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2019–20 Munster Rugby season
Ground(s) Thomond Park (Capacity: 25,600) [1]
Irish Independent Park (Capacity: 8,008)
ChairmanGerry O'Shea [2]
CEOIan Flanagan [2]
PresidentMichael Keane [3]
Coach(es) Johann van Graan
Captain(s) Peter O'Mahony
Most appearances Rory Scannell (21)
Top scorer JJ Hanrahan (171)
Most tries Andrew Conway (8)
League(s) Pro14
2019–202nd (Conf. B), Semi-finals
← 2018–19 2020–21 →

The 2019–20 Munster Rugby season was Munster's nineteenth season competing in the Pro14, alongside which they also competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Johann van Graan's third season as head coach. [4]

Events

Backs coach Felix Jones and forwards coach Jerry Flannery left the province when their contracts expired in June 2019. [5] Graham Rowntree joined the province as their new forwards coach after the completion of his duties with Georgia at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. [6] Stephen Larkham, attack coach for the Australian national team, also joined the province as a senior coach ahead of the 2019–20 season. [7]

Club legend and head of commercial and marketing, Doug Howlett, also left the province to return to New Zealand in the summer of 2019, ending his 11-year association with Munster. [8] Munster's CEO 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. [9] Ian Flanagan, who was born in Cork and previously worked at Leicester City F.C, was appointed to replace Fitzgerald. [2]

In a change from the previous two seasons, Munster were in conference B for the 2019–20 Pro14 season, alongside Benetton, Cardiff Blues, Connacht, Edinburgh, Scarlets and Southern Kings. 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. [10]

Munster opened their 2019–20 Pro14 season with a 39–9 home victory against Welsh side Dragons on 28 September 2019, with the tries coming from Arno Botha, Jack O'Donoghue, Man-of-the-Match Shane Daly, Tyler Bleyendaal and academy member Diarmuid Barron, and fly-half JJ Hanrahan contributing 14 points off the kicking tee. New signing Nick McCarthy and academy members Keynan Knox and Jack O'Sullivan all made their senior competitive debuts for the province, and hooker Kevin O'Byrne won his 50th cap. [11] Short-term signing Jed Holloway made his debut for the province in their 31–20 away win against South African side Southern Kings on 5 October 2019. [12]

In the opening two rounds of the 2019–20 Champions Cup, Munster beat Welsh Pro14 rivals Ospreys 32–13 away from home on 16 November 2019, with tries from Jeremy Loughman, Keith Earls, Andrew Conway and James Cronin and twelve points off the kicking tee from Tyler Bleyendaal, [13] before drawing 21–21 at home against French side Racing 92 on 23 November 2019; Munster's tries came from Keith Earls and Andrew Conway, and JJ Hanrahan 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 in their starting XV. [14]

Prop Stephen Archer won his 200th cap for Munster in their 2019–20 Pro14 round 7 fixture against 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. [15]

In the Champions Cup back-to-backs against defending champions Saracens, Munster won 10–3 at home on 7 December 2019, with the English side picking up a losing bonus point. [16] 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. [17]

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, 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. [18]

Munster went into their round 5 Champions Cup clash away to Racing 92 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. [19] 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 45–7 win against Sale Sharks ended those hopes before Munster's final game against Ospreys had even taken place. [20] In the event, Munster won 33–6 against Ospreys, with Craig Casey, 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. [21]

Munster's 68–3 win against South African side Southern Kings 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 award. [22] 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. [23]

The 2019–20 Pro14 was suspended indefinitely by tournament organisers on 12 March 2020 in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. [24] Munster's round 14 and 15 fixtures against Italian side Benetton had already been postponed. [25] Tyler Bleyendaal was forced to retire from playing rugby with immediate effect in May 2020 due to a persistent neck injury. [26] In the same month, prop Brian Scott was also forced to retire with immediate effect due to injury. [27] 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. [28]

Munster resumed their season on 22 August 2020 with a fixture against Leinster in the Aviva Stadium, which Leinster won 27–25. Munster handed debuts to new signings Damian de Allende 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' try, with JJ Hanrahan kicking 10 points off the tee, and Chris Farrell won the Man-of-the-Match award. [29]

Munster completed their reduced 15 round Pro14 regular season with a seven try 49–12 win against Connacht, 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, James Cronin, two from Andrew Conway and a penalty try, with JJ Hanrahan 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. [30] 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. [31]

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. [32]

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. [32]

Internationally, 12 Munster players represented Ireland at the 2019 Rugby World Cup: 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. Three Munster players also represented Ireland under-20s in the Under-20s Six Nations: Tom Ahern, Jack Crowley and Ciaran Ryan. [32]

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 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. [33]

Coaching and management staff

Position Name Nationality
Head coach Johann van Graan   South Africa
Senior coach Stephen Larkham [7]   Australia
Defence coach JP Ferreira   South Africa
Forwards coach Graham Rowntree [6]   England
Team manager Niall O'Donovan   Ireland
Head of athletic performance Denis Logan   United States
Strength and conditioning coach Damien O'Donoghue   Ireland
Strength and conditioning coach Adam Sheehan   Ireland
Performance analyst George Murray   Ireland

Players

For player movements before or during the 2019–20 season, see List of 2019–20 Pro14 transfers Β§ Munster.

Senior squad

Munster Rugby senior squad [a]

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Fullbacks

( c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players.
* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.
ST denotes a short-term signing.
Italics indicate players signed during mid-season break.
Players and their allocated positions from the Munster Rugby website. [34]
  1. ^ Alex Wootton is contracted to Munster for the 2020/21 season, but is on a season-long loan at Connacht.

Academy squad

Munster Rugby academy squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

  • None

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

  • None

Fullbacks

( c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players, number in brackets indicates players stage in the three-year academy cycle.
* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.
Players and their allocated positions from the Munster Rugby website. [35]

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. 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

For player movement in the Pro14 from the end of the 2018–19 season until the mid-season hiatus, see List of 2019–20 Pro14 transfers.

