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.

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Munster will play the English Premiership side at 15:00 in Limerick in front of a half-capacity stadium. This will be their first match in Thomond Park this season and they are happy to welcome back fans.

This match is part of the government’s pilot event for fans returning to games and will be subject to government approval.

Munster Rugby Supporters Club members, Season Ticket Holders, and 10-Year Ticket Holders have already received emails about how they can avail of tickets first.

While the majority of tickets will be allocated across these groups, they are also offering a number of tickets free of charge to frontline healthcare workers in recognition of their efforts over the last 18 months.

In order to apply for the tickets frontline healthcare staff, please follow this link:
Ticket Update | Munster v Bath

𝑻𝒓𝒚-𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆

Watch a selection of #MunsterRugby tries from last season – from fantastic backline moves and 22-metre mauls to lethal counter-attacks and moments of individual brilliance #SUAF pic.twitter.com/fcVFk3um92

— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) August 17, 2021

Any further availability of match tickets for general sale will be reviewed once the priority distribution groups have been facilitated during their access periods.

Tickets can only be purchased online via registered accounts and will not be available at the gate.

Tickets will be available on Ticketmaster and will be non-transferable due to contact tracing measures.

In order to access the stadium, a number of new measures will be implemented to ensure a safe environment for all supporters, players, and staff.

All supporters attending Thomond Park Stadium will be required to comply with Covid-19 Guidelines prior to, during, and after the match.

Take look back at the leading lights in a very special @Munsterrugby team

European Cup winners in both 2006 and 2008, the Irish province were a serious force to be reckoned with

Munster key men https://t.co/Kn9OnghiYT pic.twitter.com/PyjLhwEbsn

— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) August 16, 2021

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Munster host Bath at Thomond Park on Saturday, September 4, before travelling to Devon for a clash with Exeter Chiefs the following Saturday, September 11.

Both games kick-off at 3pm. They will provide preparation for the  the first round of United Rugby Championship fixtures scheduled for the final weekend of September.

Ticket details for the home game with Bath will be confirmed.

Saturday 4th September
Munster v Bath, Thomond Park, 3pm.
Ticket details to follow.

Saturday 11th September
Exeter Chiefs v Munster, Sandy Park, 3pm.

Tickets for the away game at Exeter are available at www.exeterchiefs.co.uk.

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