Denis Leamy, the coach of Munster, shared his expectations that South African World Cup champ RG Snyman, despite recent illness, will be available for the imminent Champions Cup last-16 fixture against Northampton Saints, the reigning leaders of the Premiership, set to occur at Franklin’s Gardens on the coming Sunday at half-past twelve.
However, there’s less optimism surrounding Calvin Nash’s availability, owing to a calf injury he sustained while playing against Scotland in the final match of the Six Nations, helping Ireland clinch the title. During a training session at the University of Limerick’s high-performance centre on Wednesday, Nash remained absent. Leamy admitted that the odds of Nash’s recovery in time for Sunday’s match are rather bleak, with a less than even chance.
Several other squad members have also succumbed to injuries; namely, Oli Jager, Fineen Wycherley, Dave Kilcoyne, Diarmuid Barron, Roman Salanoa, Jean Kleyn, Paddy Patterson, Liam Coombes, and Patrick Campbell. Additionally, Brian Gleeson, an academy backrow forward, continues to recover from ankle surgery undertaken last month.
Concurrently, Gleeson has just inked his initial professional contract with Munster, guaranteeing his tenure for the next two seasons. Discussing Peter O’Mahony, the captain for Ireland, Leamy disclosed that an announcement regarding O’Mahony’s future was imminent. O’Mahony’s central contract is due to expire this season end, however, an offer from Munster, further supplemented by the Union, has been put forth. Leamy anticipates a decision will be reached shortly.
O’Mahony’s companion from the Munster and Irish teams, Conor Murray, also 34, has ratified a similar contract for one year, a development that Leamy commended. “Like all players who play into their 30s, he has required some fortune with injuries too. Conor has also faced injuries, but has made a commendable recovery. He has had an impressive career for Munster, Ireland, the Lions, and is undoubtedly one of the best players I have ever played with. Over the past quarter of a century, his talent has been remarkable,” he expressed.
Though Northampton was down to 14 men prior to half-time, they clinched a well-earned victory against their opponents with a 26-23 scoreline in the pool round at Thomond Park in January. “It’s a formidable challenge; they are an excellent attacking team. We have inferred as much from our matches against them in the recent past,” he commented.
“They are well-coordinated and boast exceptional players such as Alex Mitchell, as well as power players like [Juarno] Augustus, [Curtis] Langdon, and Courtney Lawes. They are players of immense skill who can pose significant challenges. The prowess that Fin Smith, at 10, possesses, indicates that there will be trials everywhere on the field. Our main focus should be on our performance.
In terms of defence, we’ve been fairly efficient this season. I believe we have conceded the minimum number of goals in our domestic league, and we must focus on this and rely on our principles and decision-making, and inject some intensity and vigour into our game. We are hoping to remain competitive,” elaborated Leamy.