Munchin’s Trio All Set

History will be made on Monday in Thomond Park when triplets line out in the Munster Schools Senior Cup final for the first time since the beginning of the competition in 1909.

The ‘Ryan’ triplets Gavin, Evan and Darren, sons of ex Munster player Ray Ryan and current Munster U19 representatives, will line up in the St. Munchin’s pack to face cup holders Rockwell College. This will be the third meeting of the two schools in the final since Munchin’s first appearance in the competition back in 1932.

St. Munchin’s College last won the Munster Schools Senior Cup in 2006 captained by current Ireland club international hooker Ger Slattery. Munchin’s will be chasing their 6th title this year with Rockwell College seeking their 25th, and their second in a row.

Lee Nicholas, St. Munchin’s captain is confident his side are well prepared for the challenge stating “there is a lot of belief amongst the squad with lots of talent and ability” he goes on to say “we just have to perform on the day like we did against PBC in the semi final and continue to do a lot of work through our pack”.

Commenting on past St. Munchin’s players Nicholas stated “not everyone gets to line out in the same jersey as players like Keith Wood, Keith Earls, Conor Murray and Donnacha Ryan who have all sent us messages of support which means a lot. These are players who have been there and done it which has given us a huge boost for all our cup matches”.

Nicholas is under no illusion that they have a massive challenge in front of them in Thomond Park. He said “we played Rockwell in the city league back in October and it was an extremely physical encounter, so we expect the final to be the same. They run the ball wide well and run it from deep and they also have a strong lineout and scrum to work off”. He goes on to say “we have shown in our previous games we have a very organised and effective pack who are strong and fit, we have a powerful backline also who aren’t afraid to use the ball. Our defence is also strong having conceded just one try in the cup campaign thus far”.

St. Munchin’s College have plenty of talent throughout their squad including four Munster U19 players, the Ryan triplets and Daniel Montgomery. They also have four players involved in the Munster Schools (U18) squad including captain Lee Nicholas, Ryan Tsang, Cormac O’Donnell and Dan Goggin.

Head Coach John Broderick believes his side are well prepared and feels they can go all the way on Monday. “We are delighted to get to the final with a young relatively inexperienced side. We really thought next year would be their year as we had a two year plan in place. They are a very dedicated group who take their sport and studies seriously and have been a pleasure to work with and have responded brilliantly to the huge demands placed on them”.

St. Munchin’s Road To The Final

First Round: Castletroy College 3 St Munchin’s College 22 (Dooradoyle)
Quarter Final: St. Munchins’s College 12 Ard Scoil Ris 6 (Clanwilliam Park)
Semi Final: PBC 13 St. Munchin’s College 17 (Templehill)

Final: St.Munchin’s College v Rockwell College, Thomond Park ko 3pm

* Admission Costs to final: €;10 Adult – €;5 Students & OAPS – Gates open 2pm