Conor Murray Slams Munster Recruitment – Full List of Signings from CJ Stander to Alex Nankivell

Conor Murray has delivered a scathing assessment of Munster’s recruitment policy in recent seasons, accusing the province of being “far too conservative” with their spending and failing to replace iconic figures like Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell.

“Rog was a world-class 10, with a huge personality and the pure willpower to drive his team to those legendary heights.
He had an incredible pack in front of him, driven by another world-class player in Paul O’Connell.
Did we ever replace them? Of course we didn’t.
You just won’t get away with it in Europe if you don’t pack your squad with really formidable, world-class operators.
Financially, I think we were far too conservative, we ended up skimping on the talent that’s needed to win the big one.
Or, maybe it was just a basic lack of ambition, I don’t know.”

Murray even cites the province’s shock defeat to Zebre in 2024 as a glaring example of where, in his view, Munster’s lack of squad depth and top-end recruitment left them exposed.

Munster Rugby Signings: 2010–2025

When you look back at Munster’s signings over the last 15 years, it’s a mixed bag of world-class operators, solid professionals, and some who simply never delivered.

2010/11

Johne Murphy, Sam Tuipulotu, Peter Borlase, Wian du Preez

2011/12

BJ Botha, Will Chambers

2012/13

James Downey, Sean Dougall, Casey Laulala, CJ Stander

2013/14

Andrew Conway, Gerhard van der Heever

2014/15

Eusebio Guinazu, Robin Copeland, Tyler Bleyendaal, Andrew Smith

2015/16

Francis Saili, Mario Sagario, Lucas Amorosino, Mark Chisholm, Sean Doyle

2016/17

Thomas du Toit, Jean Deysel, Rhys Marshall, Jaco Taute, Jean Kleyn, Sammy Arnold, Jean Andress

2017/18

Chris Farrell, JJ Hanrahan, James Hart, Chris Cloete, Gerbrandt Grobler, Jeremy Loughman, Ciaran Parker

2018/19

Tadhg Beirne, Mike Haley, Joey Carbery, Alby Mathewson, Arno Botha

2019/20

Jed Holloway, Nick McCarthy

2020/21

RG Snyman, Damian de Allende, Matt Gallagher, Roman Salanoa

2021/22

Jason Jenkins, Rowan Osborne, Simon Zebo, Paddy Patterson, Declan Moore

2022/23

Antoine Frisch, John Ryan, Malakai Fekitoa, Chris Moore, Oli Morris

2023/24

Alex Nankivell, Oli Jager, Sean O’Brien

2024/25

Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Billy Burns, Thaakir Abrahams, Andrew Smith, Lee Barron, Michael Milne

The Verdict

Murray’s criticism will sting for Munster fans who have endured years of near misses and painful European exits. While names like CJ Stander, Tadhg Beirne, and Damian de Allende were inspired additions, the squad turnover has also featured journeymen and short-term solutions who struggled to make a lasting impact.

With the URC becoming more competitive every year and Leinster, Stormers, and Toulouse all boasting deep, star-studded squads, Murray’s words raise an uncomfortable question: have Munster been aiming high enough to reclaim their place at the top table of European rugby?