The 2019–20 Munster Rugby season was
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
's nineteenth season competing in the
Pro14
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...
, alongside which they also competed in the
European Rugby Champions Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pr ...
. It was
Johann van Graan's third season as head coach.
Events
Backs coach
Felix Jones
Felix Jones Jr. (born May 8, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Arkansas Razo ...
and forwards coach
Jerry Flannery
Jeremiah Paul Flannery (born 17 October 1978) is an Irish rugby union former player and current coach.
During his playing career, Flannery, a hooker, played for Munster and Ireland, before being forced to retire in March 2012 due to injury pro ...
left the province when their contracts expired in June 2019.
Graham Rowntree
Graham Christopher Rowntree (born 18 April 1971) is an English rugby union former player and former head coach of Irish club Munster. He played loosehead prop for Leicester Tigers and England. He was capped 54 times for England, despite havin ...
joined the province as their new forwards coach after the completion of his duties with
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
at the
2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup () was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening matc ...
.
Stephen Larkham
Stephen Larkham (born 29 May 1974) is a retired Australians, Australian rugby union professional player, currently in the role of head coach for Brumbies. He spent his career with the Brumbies (rugby), Brumbies in Super Rugby, for whom he playe ...
, attack coach for the
Australian national team, also joined the province as a senior coach ahead of the 2019–20 season.
Club legend and head of commercial and marketing,
Doug Howlett
Douglas Charles Howlett (born 21 September 1978) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He was primarily a wing, but he also sometimes played as a fullback.
He played for Auckland, and the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Blues ...
, also left the province to return to New Zealand in the summer of 2019, ending his 11-year association with Munster. Munster's
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
Garrett Fitzgerald retired upon reaching retirement age in June 2019. Fitzgerald was Munster's first CEO and had been in the post since 1999, making him the longest serving provincial chief executive in Irish rugby at the time. Ian Flanagan, who was born in
Cork
"Cork" or "CORK" may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
*** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine
Places Ireland
* ...
and previously worked at
Leicester City F.C, was appointed to replace Fitzgerald.
In a change from the previous two seasons, Munster were in conference B for the
2019–20 Pro14
The 2019–20 PRO14 (also known as the ''Guinness PRO14'' for sponsorship reasons) was the nineteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the third season to be referred to as the ''PR ...
season, alongside
Benetton,
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams.
Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...
,
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
,
Scarlets
The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby c ...
and
Southern Kings
The Southern Kings were a South African professional rugby union team that competed in Super Rugby and Pro14. They were based in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province and played their home matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. They w ...
. This will also be the case for the 2020–21 season, and the change was made based on the points total each club achieved after the completion of the regular
2018–19 season.
Munster opened their 2019–20 Pro14 season with a 39–9 home victory against Welsh side
Dragons
A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...
on 28 September 2019, with the tries coming from
Arno Botha
Arnoldus Francois Botha (born 26 October 1991) is a South African rugby union footballer for Lyon in the French Top 14. His position is either flanker or number 8.
School and early career
Botha began primary school at Laerskool Messina b ...
,
Jack O'Donoghue,
Man-of-the-Match
In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
Shane Daly,
Tyler Bleyendaal
Tyler Bleyendaal (born 31 May 1990) is a New Zealand former rugby union player and current coach. Primarily a fly-half who could also play at centre, Bleyendaal played for Canterbury, and Munster during his playing career, before he was forc ...
and academy member
Diarmuid Barron, and fly-half
JJ Hanrahan
John Joseph Hanrahan (born 27 July 1992) is an Irish rugby union player who plays for Munster in the United Rugby Championship. He plays primarily as a fly-half, but can also play as a centre or fullback.
Early years
Hanrahan began playing ru ...
contributing 14 points off the kicking tee. New signing
Nick McCarthy
Nicholas John McCarthy (born 13 December 1974) is an English-German musician. His main focus is on songwriting and song production. He is also a guitarist, singer and keyboard player. McCarthy was a founding member of the Glasgow-based band Fr ...
and academy members
Keynan Knox and
Jack O'Sullivan all made their senior competitive debuts for the province, and hooker
Kevin O'Byrne
Kevin O'Byrne (born 16 April 1991) is an Irish rugby union player for English club Ealing Trailfinders in the RFU Championship. He plays as a hooker.
