Bleyendaal Reflects On Season Start

As he prepares for his first competitive outing at Thomond Park this Friday, we catch up with playmaker Tyler Bleyendaal.

With two PRO12 appearances under his belt – including his first League start against Ospreys – the former New Zealand U20 captain reflects on his first taste of northern hemisphere competition.

“It’s great, the PRO12 is a tough competition and I guess some of the sides have lost a number of their key players for now but the depth of the squads seems to be great and everyone still plays with a lot of excitement. You get to visit other countries. It was my first time to Wales and I really enjoyed it. The competition seems like it’s going to be very competitive.

“In comparison to New Zealand, it’s just played in a slightly different way I guess. Back home there’s a big attack focus whereas here it’s set-piece and slightly more kicking. But I feel like the competition and the teams are opening up to use the ball a bit more and when we defend now you have a lot more things to think about. We’re developing our attack nicely as well.”

With good strength in depth in the squad, Head Coach Anthony Foley yesterday spoke about his welcome selection headaches ahead of Friday’s clash against Glasgow Warriors, while Bleyendaal himself is also enjoying the current competition for places.

“I love it. Myself and Keats get on great and we challenge each other. It’s a squad, we’re gonna both have opportunities at 10 and we might both have opportinites at 12 as well. We might play together sometimes and it’s great to keep each other on our toes and we can learn from each other. When we’re on the field we just have to perform.”

Be at Thomond Park this Friday to see Tyler and Munster face Glasgow Warriors – in a repeat of last year’s Final – in Round 3 of the Guinness PRO12 at 6pm.

Tickets from just €;20 for Adults and €;7 for Juniors can be purchased online here, from the Munster Rugby Ticket Offices at Irish Independent Park and Thomond Park, or by calling 0818 719 300.