February 2019 – July 2020

For player movement in the Pro14 from the mid-season hiatus to the end of the 2020–21 season, see List of 2020–21 Pro14 transfers.

Pre-season

13 September 2019
19:30
Munster Ireland45–5 England London Irish
Report
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 5,678
21 September 2019
15:00
Connacht Ireland40–31 Ireland Munster
Report
Galway Sportsgrounds
Attendance: 4,738

2019–20 Pro14

Main article: 2019–20 Pro14
2019–20 Pro14 table view Β· watch Β· Β· discuss
Conference A
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP PTS
1 Ireland Leinster (CH) 15 15 0 0 531 216 +315 74 28 9 0 69
2 Ireland Ulster (RU) 15 8 1 6 385 306 +79 50 40 7 3 44 [a]
3 Scotland Glasgow Warriors 15 8 0 7 364 329 +35 53 42 5 1 38
4 South Africa Cheetahs 13 6 0 7 342 280 +62 48 32 5 2 32
5 Wales Dragons 15 5 1 9 283 415 –132 32 49 1 1 24
6 Italy Zebre 15 3 1 11 230 399 –169 29 56 4 3 21
7 Wales Ospreys 15 2 2 11 205 375 –170 21 45 1 4 17
Conference B
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP PTS
1 Scotland Edinburgh (SF) 15 11 0 4 391 225 +166 47 27 5 2 51
2 Ireland Munster (SF) 15 10 0 5 426 255 +171 53 26 8 3 51
3 Wales Scarlets 15 10 0 5 354 274 +80 46 34 5 2 47
4 Ireland Connacht 15 8 0 7 302 360 –58 41 48 7 1 40
5 Italy Benetton 15 6 1 8 309 350 –41 35 42 5 5 36
6 Wales Cardiff Blues 15 7 0 8 283 327 –44 30 38 3 2 33
7 South Africa Southern Kings 13 1 0 12 204 498 –294 23 75 0 3 7
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order - [58]
  1. number of matches won
  2. the difference between points for and points against
  3. the number of tries scored
  4. the most points scored
  5. the difference between tries for and tries against
  6. the fewest red cards received
  7. the fewest yellow cards received
Green background indicates teams that compete in the Pro14 play-offs, and also earn a place in the 2020–21 European Champions Cup

Blue background indicates teams outside the play-off places that earn a place in the 2020–21 European Champions Cup
Red background indicates teams ineligible for European cup tournaments
Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2020–21 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
(CH) Champions. (RU) Runners-up. (SF) Losing semi-finalists. (Q) Qualified for Pro14 play-off semi-finals. (e) Cannot reach play-offs.

  1. ^ Ulster deducted 1 point for administration error regarding Ian Madigan. [57]

Round 1

28 September 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland39–9 Wales Dragons
Try: Botha 16' c
O'Donoghue 32' c
S. Daly 34' m
Bleyendaal 60' c
Barron 78' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/5) 17', 32', 61', 79'
Pen: Hanrahan (2/2) 24', 42'		 Report
Report		Pen: S. Davies (3/4) 2', 28', 39'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 10,878
Referee: Ben Blain ( SRU)

Round 2

5 October 2019
15:00
Southern Kings South Africa20–31 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Ungerer 41' c
Louw 77' c
Con: Catrakilis (2/2) 43', 78'
Pen: Catrakilis (2/3) 14', 26'		 Report
Report		Try: Haley 19' c
Mathewson 50' c
F. Wycherley 67' c
Botha 69' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/4) 21', 51', 67', 71'
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 9'
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Attendance: 3,115
Referee: Dan Jones ( WRU)

Round 3

11 October 2019
17:15
(1 BP) Cheetahs South Africa40–16 Ireland Munster
Try: NchΓ© 9' c
Pokomela 32' m
Small-Smith 45' c
Dweba 55' c
Wiese 71' c
Smith 80' c
Con: Pienaar (4/5) 10', 46', 56', 72'
Schoeman (1/1) 80'+1		 Report
Report		Try: Goggin 74' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 75'
Pen: Bleyendaal (3/4) 21', 27', 39'
Toyota Stadium
Attendance: 4,814
Referee: Mike Adamson ( SRU)

Round 4

25 October 2019
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland28–12 Wales Ospreys
Try: J. Cronin 16' c
Marshall 42' c
Haley 49' c
Botha 79' c
Con: Bleyendaal (3/3) 17', 43', 50'
Hanrahan (1/1) 80'		 Report
Report		Pen: Price (4/4) 32', 39', 48', 58'
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 7,311
Referee: Stuart Berry ( SARU)

Round 5

2 November 2019
19:35
Cardiff Blues Wales23–33 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Domachowski 40'+4 c
N. Williams 78' c
Con: Evans (1/1) 40'+4
Tovey (1/1) 79'
Pen: Evans (3/3) 7', 15', 47'		 Report
Report		Try: Cloete 23' c
Mathewson (2) 49' c, 66' m
Nash 59' m
Con: Hanrahan (2/4) 25', 50'
Pen: Hanrahan (3/3) 13', 31', 73'
Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 5,256
Referee: Stuart Berry ( SARU)

Round 6

9 November 2019
17:15
Munster Ireland22–16 Ireland Ulster (1 BP)
Try: Stander 14' c
R. Scannell 35' m
Conway 64' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 14'
Bleyendaal (1/2) 66'
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 25'		 Report
Report		Try: Herring 49' c
Con: Cooney (1/1) 51'
Pen: Cooney (3/4) 3', 19', 57'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 14,436
Referee: Frank Murphy ( IRFU)

Round 7

29 November 2019
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland16–18 Scotland Edinburgh
Try: O'Donnell 35' c
Con: Healy (1/1) 35'
Pen: Healy (3/3) 23', 41', 53'		 Report
Report		Try: Scott 1' c
Sau 62' m
Con: Van der Walt (1/1) 2'
Pen: Van der Walt (1/1) 20'
Hickey (1/1) 56'
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 7,580
Referee: Marius Mitrea ( FIR)