Early life
He captained the Munster under-18s club side during the 2008–09 inter-provinci ...
won his 50th cap. Short-term signing
Jed Holloway
Jed Holloway (born 2 November 1992) is an Australian professional rugby union player for the San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played for NSW Country Eagles, and the Wallabies (the Australian national team), as well ...
made his debut for the province in their 31–20 away win against South African side
Southern Kings
The Southern Kings were a South African professional rugby union team that competed in Super Rugby and Pro14. They were based in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province and played their home matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. They w ...
on 5 October 2019.
In the opening two rounds of the
2019–20 Champions Cup, Munster beat Welsh
Pro14
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...
rivals
Ospreys 32–13 away from home on 16 November 2019, with tries from
Jeremy Loughman,
Keith Earls
Keith Gerard Earls (born 2 October 1987) is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a wing for United Rugby Championship club Munster and the Ireland national team. He retired following the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Early life
Earls wa ...
,
Andrew Conway and
James Cronin
James Watson Cronin (September 29, 1931 – August 25, 2016) was an American particle physicist.
Cronin and co-researcher Val Logsdon Fitch were awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physics for a 1964 experiment that proved that certain subatomic ...
and twelve points off the kicking tee from
Tyler Bleyendaal
Tyler Bleyendaal (born 31 May 1990) is a New Zealand former rugby union player and current coach. Primarily a fly-half who could also play at centre, Bleyendaal played for Canterbury, and Munster during his playing career, before he was forc ...
, before drawing 21–21 at home against French side
Racing 92
Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner Banlieue, suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity Stadium#Types, domed stadium Pa ...
on 23 November 2019; Munster's tries came from
Keith Earls
Keith Gerard Earls (born 2 October 1987) is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a wing for United Rugby Championship club Munster and the Ireland national team. He retired following the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Early life
Earls wa ...
and
Andrew Conway, and
JJ Hanrahan
John Joseph Hanrahan (born 27 July 1992) is an Irish rugby union player who plays for Munster in the United Rugby Championship. He plays primarily as a fly-half, but can also play as a centre or fullback.
Early years
Hanrahan began playing ru ...
contributed eleven points with the boot. The draw was Munster's first at home in the Champions Cup, against a Racing side that included former Munster players
Donnacha Ryan and
Simon Zebo
Simon Zebo (born 16 March 1990) is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a wing or fullback for clubs Munster and Racing 92 and for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.
Early life
Born in Cork, Zebo attended Beaumont Boys Schoo ...
in their starting XV.
Prop
Stephen Archer
Stephen Archer (born 29 January 1988) is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a prop. He last played for United Rugby Championship club Munster.
Munster
Archer made his Munster debut as a replacement against Edinburgh during a Celt ...
won his 200th cap for Munster in their
2019–20 Pro14
The 2019–20 PRO14 (also known as the ''Guinness PRO14'' for sponsorship reasons) was the nineteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the third season to be referred to as the ''PR ...
round 7 fixture against
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
on 29 November 2019, becoming the eleventh player to achieve the accolade for the province. Academy fly-half
Ben Healy made his debut for Munster during the same game, scoring 11 points in the 18–16 defeat to the Scottish side.
In the Champions Cup back-to-backs against defending champions
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
, Munster won 10–3 at home on 7 December 2019, with the English side picking up a losing bonus point. In the return fixture one week later, Munster were beaten 15–6, with two tries in the final quarter securing the win for Saracens and denying Munster a losing bonus point.
Following an incident that triggered a large brawl in Munster's second fixture against Saracens in December 2019 and a complaint to the
EPCR from Saracens, in which Munster team doctor Jamie Kearns was accused of verbally abusing Saracens hooker
Jamie George
Jamie Edward George (born 20 October 1990) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Premiership Rugby club Saracens and the England national team.
Early life
George played for local team Hertford RFC in his ...
, an independent panel upheld the complaint and found that Kearns had breached the EPCR's disciplinary rules, handing Kearns a three-week ban, suspended for 12 months, and a fine of €2,000 to be paid immediately.
Munster went into their round 5 Champions Cup clash away to
Racing 92
Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner Banlieue, suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity Stadium#Types, domed stadium Pa ...
on 12 January 2020 knowing that they had to win to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals of the tournament, but despite leading the French club with ten minutes to go, late tries from Racing secured a 39–22 win for the home side. Munster needed results elsewhere to go their way if they were to stand any chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals as the final round of pool matches took place, but
Glasgow Warriors
The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...
