'There's been some phenomenal performances' - Munster's young guns backed to deliver in Dublin

EIGHT OF THE Munster matchday 23 selected for tomorrow’s Aviva Stadium clash with Leinster [KO 6pm] are aged 23 or younger.

If Clayton McMillan’s side are to win in Dublin for the second season running, those young guns will need to do something special against an in-form Leinster side which is once again stacked with international quality.

While there is a fairly settled look to Leinster’s strongest selections, Munster are in a different place, with a host of young players starting to force their way into the picture on a more regular basis. Some are taking the next step in their development after a couple of seasons in Munster red, while others are newer on the scene and still only winning their first few caps for the province.

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In the Munster backline, Ben O’Connor (22) and Shay McCarthy (23) start in the back three, with Charlie O’Shea (20) getting the vote at out-half for the second week running.

Hooker Max Clein (23), flanker Seán Edogbo (22) and back row Brian Gleeson (22) are set to be sprung from the Munster bench, while scrum-half Ben O’Donovan (21) and centre Gordon Wood (22) are among the backline replacements.

Earlier this season, forwards coach Jimmy Duffy said he wanted to see the province’s young players “create their space in history as opposed to looking back.” With that in mind, he’s been pleased with he’s seen so far.

“You want people to get forward and take their opportunities when they’re there,” says Duffy, who was forced to retire from playing due to a heart condition when he was just 21.

“I’m a testament to it, rugby careers can be really short and in a fleeting moment you’ve got 100 caps or no caps. So when you do get presented with some opportunities it’s really important that they do capitalise on it.

“I’ve enjoyed watching them grow. There’s been some phenomenal performances, like Charlie’s getting all the lollipops at the moment. It’s fantastic to see, in the door, gets an opportunity, takes it.

Seán Edogbo starts on the Munster bench this weekend. Source: Nick Elliott/INPHO

“You mention Seán (Edogbo), there’s guys there sticking their hands up all over the place. Maxi (Clein) getting involved on the weekend off the bench against a big club, which is brilliant for a young hooker to come off the bench and experience that for a couple of minutes.”

As Duffy highlights, O’Shea has gathered most of the headlines, delivering another impressive display as he made his first Champions Cup start against Racing last weekend.

“There’s been a lot of chatter around him, but he’s an easy one to single out,” says centre Alex Nankivell.

“To see him come in and just be amazing for a young fella, play like a seasoned pro is pretty cool. Long may they continue into the future.

“You’d think you might need to rein him in a bit, but he’s pretty good at doing it himself. He’s a very mature young fella, and he’s very aware of how he can play, but also how the team needs to play too to be successful on the field.

“You might see one or two things constructively to him in training or in the game, but it’s very rare you’re having a deep conversation about something that needs to change, because he’s just got such a good feel for the game. He does a lot of homework.

“He comes in and he drives meetings and stuff around our attack and our strategy. To be honest, you don’t really need to help him too much. He’s a class operator. Hopefully he just continues to grow and keep doing what he’s doing.”

Not that it’s all down to the kids. Summer signings Marnus van der Merwe and Kieran Brookes have both made notable impacts in the Munster pack, and the two start in the front row this weekend.

Marnus Van Der Merwe has made a great start to his Munster career. Source: Tom O'Hanlon/INPHO

Improving Munster’s pack and developing a greater set-piece threat had been a key target coming out of the disappointing 2025/26 campaign. And while some of those fresher faces have helped energise Munster’s pack, the more experienced new recruits have brought some welcome muscle.

“We’ve probably given the lads a lot of responsibility to take control of your own area,” Duffy explains.

Munster forwards coach Jimmy Duffy. Source: Nick Elliott/INPHO

“We put a lot of work into it, to be honest with you. We work very hard and we talk about it a lot. I think work ethic is number one. Just have a clear idea of what we want to do and the identity we want to create.  We just work very, very hard at trying to chip away at that every week.”

Duffy joined Munster as forwards coach over the summer, and as part of his role takes charge of the province’s scrum work. The former Connacht and Ulster coach explains his outlook on coaching the scrum.

“A lot of it actually has come through players that I’ve worked with. Good humans who have a really good outlook on education, I suppose, is the big thing because I was pretty green when I came into the job, which every coach would be.

“But you learn on the fly, and you find out what works for people as opposed to… there’s a certain amount of technical expertise which you have to upskill on, but then dealing with the person is a massive part.

“A lot of people gloss over that. Technical stuff can hide a lot of the stuff that you miss when you’re dealing with a human. We all have different abilities and levels of experience.

“Sometimes you get players who are bloody good at it,” he adds.

“From my experience in a couple of places, (focus on the scrum) it’s always been top of the pile. You have periods where you’re going really well and you have periods where you get your minerals.

“The big thing is not to ride the wave. As long as you’re looking at where you want to go and what you’re trying to develop. I suppose building a culture of loving the scrum is the big thing, very much with the young players. That’s what we’re trying to drive here with young players.”

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