Round 8

21 December 2019
17:15
(1 BP) Connacht Ireland14–19 Ireland Munster
Try: J. Carty 72' m
Pen: C. Fitzgerald (3/3) 17', 28', 40'		 Report
Report		Try: O'Donoghue 24' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 25'
Pen: Hanrahan (4/4) 8', 20', 31', 44'
Galway Sportsgrounds
Attendance: 8,129
Referee: Andrew Brace ( IRFU)

Round 9

28 December 2019
18:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland6–13 Ireland Leinster
Pen: Hanrahan (2/2) 39', 45' Report
Report		Try: E. Byrne 9' c
Con: R. Byrne (1/1) 10'
Pen: R. Byrne (1/1) 22', 33'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 26,267
Referee: Frank Murphy ( IRFU)

Round 10

3 January 2020
19:35
(1 BP) Ulster Ireland38–17 Ireland Munster
Try: Cooney 17' c
Baloucoune 34' c
Mat. Rea 42' c
McCloskey 57' c
Stockdale 61' c
Con: Cooney (5/5) 18', 35', 43', 58', 62'
Pen: Cooney (1/1) 14'		 Report
Report		Try: S. Daly 9' c
N. Scannell 65' c
Con: Carbery (2/2) 10', 65'
Pen: Carbery (1/1) 39'
Kingspan Stadium
Attendance: 17,461
Referee: Dan Jones ( WRU)

Round 11

14 February 2020
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland68–3 South Africa Southern Kings
Try: Botha (3) 8' c, 28' c, 75' c
Nash 22' c
O'Donoghue 40'+1 c
Hodnett 49' c
N. Cronin 54' c
S. Daly (2) 60' c, 77' c
Goggin 73' m
Con: Hanrahan (6/6) 9', 23', 29', 40'+2, 50', 55'
Healy (3/4) 62', 76', 78'		 Report
Report		Pen: Catrakilis (1/1) 16'
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 6,854
Referee: Nikoloz Amashukeli ( GRU)

Round 12

21 February 2020
19:35
Zebre Italy0–28 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Report
Report		Try: Nash 10' c
Hanrahan 52' c
R. Scannell 56' c
Sweetnam 73' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/4) 12', 53', 58', 74'
Stadio Giovanni Mari
Attendance: 3,300
Referee: Dan Jones ( WRU)

Round 13

29 February 2020
17:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland29–10 Wales Scarlets
Try: O'Sullivan 34' c
Holland 51' m
G. Coombes (2) 71' c, 80'+4 c
Con: Hanrahan (3/4) 35', 73', 80'+5
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 23'		 Report
Report		Try: Sebastian 60' c
Con: D. Jones (1/1) 61'
Pen: D. Jones (1/1) 7'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 13,554
Referee: Mike Adamson ( SRU)

Round 14

22 August 2020
19:35
Leinster Ireland27–25 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Healy 19' c
Ringrose 39' c
Lowe 50' c
Con: Sexton (3/3) 21', 40', 52'
Pen: Sexton (1/1) 31'
R. Byrne (1/1) 69'		 Report
Report		Try: Conway (2) 12' c, 71' m
Earls 64' c
Con: Hanrahan (2/3) 13', 65'
Pen: Hanrahan (2/2) 26', 35'
Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 0 [a]
Referee: Andrew Brace ( IRFU)

Round 15

30 August 2020
15:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland49–12 Ireland Connacht
Try: Cloete 8' c
Penalty try 15' c
Loughman 36' c
Beirne 49' c
Conway (2) 51' c, 53' c
J. Cronin 67' c
Con: Hanrahan (5/5) 9', 37', 50', 51', 55'
R. Scannell (1/1) 68'		 Report
Report		Try: Aki 40'+7
Murphy 70' m
Con: C. Fitzgerald (1/1) 40'+8
Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 0 [a]
Referee: Frank Murphy ( IRFU)

Semi-final

4 September 2020
19:35
Leinster Ireland13–3 Ireland Munster
Try: R. Kelleher 27' c
Con: Sexton (1/1) 28'
Pen: Sexton (2/3) 40', 67'		 Report
Report		Pen: Hanrahan (1/3) 5'
Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 0 [a]
Referee: Andrew Brace ( IRFU)

2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup

Main article: 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, Switzerland on Wednesday 19 June 2019, [59] and were drawn in pool 4 alongside defending champions Saracens, Racing 92, who count former Munster players Donnacha Ryan and Simon Zebo amongst their squad, and fellow Pro14 side Ospreys. [60]

Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
France Racing 92 (5) 6 4 1 1 194 126 68 26 15 4 1 23
England Saracens (8) 6 4 0 2 121 88 33 13 10 1 1 18
Ireland Munster 6 3 1 2 124 97 27 13 10 2 0 16
Wales Ospreys 6 0 0 6 83 211 –128 11 28 1 1 2

[61]

Round 1

16 November 2019
17:30
Ospreys Wales13–32 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: A. Davies 77' c
Con: Price (1/1) 78'
Pen: Price (2/2) 7', 28'		 ReportTry: Loughman 33' c
Earls 49' m
Conway 51' c
J. Cronin 80'+4
Con: Bleyendaal (3/4) 34', 52', 80'+5
Pen: Bleyendaal (2/2) 15', 19'
Liberty Stadium
Attendance: 7,295
Referee: Karl Dickson ( RFU)

Round 2

23 November 2019
17:30
Munster Ireland21–21 France Racing 92
Try: Earls 39' m
Conway 74' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/2) 75'
Pen: Hanrahan (3/3) 8', 26', 46'		 ReportTry: Russell 18' c
Thomas 28' c
Imhoff 47' c
Con: Iribaren (3/3) 19', 29', 48'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 25,600
Referee: Matthew Carley ( RFU)

Round 3

7 December 2019
17:30
Munster Ireland10–3 England Saracens (1 BP)
Try: O'Mahony 30' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 31'
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 17'		 ReportPen: Spencer (1/3) 36'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 25,034
Referee: Romain Poite ( FFR)