45–7 win against
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Its team play in Premiership Rugby, and have been in England's top division of rugby union continuously since 1995. Originally founded in 1861 as ...
ended those hopes before Munster's final game against
Ospreys had even taken place. In the event, Munster won 33–6 against Ospreys, with
Craig Casey
Craig Patrick Casey (born 19 April 1999) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for United Rugby Championship club Munster and the Ireland national team.
Early life
Born in Limerick, Casey captained Ardscoil Rís to the se ...
, who made his European debut for the province in the defeat to Racing, scoring his first try for Munster, and
Calvin Nash,
Jack O'Sullivan and
Ben Healy making their European debuts for the province.
Munster's 68–3 win against South African side
Southern Kings
The Southern Kings were a South African professional rugby union team that competed in Super Rugby and Pro14. They were based in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province and played their home matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. They w ...
in round 11 of the Pro14 on 14 February 2020 was a record margin of victory for the province in the competition, and the ten tries scored also set a new record for the province. Academy member
John Hodnett made his debut for Munster in the fixture, scoring a try and earning the
Man-of-the-Match
In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
award. The match had an added poignancy for Munster, as their long-serving former CEO,
Garrett Fitzgerald, who had only retired in June 2019, died following a battle with illness earlier that day.
The
2019–20 Pro14
The 2019–20 PRO14 (also known as the ''Guinness PRO14'' for sponsorship reasons) was the nineteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the third season to be referred to as the ''PR ...
was suspended indefinitely by tournament organisers on 12 March 2020 in response to the ongoing
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Munster's round 14 and 15 fixtures against Italian side
Benetton had already been postponed.
Tyler Bleyendaal
Tyler Bleyendaal (born 31 May 1990) is a New Zealand former rugby union player and current coach. Primarily a fly-half who could also play at centre, Bleyendaal played for Canterbury, and Munster during his playing career, before he was forc ...
was forced to retire from playing rugby with immediate effect in May 2020 due to a persistent neck injury.
In the same month, prop
Brian Scott
Brian Joseph Scott (born January 12, 1988) is an American former professional stock car racing driver.
Racing career Beginnings
Scott has been racing competitively since the age of 12. One of his early career highlights came at the 360 Nationals ...
was also forced to retire with immediate effect due to injury.
The regular season resumed on 22 August 2020, with the number of rounds reduced from 21 to 15 and any games postponed prior to the indefinite suspension of the season being deemed as 0–0 draws and both teams awarded two points. Rounds 14 and 15 took place as derbies in each territory, with the top two teams in each conference progressing to a semi-final stage.
Munster resumed their season on 22 August 2020 with a fixture against
Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
in the
Aviva Stadium
Aviva Stadium, also known as Lansdowne Road (, ) or Dublin Arena (during UEFA competitions), is a List of stadiums in Ireland by capacity, sports stadium located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,711 spectators ...
, which Leinster won 27–25. Munster handed debuts to new signings
Damian de Allende
Damian de Allende (born 25 November 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Japanese club Saitama Wild Knights. His usual position is either centre or wing. He was a ...
and
RG Snyman, though Snyman's first appearance for the province lasted only 7 minutes after he was injured during a lineout.
Andrew Conway scored tries either side of
Keith Earls
Keith Gerard Earls (born 2 October 1987) is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a wing for United Rugby Championship club Munster and the Ireland national team. He retired following the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Early life
Earls wa ...
' try, with
JJ Hanrahan
John Joseph Hanrahan (born 27 July 1992) is an Irish rugby union player who plays for Munster in the United Rugby Championship. He plays primarily as a fly-half, but can also play as a centre or fullback.
Early years
Hanrahan began playing ru ...
kicking 10 points off the tee, and
Chris Farrell won the
Man-of-the-Match
In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
award.
Munster completed their reduced 15 round Pro14 regular season with a seven try 49–12 win against
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
, a victory that secured a semi-final against defending champions and provincial rivals Leinster on 4 September 2020. The tries came from
Chris Cloete,
Jeremy Loughman,
Tadhg Beirne
Tadhg Gerard Beirne (; born 8 January 1992) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a lock for United Rugby Championship club Munster, where he is the club captain, and the Ireland national team.
Club career Leinster
Beirne graduated thro ...
,
James Cronin
James Watson Cronin (September 29, 1931 – August 25, 2016) was an American particle physicist.
Cronin and co-researcher Val Logsdon Fitch were awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physics for a 1964 experiment that proved that certain subatomic ...
