National Provincial Championship and in Super Rugby Pacific. Career in New Zealand Marshall has international experience with the New Zealand under 20 side, having represented the Junior All Blacks at the 2012 IRB Junior World Championship in South Africa. Following on from the Junior World Cup, he played for Hawke's Bay's Colts team. In October 2012, it was announced that Marshall was the surprise name in the squad for the 2013 Super Rugby season as he was still awaiting his ITM Cup debut. He also went on to sign with Taranaki for 2013. He started his first Super Rugby game for the Chiefs 41–27 win over the Highlanders. At 20 years of age, Marshall had yet to play ITM Cup rugby, got the callup to start after former All Black Hika Elliot failed a fitness test, and with Mahonri Schwalger also injured, Marshall got the job. In 2013, he sig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism of LNR. There is promotion and relegation between the Top 14 and the next level down, the Rugby Pro D2. The fourteen best rugby teams in France participate in the competition, hence the name Top 14. The competition was previously known as the Top 16. The league is one of the three major professional leagues in Europe (along with the English Premiership and the United Rugby Championship, which brings together top clubs from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Italy and South Africa), from which the most successful European teams go forward to compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup, the pan-European championship which replaced the Heineken Cup after the 2013–14 season. The first ever final took place in 1892, between two Paris-based sides, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque (; ), usually known simply as Biarritz, is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Nouvelle-Aquitaine which competes in the Pro D2, the second division of French rugby. Biarritz plays its home matches at the Parc des Sports Aguiléra, which is a multi-use stadium in Biarritz and which has a capacity of around 13,500 people, though for games that need a larger capacity, Biarritz may play at the Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastián. Biarritz play in red and white colours. Biarritz won a number of major honors, including the French championship on five occasions. Biarritz Olympique was formed in 1913 through a merger of the Biarritz Stade and Biarritz Sporting Club rugby teams. Biarritz made their way to the final of the French championship for the first time in the 1934 season where they were defeated by Bayonne. The following season they claimed their first championship, defeating Perpignan in the final. That decade Bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Cronin (rugby Union)
James Cronin (born 23 November 1990) is an Irish rugby union player, currently playing for Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby, he previously represented his native province of Munster in the URC and French club Biarritz in the Top 14. He plays as a prop and represented Highfield in the All-Ireland League. Early life Cronin began playing rugby in Ballincollig before moving to Highfield to play at under-18 level, where he won Munster and All-Ireland titles. Career Munster Cronin made his debut for Munster A on 8 December 2012, starting against Rotherham Titans in the British and Irish Cup. Whilst in year two of the Munster Academy, he was promoted to a development contract with the senior Munster squad for the 2013–14 season. Cronin made his debut for the senior Munster team on 13 April 2013, coming on as a replacement against Leinster in a Pro12 fixture. He won the John McCarthy Award for Munster Academy Player of the Year for the 2012–13 season on 10 May 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Laighean) is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland and the most successful Irish team domestically. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. Leinster play their home games primarily at the RDS Arena, although larger games are played in the Aviva Stadium when the capacity of the RDS is insufficient. Before moving to the RDS in 2005, Leinster's traditional home ground was Donnybrook Stadium, in Dublin 4. The province plays primarily in blue with white or yellow trim and the team crest features a harp within a rugby ball, the harp being an ancient symbol of the province found in and taken from the flag of Leinster, although the colours are closer to the flag of the President of Ireland or the Coat of arms of Ireland. Leinster turned professional along with its fellow Irish provinces in 1995 and has competed in the United Rugby Championship (formerly known as the C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nick McCarthy (rugby Union)
Nick McCarthy (born 25 March 1995) is an Irish rugby union player, currently playing for Major League Rugby side Chicago Hounds and formerly for Leinster and Munster. He plays as a scrum-half. Early life Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States, McCarthy first began playing rugby aged 6 for Old Belvedere, and went on to attend St Michael's College, Dublin and represent the school in the Leinster Schools Senior Cup. McCarthy is studying engineering at University College Dublin and plays for UCD in the All-Ireland League. His father, Conor, was a scrum-half for Connacht, and his sister, Lisa, won a hockey scholarship in the United States, having represented Ireland at various age-grade levels. Professional career Leinster Having represented Leinster at under-16 and under-18 level, McCarthy joined the provinces sub-academy in 2013, before entering the full academy ahead of the 2014–15 season. He was promoted to the senior squad ahead of the 2017–18 season, and fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Connachta) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. Connacht competes in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Connacht Branch, which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Connacht. Connacht plays its home games at the Galway Sportsgrounds, which holds 8,100 spectators. Connacht play in a predominantly green jersey, shorts and socks. The Connacht Rugby crest is a modified version of the provincial flag of Connacht and consists of a dimidiated eagle and an arm wielding a sword. With the province containing just over 8% of the total Irish population, Connacht has a much smaller base of rugby union players to choose from than the other three provinces. This player base is also affected by the relative popularity of Gaelic Athletic Association sports such as hurling ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alex Wootton
Alex Wootton (born 7 July 1994) is an Irish rugby union player for Connacht in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup. He plays primarily as a wing, but can also play as a fullback. Early life Wootton was born in Prestbury, England, though he qualified for Ireland through his father, who was from County Down, Northern Ireland. He began playing rugby aged 7 and moved to Sedbergh School aged 12. Wootton joined the Northampton Saints academy ahead of the 2012–13 season. Professional career Munster By the summer of 2013, Wootton had moved to Munster and joined their academy. Wootton made his competitive debut for Munster on 24 September 2016, when he came on as a substitute against Edinburgh in a 2016–17 Pro12 fixture. Wootton made his first start for Munster on 1 October 2016 in the Pro12 fixture against Zebre. On 26 November 2016, Wootton scored his first try for Munster in the sides 46–3 win against Benetton at Thomond Park. On 16 March 2017, it w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ASM Clermont Auvergne
Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne () is a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system. Clermont are two times French champions in 2009-10 and 2016-17. The rugby section is a part of a multi-sport club called AS Montferrand (also known as ASM Omnisports), which was founded in 1911 and adopted that name in 1919. Although the rugby section changed its name to the current ASM Clermont Auvergne in 2004, it is still frequently referred to as Montferrand both within and outside France. The team play at the 19,022-seat Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, also known by its nickname, The Bib Park. Clermont wear yellow and blue, the colours of the French tyre manufacturer Michelin, taken from the colours of Montferrand when the firm was created there in 1889. The city is where Marcel Michelin, the son of the founder of the French tyre manufacturer, decided to imple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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