Round 4

14 December 2019
15:00
Saracens England15–6 Ireland Munster
Try: Maitland 65' m
Mak. Vunipola 71' c
Con: Farrell (1/2) 72'
Pen: Farrell (1/2) 7'		 ReportPen: Hanrahan (2/3) 24', 43'
Allianz Park
Attendance: 8,500
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère ( FFR)

Round 5

12 January 2020
15:15
(1 BP) Racing 92 France39–22 Ireland Munster
Try: Thomas (2) 28' m, 71' m
Vakatawa 76' c
Imhoff 80' c
Con: Machenaud (2/3) 77', 80'+2
Pen: Iribaren (5/5) 19', 32', 46', 53', 57'		 ReportTry: Conway 37' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 38'
Pen: Hanrahan (5/6) 3', 10', 17', 49', 63'
Paris La DΓ©fense Arena
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Wayne Barnes ( RFU)

Round 6

19 January 2020
13:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland33–6 Wales Ospreys
Try: Stander (2) 30' c, 77' c
Archer 39' c
Murray 46' m
Casey 58' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/5) 31', 40', 59', 78'		 ReportPen: Price (2/2) 7', 13'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 19,891
Referee: Mathieu Raynal ( FFR)

2019–20 Munster A season

2019–20 Celtic Cup

Main article: 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. [62] Munster A finished 6th in the tournament with 13 points, 2 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats.

Round 1

23 August 2019
19:30
Munster A Ireland20–20 Wales Ospreys Development
Report
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 200
Referee: Chris Busby ( IRFU)

Round 2

30 August 2019
19:00
(1 BP) Dragons A Wales36–10 Ireland Munster A
Report
Rodney Parade

Round 3

6 September 2019
19:30
Munster A Ireland21–47 Ireland Leinster A (1 BP)
Report
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 200
Referee: Jonny Erskine ( IRFU)

Round 4

14 September 2019
13:00
(1 BP) Connacht Eagles Ireland38–27 Ireland Munster A
Report
Galway Sportsgrounds
Referee: Chris Busby ( IRFU)

Round 5

20 September 2019
18:00
(1 BP) Munster A Ireland28–7 Wales Cardiff Blues A
Report
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 150
Referee: Stuart Gaffikin ( IRFU)

Round 6

28 September 2019
13:00
(1 BP) Scarlets A Wales46–28 Ireland Munster A (1 BP)
Report
Carmarthen Park
Referee: Elgan Williams ( WRU)

Round 7

4 October 2019
17:00
Ulster A Ireland12–31 Ireland Munster A (1 BP)
Report
Shaw's Bridge
Referee: Peter Martin ( IRFU)

Friendlies

Challenge Match

13 December 2019
19:30
Leinster A Ireland33–39 Ireland Munster A
Report
Energia Park

Annual Ireland U20 match

29 December 2019
13:00
Munster A Ireland27–43 Ireland Ireland U20
Report
Irish Independent Park

Interpro

18 January 2020
13:00
Munster A Ireland52–14 Ireland Connacht Eagles
Report
Thomond Park (back pitch)

Notes

  1. ^ a b c This game was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions.

References

  1. ^ Thomond Park's official capacity is 25,600 but can be expanded up to 26,276 with temporary seating.
  2. ^ a b c "Ian Flanagan Appointed Munster Rugby CEO". Munster Rugby. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Michael Keane Elected Munster Rugby President". Munster Rugby. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Johann van Graan to join Munster as head coach". South African Rugby Union. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Coaching Duo To Leave The Province". Munster Rugby. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Graham Rowntree To Join Munster Rugby". Munster Rugby. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Stephen Larkham To Join Munster Rugby". Munster Rugby. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Doug Howlett To Return To New Zealand". Munster Rugby. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Garrett Fitzgerald Retirement Confirmed". Munster Rugby. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Conferences Confirmed For Next Two Guinness PRO14 Seasons". Munster Rugby. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Report | Bonus-Point Win Over Dragons At Thomond". Munster Rugby. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  12. ^ "Report | Bonus Point Win For Munster Against Southern Kings". Munster Rugby. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  13. ^ "Report | Last-Gasp Cronin Try Hands Munster Bonus Point Victory". Munster Rugby. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Report | Hanrahan Conversion Saves Thrilling Draw Against Racing". Munster Rugby. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Report | Munster Suffer Narrow Edinburgh Defeat". Munster Rugby. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Report | Munster Secure Vital Victory Over Saracens". Munster Rugby. 7 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Report | Late Saracens Tries Deny Munster". Munster Rugby. 14 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Munster team doctor fined and handed three-week suspended ban following Saracens row". The42. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Report | Late Tries Deny Munster In Paris". Munster Rugby. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  20. ^ "Glasgow victory confirms Munster's Champions Cup exit". The42. 18 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  21. ^ "Report | Five-Try Win For Munster Over Ospreys". Munster Rugby. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Report | Munster Secure Record Win Over Southern Kings". Munster Rugby. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Garrett Fitzgerald Passes Away". Munster Rugby. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  24. ^ "Pro14 suspended indefinitely as Irish domestic rugby also postponed". The42. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Munster's Home Game Against Benetton Postponed". Munster Rugby. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Tyler Bleyendaal Forced to Retire". Munster Rugby. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  27. ^ a b "Brian Scott To Retire On Medical Grounds". Munster Rugby. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  28. ^ "Target Date Set For Guinness PRO14 Restart". Munster Rugby. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  29. ^ "Report | Narrow Loss For Munster In Aviva". Munster Rugby. 22 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  30. ^ "Report | Seven-Try Win For Munster Over Connacht". Munster Rugby. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  31. ^ "Report | Munster Bow Out Of Guinness PRO14". Munster Rugby. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  32. ^ a b c "Season In Stats | 2019/20". Munster Rugby. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  33. ^ "Munster Rugby Awards 2020". Munster Rugby. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  34. ^ "Munster Rugby | 1st Team Squad". Munster Rugby. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  35. ^ "Greencore Munster Rugby Academy Confirmed". Munster Rugby. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  36. ^ a b c "Player Contract Boost Continues". Munster Rugby. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  37. ^ "Contract Update | Five Players Put Pen To Paper". Munster Rugby. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  38. ^ "Beirne And Casey Commit To Province". Munster Rugby. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  39. ^ "Munster Rugby Sign Jed Holloway On Short-Term Deal". Munster Rugby. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  40. ^ "Daly, Fitzgerald and Lloyd the latest to sign Connacht contracts". Connacht Rugby. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  41. ^ "Jaco Taute making the move to Tigers". Leicester Tigers. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  42. ^ "Departing Players Confirmed". Munster Rugby. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  43. ^ "Bill Johnston Departs For Ulster". Munster Rugby. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  44. ^ a b "Munster duo Hart and O'Callaghan sign with French side Biarritz". The42. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  45. ^ "Munster hooker Mike Sherry announces retirement from rugby". The42. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  46. ^ "Munster look for scrum-half trio to push Murray after Mathewson departure". The42. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  47. ^ "Contract Update | Five Players Put Pen To Paper". Munster Rugby. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  48. ^ a b c "Six Players Commit To Munster". Munster Rugby. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  49. ^ a b c "Munster Sign De Allende, Gallagher And Snyman". Munster Rugby. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  50. ^ "Squad Update | Sammy Arnold, Conor Oliver & Roman Salanoa". Munster Rugby. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  51. ^ "Diarmuid Barron Promoted From Academy To Senior Squad". Munster Rugby. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  52. ^ "Arno Botha Departing For Blue Bulls". Munster Rugby. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  53. ^ a b "Connacht announce signings of four players ahead of 2020/21 season". Connacht Rugby. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  54. ^ a b "Championship side Jersey confirm signings of outgoing Munster pair". The42. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  55. ^ "Player Update | Alex Wootton". Munster Rugby. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  56. ^ "Irish lock O'Shea signs for French Pro D2 club after leaving Munster". The42. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  57. ^ "Ulster docked point over Madigan mishap". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  58. ^ Competition Rule 3.5 "Summary of Key Rules". Pro14. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  59. ^ "Key Details & Fixture Dates For Next Season's Champions Cup". Munster Rugby. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  60. ^ "Munster Face Tough Champions Cup Opposition". Munster Rugby. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  61. ^ "Pool Tables". Heineken Champions Cup. EPCR. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  62. ^ "Friday Night Games For Munster A In The Celtic Cup". Munster Rugby. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.