, two from
Andrew Conway and a
penalty try
A try is a way of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area (on or behind the goal line). Rugby union and league differ slightly in defining "grounding the ball ...
, with
JJ Hanrahan
John Joseph Hanrahan (born 27 July 1992) is an Irish rugby union player who plays for Munster in the United Rugby Championship. He plays primarily as a fly-half, but can also play as a centre or fullback.
Early years
Hanrahan began playing ru ...
kicking all five of his conversions and
Rory Scannell converting the final try. As well as getting on the scoresheet, Tadhg Beirne also won the Man-of-the-Match award on his first game back after fracturing an ankle against Saracens in December 2019. Leinster won the semi-final 13–3, knocking Munster out at the semi-final stage of the Pro14 for the third season in a row and bringing an end to Munster's 2019–20 season.
A total of 51 players were used during the marathon season, with seven academy members earning minutes for the province: Diarmuid Barron, Liam Coombes, Jake Flannery, Ben Healy, John Hodnett, Keynan Knox and Jack O'Sullivan. Healy and O'Sullivan also made their Champions Cups debuts during the season, alongside senior players Craig Casey, Shane Daly and Calvin Nash. Stephen Archer surpassed the 200-cap mark for the province, with John Ryan winning his 150th cap, Niall Scannell his 100th and Dan Goggin his 50th. Aside from squad captain Peter O'Mahony, Billy Holland, Jack O'Donoghue, Tommy O'Donnell, Niall Scannell and CJ Stander also captained the province. Rory Scannell made the most appearances during the season with 21, and also played the most minutes (1,276). JJ Hanrahan was the top points scorer with 171, and Andrew Conway was the top try scorer with 8.
Munster's home game against Leinster in December 2019 was a record-equalling attendance for Thomond Park, with additional seating bumping the crowd up to 26,267. All three of Munster's home Champions Cup fixtures were the highest attendances for their respective rounds.
Internationally, 12 Munster players represented Ireland at the
2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup () was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening matc ...
: Tadhg Beirne, Joey Carbery, Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Dave Kilcoyne, Jean Kleyn, Conor Murray, Peter O'Mahony, John Ryan, Niall Scannell and CJ Stander. Conway, Earls, Kilcoyne, Murray, O'Mahony and Stander also featured for Ireland in the
2020 Six Nations Championship
The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England national rugby union team, England ...
. Three Munster players also represented Ireland under-20s in the Under-20s Six Nations: Tom Ahern, Jack Crowley and Ciaran Ryan.
At the delayed end of season awards in November 2020,
Jack O'Sullivan won the ''John McCarthy Award for Academy Player of the Year'',
Shane Daly won the ''Young Player of the Year'' award and
CJ Stander
Christiaan Johan Stander (born 5 April 1990) is a South African-born Irish former rugby union player. Stander's career began in his native South Africa, where he played for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup between 2010 and 2012 and for the Bul ...
won ''Player of the Year'' for a third time, whilst
Garrett Fitzgerald, Munster's former CEO who died in February 2020, was inducted into Munster's Hall of Fame.
Coaching and management staff
Players
Senior squad
Academy squad
Senior team transfers
Unlike previous seasons, where the majority of transfers take place during the summer pre-season, the 2019–20 season was unusual in that it had two separate periods of transfer activity due to the mid-season break in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Players scheduled to join clubs ahead of the commencement of the 2020–21 season where instead able to join their new club during this break, meaning they were available for the completion of the 2019–20 season.
October 2018 – May 2020
Players in
*
Gavin Coombes ''promoted from Academy''
*
Shane Daly ''promoted from Academy''
*
Nick McCarthy
Nicholas John McCarthy (born 13 December 1974) is an English-German musician. His main focus is on songwriting and song production. He is also a guitarist, singer and keyboard player. McCarthy was a founding member of the Glasgow-based band Fr ...
from
Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
*
Seán O'Connor ''promoted from Academy''
*
Craig Casey
Craig Patrick Casey (born 19 April 1999) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for United Rugby Championship club Munster and the Ireland national team.
Early life
Born in Limerick, Casey captained Ardscoil Rís to the se ...
''promoted from Academy''
*
Jed Holloway
Jed Holloway (born 2 November 1992) is an Australian professional rugby union player for the San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played for NSW Country Eagles, and the Wallabies (the Australian national team), as well ...
from
Waratahs ''(Two-month contract)''
Players out
*
Stephen Fitzgerald to
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
*
Jaco Taute to
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its home ...
