Munster Name 38-Man Squad for Pre-Season Clash with Bath at Virgin Media Park
Munster Rugby have announced a 38-man squad for Friday’s highly anticipated pre-season clash against English Premiership champions Bath at Virgin Media Park.
Kick-off is 7pm, with tickets available now via munsterrugby.ie. Fans unable to attend can catch all the action live on Access Munster, with exclusive live streaming.
Five Ireland internationals — Tom Ahern, Craig Casey, Gavin Coombes, Alex Kendellen and Michael Milne — are set to make their first appearances of the new campaign. Ahern, Kendellen, and Milne will wear the red jersey for the first time since making their Ireland debuts this summer.
This fixture will be an extended 90-minute contest, with breaks after 30 and 60 minutes instead of a traditional half-time.
Two separate Munster line-ups have been named to split the game-time evenly, with a further eight players listed as replacements.
Supporters will also get their first look at new signings JJ Hanrahan, Dan Kelly, and Conor Ryan in their first home appearance since joining during the summer.
Young talents Conor Bartley and Academy flanker Michael Foy are in line for their senior Munster debuts, while Ben O’Connor, Fionn Gibbons, Gordon Wood, and Ronan Foxe will make their first appearances of the 2025/26 campaign.
Six Munster Rugby Academy players are included: Michael Foy, Ben O’Connor, Gordon Wood, Ronan Foxe, Max Clein, and Seán Edogbo, highlighting the province’s commitment to developing homegrown talent.
Veteran hooker Niall Scannell will once again captain Munster, as he did against Gloucester, while Craig Casey will lead the side for the first time when he takes the field.
The squad will also showcase Munster’s brand-new adidas home jersey, giving fans a first look ahead of the United Rugby Championship campaign.
Munster Teams for Bath Clash
Team 1:
Shane Daly; Andrew Smith, Seán O’Brien, Dan Kelly, Diarmuid Kilgallen; JJ Hanrahan, Ethan Coughlan; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell (C), Oli Jager; Evan O’Connell, Tom Ahern; Ruadhán Quinn, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.
Team 2:
Mike Haley; Ben O’Connor, Fionn Gibbons, Gordon Wood, Thaakir Abrahams; Tony Butler, Craig Casey (C); Michael Milne, Lee Barron, John Ryan; Conor Ryan, Fineen Wycherley; Jack O’Donoghue, John Hodnett, Brian Gleeson.
Replacements:
Max Clein, Mark Donnelly, Conor Bartley, Ronan Foxe, Michael Foy, Seán Edogbo, Paddy Patterson, Shay McCarthy.