External links

Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=2019–20_Munster_Rugby_season&oldid=1217938245"
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2019–20 Munster Rugby season
Ground(s) Thomond Park (Capacity: 25,600) [1]
Irish Independent Park (Capacity: 8,008)
ChairmanGerry O'Shea [2]
CEOIan Flanagan [2]
PresidentMichael Keane [3]
Coach(es) Johann van Graan
Captain(s) Peter O'Mahony
Most appearances Rory Scannell (21)
Top scorer JJ Hanrahan (171)
Most tries Andrew Conway (8)
League(s) Pro14
2019–202nd (Conf. B), Semi-finals
← 2018–19 2020–21 →

The 2019–20 Munster Rugby season was Munster's nineteenth season competing in the Pro14, alongside which they also competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Johann van Graan's third season as head coach. [4]

Events

Backs coach Felix Jones and forwards coach Jerry Flannery left the province when their contracts expired in June 2019. [5] Graham Rowntree joined the province as their new forwards coach after the completion of his duties with Georgia at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. [6] Stephen Larkham, attack coach for the Australian national team, also joined the province as a senior coach ahead of the 2019–20 season. [7]

Club legend and head of commercial and marketing, Doug Howlett, also left the province to return to New Zealand in the summer of 2019, ending his 11-year association with Munster. [8] Munster's CEO 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. [9] Ian Flanagan, who was born in Cork and previously worked at Leicester City F.C, was appointed to replace Fitzgerald. [2]

In a change from the previous two seasons, Munster were in conference B for the 2019–20 Pro14 season, alongside Benetton, Cardiff Blues, Connacht, Edinburgh, Scarlets and Southern Kings. 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. [10]

Munster opened their 2019–20 Pro14 season with a 39–9 home victory against Welsh side Dragons on 28 September 2019, with the tries coming from Arno Botha, Jack O'Donoghue, Man-of-the-Match Shane Daly, Tyler Bleyendaal and academy member Diarmuid Barron, and fly-half JJ Hanrahan contributing 14 points off the kicking tee. New signing Nick McCarthy and academy members Keynan Knox and Jack O'Sullivan all made their senior competitive debuts for the province, and hooker Kevin O'Byrne won his 50th cap. [11] Short-term signing Jed Holloway made his debut for the province in their 31–20 away win against South African side Southern Kings on 5 October 2019. [12]

In the opening two rounds of the 2019–20 Champions Cup, Munster beat Welsh Pro14 rivals Ospreys 32–13 away from home on 16 November 2019, with tries from Jeremy Loughman, Keith Earls, Andrew Conway and James Cronin and twelve points off the kicking tee from Tyler Bleyendaal, [13] before drawing 21–21 at home against French side Racing 92 on 23 November 2019; Munster's tries came from Keith Earls and Andrew Conway, and JJ Hanrahan 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 in their starting XV. [14]

Prop Stephen Archer won his 200th cap for Munster in their 2019–20 Pro14 round 7 fixture against 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. [15]

In the Champions Cup back-to-backs against defending champions Saracens, Munster won 10–3 at home on 7 December 2019, with the English side picking up a losing bonus point. [16] 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. [17]

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, 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. [18]

Munster went into their round 5 Champions Cup clash away to Racing 92 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. [19] 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 45–7 win against Sale Sharks ended those hopes before Munster's final game against Ospreys had even taken place. [20] In the event, Munster won 33–6 against Ospreys, with Craig Casey, 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. [21]