*
Duncan Williams ''released''
*
Bill Johnston to
Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
*
James Hart to
Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...
*
Dave O'Callaghan to
Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...
*
Mike Sherry ''retired''
*
Alby Mathewson
Albert Samuel Mathewson (born 13 December 1985) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half.
Early life and education
Mathewson was born in Hastings, New Zealand. He first attended Havelock North High School but switched to ...
''released''
*
Tyler Bleyendaal
Tyler Bleyendaal (born 31 May 1990) is a New Zealand former rugby union player and current coach. Primarily a fly-half who could also play at centre, Bleyendaal played for Canterbury, and Munster during his playing career, before he was forc ...
''retired''
*
Brian Scott
Brian Joseph Scott (born January 12, 1988) is an American former professional stock car racing driver.
Racing career Beginnings
Scott has been racing competitively since the age of 12. One of his early career highlights came at the 360 Nationals ...
''retired''
February 2019 – July 2020
Players in
*
Keynan Knox ''promoted from Academy''
*
Liam Coombes ''promoted from Academy''
*
Alex McHenry ''promoted from Academy''
*
Jack O'Sullivan ''promoted from Academy''
*
Damian de Allende
Damian de Allende (born 25 November 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Japanese club Saitama Wild Knights. His usual position is either centre or wing. He was a ...
from
Panasonic Wild Knights
Saitama Wild Knights (formerly Panasonic Wild Knights) is a Japanese rugby union team formerly based in Ōta, Gunma, Ōta city, Gunma prefecture which played in the Top League. In 2021 it relocated 13 kilometers south to Kumagaya, Saitama, Kumag ...
*
Matt Gallagher from
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
*
RG Snyman from
Honda Heat
Mie Honda Heat is a Japanese rugby union team based in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. The owner of the club is Honda Motor. (Suzuka is known for the Suzuka Circuit and the presence of car companies. Conveniently, the team uses Suzuka to jog ...
*
Roman Salanoa from
Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
*
Diarmuid Barron ''promoted from Academy''
Players out
*
Arno Botha
Arnoldus Francois Botha (born 26 October 1991) is a South African rugby union footballer for Lyon in the French Top 14. His position is either flanker or number 8.
School and early career
Botha began primary school at Laerskool Messina b ...
to
Bulls
Bulls may refer to:
*The plural of bull, an adult male bovine
* Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District
Sports
*Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding
*Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...
*
Sammy Arnold to
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
*
Conor Oliver to
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
*
Seán O'Connor to
Jersey Reds
Jersey Reds was a rugby union club based in Jersey, Channel Islands. On 28th September 2023, the club ceased trading and shortly thereafter went into liquidation following the withdrawal of financial support from a key investor.
Until seaso ...
*
Ciaran Parker to
Jersey Reds
Jersey Reds was a rugby union club based in Jersey, Channel Islands. On 28th September 2023, the club ceased trading and shortly thereafter went into liquidation following the withdrawal of financial support from a key investor.
Until seaso ...
*
Alex Wootton to
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
''(season-long loan)''
*
Darren O'Shea to
Vannes
Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History
Celtic ...
Pre-season
2019–20 Pro14
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Semi-final
2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup
Munster were seeded in tier 2 when the draw for the 2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup was made in
Lausanne
Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
, Switzerland on Wednesday 19 June 2019, and were drawn in pool 4 alongside defending champions
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
,
Racing 92
Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner Banlieue, suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity Stadium#Types, domed stadium Pa ...
, who count former Munster players
Donnacha Ryan and
Simon Zebo
Simon Zebo (born 16 March 1990) is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a wing or fullback for clubs Munster and Racing 92 and for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.
Early life
Born in Cork, Zebo attended Beaumont Boys Schoo ...
amongst their squad, and fellow
Pro14
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...
side
Ospreys.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
2019–20 Munster A season
2019–20 Celtic Cup
In a change from the
2018–19 tournament, the 2019–20 edition of the Celtic Cup featured all eight teams in a single league, rather than two conferences, with each team playing seven matches and the top two teams advancing to a final on 12 October 2019.
Munster A finished 6th in the tournament with 13 points, 2 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Friendlies
Challenge Match
Annual Ireland U20 match
Interpro
Notes
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munster
2019-20
2019–20 Pro14 by team
2019–20 in Irish rugby union
2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup by team