Stephen Archer To Hit 300 Munster Caps This Weekend

A cornerstone of the Munster pack for almost 16 years, Stephen Archer is set to make a remarkable 300th appearance in red in Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup quarter-final against Bordeaux-Begles.

The Cork man became the province’s record appearance holder against Leinster in November 2023.

A hugely popular member of the Munster squad, the incredibly durable tighthead prop made his debut against Edinburgh at Murrayfield almost 16 years ago in October 2009.

A Cork native and product of the Munster Rugby Academy, Archer played schools rugby with CBC and has lined out for UCC and Cork Constitution in the All Ireland League.

He was an All Ireland League winner with Cork Con in 2010 and moved on to a senior contract at the start of 2011/12, making 18 appearances that campaign.

His first European Cup appearance was off the bench against Castres in Thomond Park in January 2012, and his first Irish senior cap came as a replacement against Italy in the 2013 Six Nations in Rome, with his second against Australia in the 2013 Guinness Series.

Incredibly, he has made 15 or more appearances in 12 of the last 13 seasons, including 20 or more in eight campaigns.

Archie made 28 appearances in the 2017/18 campaign, including his 150th appearance against Ulster and went one better the following year with his 29 appearances out of 32 games more than any other Munster man.

He became the 11th player to reach the 200-cap milestone for Munster against Edinburgh at Musgrave Park in 2019 and became our second most-capped player of all time on his 248th appearance against Ulster in 2022.

In 15 games during the 2022/23 he proved his worth once again and played a pivotal role in the URC title win.

Last season, he hit high numbers once again with 21 appearances as Munster topped the URC table and reached the semi-finals. That season also included his record breaking 269th Munster appearance as he overtook Donncha O’Callaghan as the province’s most capped player.

So far this season, Archie has made 15 appearances including last weekend’s memorable win against La Rochelle.