Munster's 68–3 win against South African side Southern Kings 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 award. [22] 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. [23]

The 2019–20 Pro14 was suspended indefinitely by tournament organisers on 12 March 2020 in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. [24] Munster's round 14 and 15 fixtures against Italian side Benetton had already been postponed. [25] Tyler Bleyendaal was forced to retire from playing rugby with immediate effect in May 2020 due to a persistent neck injury. [26] In the same month, prop Brian Scott was also forced to retire with immediate effect due to injury. [27] 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. [28]

Munster resumed their season on 22 August 2020 with a fixture against Leinster in the Aviva Stadium, which Leinster won 27–25. Munster handed debuts to new signings Damian de Allende 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' try, with JJ Hanrahan kicking 10 points off the tee, and Chris Farrell won the Man-of-the-Match award. [29]

Munster completed their reduced 15 round Pro14 regular season with a seven try 49–12 win against Connacht, 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, James Cronin, two from Andrew Conway and a penalty try, with JJ Hanrahan 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. [30] 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. [31]

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. [32]

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. [32]

Internationally, 12 Munster players represented Ireland at the 2019 Rugby World Cup: 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. Three Munster players also represented Ireland under-20s in the Under-20s Six Nations: Tom Ahern, Jack Crowley and Ciaran Ryan. [32]

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 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. [33]

Coaching and management staff

Position Name Nationality
Head coach Johann van Graan   South Africa
Senior coach Stephen Larkham [7]   Australia
Defence coach JP Ferreira   South Africa
Forwards coach Graham Rowntree [6]   England
Team manager Niall O'Donovan   Ireland
Head of athletic performance Denis Logan   United States
Strength and conditioning coach Damien O'Donoghue   Ireland
Strength and conditioning coach Adam Sheehan   Ireland
Performance analyst George Murray   Ireland

Players

For player movements before or during the 2019–20 season, see List of 2019–20 Pro14 transfers Β§ Munster.

Senior squad

Munster Rugby senior squad [a]

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Fullbacks

( c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players.
* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.
ST denotes a short-term signing.
Italics indicate players signed during mid-season break.
Players and their allocated positions from the Munster Rugby website. [34]
  1. ^ Alex Wootton is contracted to Munster for the 2020/21 season, but is on a season-long loan at Connacht.

Academy squad

Munster Rugby academy squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

  • None

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

  • None

Fullbacks

( c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players, number in brackets indicates players stage in the three-year academy cycle.
* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.
Players and their allocated positions from the Munster Rugby website. [35]

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. 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

For player movement in the Pro14 from the end of the 2018–19 season until the mid-season hiatus, see List of 2019–20 Pro14 transfers.

February 2019 – July 2020

For player movement in the Pro14 from the mid-season hiatus to the end of the 2020–21 season, see List of 2020–21 Pro14 transfers.

Pre-season

13 September 2019
19:30
Munster Ireland45–5 England London Irish
Report
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 5,678
21 September 2019
15:00
Connacht Ireland40–31 Ireland Munster
Report
Galway Sportsgrounds
Attendance: 4,738

2019–20 Pro14

Main article: 2019–20 Pro14
2019–20 Pro14 table view Β· watch Β· Β· discuss
Conference A
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP PTS
1 Ireland Leinster (CH) 15 15 0 0 531 216 +315 74 28 9 0 69
2 Ireland Ulster (RU) 15 8 1 6 385 306 +79 50 40 7 3 44 [a]
3 Scotland Glasgow Warriors 15 8 0 7 364 329 +35 53 42 5 1 38
4 South Africa Cheetahs 13 6 0 7 342 280 +62 48 32 5 2 32
5 Wales Dragons 15 5 1 9 283 415 –132 32 49 1 1 24
6 Italy Zebre 15 3 1 11 230 399 –169 29 56 4 3 21
7 Wales Ospreys 15 2 2 11 205 375 –170 21 45 1 4 17
Conference B
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP PTS
1 Scotland Edinburgh (SF) 15 11 0 4 391 225 +166 47 27 5 2 51
2 Ireland Munster (SF) 15 10 0 5 426 255 +171 53 26 8 3 51
3 Wales Scarlets 15 10 0 5 354 274 +80 46 34 5 2 47
4 Ireland Connacht 15 8 0 7 302 360 –58 41 48 7 1 40
5 Italy Benetton 15 6 1 8 309 350 –41 35 42 5 5 36
6 Wales Cardiff Blues 15 7 0 8 283 327 –44 30 38 3 2 33
7 South Africa Southern Kings 13 1 0 12 204 498 –294 23 75 0 3 7
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order - [58]
  1. number of matches won
  2. the difference between points for and points against
  3. the number of tries scored
  4. the most points scored
  5. the difference between tries for and tries against
  6. the fewest red cards received
  7. the fewest yellow cards received
Green background indicates teams that compete in the Pro14 play-offs, and also earn a place in the 2020–21 European Champions Cup

Blue background indicates teams outside the play-off places that earn a place in the 2020–21 European Champions Cup
Red background indicates teams ineligible for European cup tournaments
Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2020–21 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
(CH) Champions. (RU) Runners-up. (SF) Losing semi-finalists. (Q) Qualified for Pro14 play-off semi-finals. (e) Cannot reach play-offs.

  1. ^ Ulster deducted 1 point for administration error regarding Ian Madigan. [57]

Round 1

28 September 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland39–9 Wales Dragons
Try: Botha 16' c
O'Donoghue 32' c
S. Daly 34' m
Bleyendaal 60' c
Barron 78' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/5) 17', 32', 61', 79'
Pen: Hanrahan (2/2) 24', 42'		 Report
Report		Pen: S. Davies (3/4) 2', 28', 39'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 10,878
Referee: Ben Blain ( SRU)

Round 2

5 October 2019
15:00
Southern Kings South Africa20–31 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Ungerer 41' c
Louw 77' c
Con: Catrakilis (2/2) 43', 78'
Pen: Catrakilis (2/3) 14', 26'		 Report
Report		Try: Haley 19' c
Mathewson 50' c
F. Wycherley 67' c
Botha 69' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/4) 21', 51', 67', 71'
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 9'
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Attendance: 3,115
Referee: Dan Jones ( WRU)

Round 3

11 October 2019
17:15
(1 BP) Cheetahs South Africa40–16 Ireland Munster
Try: NchΓ© 9' c
Pokomela 32' m
Small-Smith 45' c
Dweba 55' c
Wiese 71' c
Smith 80' c
Con: Pienaar (4/5) 10', 46', 56', 72'
Schoeman (1/1) 80'+1		 Report
Report		Try: Goggin 74' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 75'
Pen: Bleyendaal (3/4) 21', 27', 39'
Toyota Stadium
Attendance: 4,814
Referee: Mike Adamson ( SRU)

Round 4

25 October 2019
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland28–12 Wales Ospreys
Try: J. Cronin 16' c
Marshall 42' c
Haley 49' c
Botha 79' c
Con: Bleyendaal (3/3) 17', 43', 50'
Hanrahan (1/1) 80'		 Report
Report		Pen: Price (4/4) 32', 39', 48', 58'
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 7,311
Referee: Stuart Berry ( SARU)

Round 5

2 November 2019
19:35
Cardiff Blues Wales23–33 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Domachowski 40'+4 c
N. Williams 78' c
Con: Evans (1/1) 40'+4
Tovey (1/1) 79'
Pen: Evans (3/3) 7', 15', 47'		 Report
Report		Try: Cloete 23' c
Mathewson (2) 49' c, 66' m
Nash 59' m
Con: Hanrahan (2/4) 25', 50'
Pen: Hanrahan (3/3) 13', 31', 73'
Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 5,256
Referee: Stuart Berry ( SARU)

Round 6

9 November 2019
17:15
Munster Ireland22–16 Ireland Ulster (1 BP)
Try: Stander 14' c
R. Scannell 35' m
Conway 64' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 14'
Bleyendaal (1/2) 66'
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 25'		 Report
Report		Try: Herring 49' c
Con: Cooney (1/1) 51'
Pen: Cooney (3/4) 3', 19', 57'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 14,436
Referee: Frank Murphy ( IRFU)

Round 7

29 November 2019
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland16–18 Scotland Edinburgh
Try: O'Donnell 35' c
Con: Healy (1/1) 35'
Pen: Healy (3/3) 23', 41', 53'		 Report
Report		Try: Scott 1' c
Sau 62' m
Con: Van der Walt (1/1) 2'
Pen: Van der Walt (1/1) 20'
Hickey (1/1) 56'
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 7,580
Referee: Marius Mitrea ( FIR)

Round 8

21 December 2019
17:15
(1 BP) Connacht Ireland14–19 Ireland Munster
Try: J. Carty 72' m
Pen: C. Fitzgerald (3/3) 17', 28', 40'		 Report
Report		Try: O'Donoghue 24' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 25'
Pen: Hanrahan (4/4) 8', 20', 31', 44'
Galway Sportsgrounds
Attendance: 8,129
Referee: Andrew Brace ( IRFU)

Round 9

28 December 2019
18:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland6–13 Ireland Leinster
Pen: Hanrahan (2/2) 39', 45' Report
Report		Try: E. Byrne 9' c
Con: R. Byrne (1/1) 10'
Pen: R. Byrne (1/1) 22', 33'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 26,267
Referee: Frank Murphy ( IRFU)

Round 10

3 January 2020
19:35
(1 BP) Ulster Ireland38–17 Ireland Munster
Try: Cooney 17' c
Baloucoune 34' c
Mat. Rea 42' c
McCloskey 57' c
Stockdale 61' c
Con: Cooney (5/5) 18', 35', 43', 58', 62'
Pen: Cooney (1/1) 14'		 Report
Report		Try: S. Daly 9' c
N. Scannell 65' c
Con: Carbery (2/2) 10', 65'
Pen: Carbery (1/1) 39'
Kingspan Stadium
Attendance: 17,461
Referee: Dan Jones ( WRU)

Round 11

14 February 2020
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland68–3 South Africa Southern Kings
Try: Botha (3) 8' c, 28' c, 75' c
Nash 22' c
O'Donoghue 40'+1 c
Hodnett 49' c
N. Cronin 54' c
S. Daly (2) 60' c, 77' c
Goggin 73' m
Con: Hanrahan (6/6) 9', 23', 29', 40'+2, 50', 55'
Healy (3/4) 62', 76', 78'		 Report
Report		Pen: Catrakilis (1/1) 16'
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 6,854
Referee: Nikoloz Amashukeli ( GRU)

Round 12

21 February 2020
19:35
Zebre Italy0–28 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Report
Report		Try: Nash 10' c
Hanrahan 52' c
R. Scannell 56' c
Sweetnam 73' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/4) 12', 53', 58', 74'
Stadio Giovanni Mari
Attendance: 3,300
Referee: Dan Jones ( WRU)

Round 13

29 February 2020
17:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland29–10 Wales Scarlets
Try: O'Sullivan 34' c
Holland 51' m
G. Coombes (2) 71' c, 80'+4 c
Con: Hanrahan (3/4) 35', 73', 80'+5
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 23'		 Report
Report		Try: Sebastian 60' c
Con: D. Jones (1/1) 61'
Pen: D. Jones (1/1) 7'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 13,554
Referee: Mike Adamson ( SRU)

Round 14

22 August 2020
19:35
Leinster Ireland27–25 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Healy 19' c
Ringrose 39' c
Lowe 50' c
Con: Sexton (3/3) 21', 40', 52'
Pen: Sexton (1/1) 31'
R. Byrne (1/1) 69'		 Report
Report		Try: Conway (2) 12' c, 71' m
Earls 64' c
Con: Hanrahan (2/3) 13', 65'
Pen: Hanrahan (2/2) 26', 35'
Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 0 [a]
Referee: Andrew Brace ( IRFU)

Round 15

30 August 2020
15:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland49–12 Ireland Connacht
Try: Cloete 8' c
Penalty try 15' c
Loughman 36' c
Beirne 49' c
Conway (2) 51' c, 53' c
J. Cronin 67' c
Con: Hanrahan (5/5) 9', 37', 50', 51', 55'
R. Scannell (1/1) 68'		 Report
Report		Try: Aki 40'+7
Murphy 70' m
Con: C. Fitzgerald (1/1) 40'+8
Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 0 [a]
Referee: Frank Murphy ( IRFU)

Semi-final

4 September 2020
19:35
Leinster Ireland13–3 Ireland Munster
Try: R. Kelleher 27' c
Con: Sexton (1/1) 28'
Pen: Sexton (2/3) 40', 67'		 Report
Report		Pen: Hanrahan (1/3) 5'
Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 0 [a]
Referee: Andrew Brace ( IRFU)

2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup

Main article: 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, Switzerland on Wednesday 19 June 2019, [59] and were drawn in pool 4 alongside defending champions Saracens, Racing 92, who count former Munster players Donnacha Ryan and Simon Zebo amongst their squad, and fellow Pro14 side Ospreys. [60]

Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
France Racing 92 (5) 6 4 1 1 194 126 68 26 15 4 1 23
England Saracens (8) 6 4 0 2 121 88 33 13 10 1 1 18
Ireland Munster 6 3 1 2 124 97 27 13 10 2 0 16
Wales Ospreys 6 0 0 6 83 211 –128 11 28 1 1 2

[61]

Round 1

16 November 2019
17:30
Ospreys Wales13–32 Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: A. Davies 77' c
Con: Price (1/1) 78'
Pen: Price (2/2) 7', 28'		 ReportTry: Loughman 33' c
Earls 49' m
Conway 51' c
J. Cronin 80'+4
Con: Bleyendaal (3/4) 34', 52', 80'+5
Pen: Bleyendaal (2/2) 15', 19'
Liberty Stadium
Attendance: 7,295
Referee: Karl Dickson ( RFU)

Round 2

23 November 2019
17:30
Munster Ireland21–21 France Racing 92
Try: Earls 39' m
Conway 74' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/2) 75'
Pen: Hanrahan (3/3) 8', 26', 46'		 ReportTry: Russell 18' c
Thomas 28' c
Imhoff 47' c
Con: Iribaren (3/3) 19', 29', 48'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 25,600
Referee: Matthew Carley ( RFU)

Round 3

7 December 2019
17:30
Munster Ireland10–3 England Saracens (1 BP)
Try: O'Mahony 30' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 31'
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 17'		 ReportPen: Spencer (1/3) 36'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 25,034
Referee: Romain Poite ( FFR)

Round 4

14 December 2019
15:00
Saracens England15–6 Ireland Munster
Try: Maitland 65' m
Mak. Vunipola 71' c
Con: Farrell (1/2) 72'
Pen: Farrell (1/2) 7'		 ReportPen: Hanrahan (2/3) 24', 43'
Allianz Park
Attendance: 8,500
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère ( FFR)

Round 5

12 January 2020
15:15
(1 BP) Racing 92 France39–22 Ireland Munster
Try: Thomas (2) 28' m, 71' m
Vakatawa 76' c
Imhoff 80' c
Con: Machenaud (2/3) 77', 80'+2
Pen: Iribaren (5/5) 19', 32', 46', 53', 57'		 ReportTry: Conway 37' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 38'
Pen: Hanrahan (5/6) 3', 10', 17', 49', 63'
Paris La DΓ©fense Arena
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Wayne Barnes ( RFU)

Round 6

19 January 2020
13:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland33–6 Wales Ospreys
Try: Stander (2) 30' c, 77' c
Archer 39' c
Murray 46' m
Casey 58' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/5) 31', 40', 59', 78'		 ReportPen: Price (2/2) 7', 13'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 19,891
Referee: Mathieu Raynal ( FFR)

2019–20 Munster A season

2019–20 Celtic Cup

Main article: 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. [62] Munster A finished 6th in the tournament with 13 points, 2 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats.

Round 1

23 August 2019
19:30
Munster A Ireland20–20 Wales Ospreys Development
Report
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 200
Referee: Chris Busby ( IRFU)

Round 2

30 August 2019
19:00
(1 BP) Dragons A Wales36–10 Ireland Munster A
Report
Rodney Parade

Round 3

6 September 2019
19:30
Munster A Ireland21–47 Ireland Leinster A (1 BP)
Report
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 200
Referee: Jonny Erskine ( IRFU)

Round 4

14 September 2019
13:00
(1 BP) Connacht Eagles Ireland38–27 Ireland Munster A
Report
Galway Sportsgrounds
Referee: Chris Busby ( IRFU)

Round 5

20 September 2019
18:00
(1 BP) Munster A Ireland28–7 Wales Cardiff Blues A
Report
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 150
Referee: Stuart Gaffikin ( IRFU)

Round 6

28 September 2019
13:00
(1 BP) Scarlets A Wales46–28 Ireland Munster A (1 BP)
Report
Carmarthen Park
Referee: Elgan Williams ( WRU)

Round 7

4 October 2019
17:00
Ulster A Ireland12–31 Ireland Munster A (1 BP)
Report
Shaw's Bridge
Referee: Peter Martin ( IRFU)

Friendlies

Challenge Match

13 December 2019
19:30
Leinster A Ireland33–39 Ireland Munster A
Report
Energia Park

Annual Ireland U20 match

29 December 2019
13:00
Munster A Ireland27–43 Ireland Ireland U20
Report
Irish Independent Park

Interpro

18 January 2020
13:00
Munster A Ireland52–14 Ireland Connacht Eagles
Report
Thomond Park (back pitch)

Notes

  1. ^ a b c This game was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions.

References

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External links

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