Munster 2015/2016

[Peg Leg]

If muster are let spend a big wedge on a tighthead then nucifora can sling his hook imo

[rookie]

Erasmus, unlike Penny, will certainly have a free hand to impose a new style of play in Munster. Keith Wood et al will not be able to campaign in the media for his removal on the basis that his style ' is just not the Munster way'.

I hope you're right. Although, i'll bet he'll try!

[cormac]

Munster have lined up a match against the Maori next November

[olaf the fat]

Munster have lined up a match against the Maori next November

I know they need cash and this may be brand & sponsor driven, but November has international, pro 12 and champs cup games. What players will be available for this Friday night game? a mix of 2nd and 3rd string players that wont be a big draw.

Seems a bit of a hindrance to them in next season. All hands will need to be available and as fresh as possible to hunt for Pro12 or CCup points, way more valuable than the Maori scalp.

How do the munster fans rate the prospects of such a game?

[Dave Cahill]

I hope its as successful as the game against the All Blacks, on and off the field.

[blockhead]

This Maori game could be the "dig-out" that they were looking for from the IRFU. 25,000 tickets sold could net them a cool E750K. Winning the game is irrelevant.

[simonokeeffe]

Its a Friday night so doubt theyve another fixture that week or weekend

[R-Dog]

This Maori game could be the "dig-out" that they were looking for from the IRFU. 25,000 tickets sold could net them a cool E750K. Winning the game is irrelevant.

Will the Maoris be looking for a fee though to play the game?

(also thing your overestimating things by a good bit there with both €30 average price and 25000 sales)

Either what it is a few 100K that is much needed to pop up the coffers

[blockhead]

This Maori game could be the "dig-out" that they were looking for from the IRFU. 25,000 tickets sold could net them a cool E750K. Winning the game is irrelevant.

Will the Maoris be looking for a fee though to play the game?

(also thing your overestimating things by a good bit there with both €30 average price and 25000 sales)

Either what it is a few 100K that is much needed to pop up the coffers

Maybe I am but there is more than just ticket sales for such a big occasion. So they will still pocket a big wedge.

Or will they.....
Garret Fitz said..

“In what will be a first encounter for these sides we are really looking forward to the fixture and would like to thank NZR and the IRFU for their efforts in bringing negotiations to a successful conclusion.”

[cormac]

Munster have lined up a match against the Maori next November

I know they need cash and this may be brand & sponsor driven, but November has international, pro 12 and champs cup games. What players will be available for this Friday night game? a mix of 2nd and 3rd string players that wont be a big draw.

Seems a bit of a hindrance to them in next season. All hands will need to be available and as fresh as possible to hunt for Pro12 or CCup points, way more valuable than the Maori scalp.

How do the munster fans rate the prospects of such a game?

There won't be any Champions Cup games in November next season and there's no Pro12 rugby that weekend. It is the day before Ireland play Canada so they'll be missing their international contingent but they'll be able to put out a team similar to the ones they've fielded against New Zealand and Australia in the last decade.

[munster#1]

Some more good news.

A match like this could net Munster enough money to sign a very good player. I am very happy with the irfu right now. First they write off our debt, and now they allow us to host a match that should be close to a sell out.

[Dexter]

Munster lost one game more than Leinster did this season, which kind of puts both teams season into context.

Not really into context, as they played Treviso four times.
They did have a 13-9 record in the league though, so definitely deserve top 6, 7th place Cardiff were 11-11. I remember one year Munster getting into the playoffs with a 9-9 record, so there have been worse league campaigns in terms of win %.
Agree on the back line and there's definitely a top 4 team there, at least - it'll be interesting to see how things go with the new coaching setup.

[blockhead]

Some more good news.

A match like this could net Munster enough money to sign a very good player. I am very happy with the irfu right now. First they write off our debt, and now they allow us to host a match that should be close to a sell out.

Its about time too. Munster is a basket case by all accounts. Somebody from Dublin needed to go down there and sort ye out.

[Dave Cahill]

How many times is this that they've claimed that the IRFU have written off their debt? The stadium opened, what, 7 years ago, so six times?

[olaf the fat]

Munster have lined up a match against the Maori next November

I know they need cash and this may be brand & sponsor driven, but November has international, pro 12 and champs cup games. What players will be available for this Friday night game? a mix of 2nd and 3rd string players that wont be a big draw.

Seems a bit of a hindrance to them in next season. All hands will need to be available and as fresh as possible to hunt for Pro12 or CCup points, way more valuable than the Maori scalp.

How do the munster fans rate the prospects of such a game?

There won't be any Champions Cup games in November next season and there's no Pro12 rugby that weekend. It is the day before Ireland play Canada so they'll be missing their international contingent but they'll be able to put out a team similar to the ones they've fielded against New Zealand and Australia in the last decade.

Good deal on their part so. well done Munster

[hugonaut]

It has the potential to bring in a lot of money, which is why it's going ahead. Their CFO has talked in the past about how they apply for a 'midweek' game against a touring side in November every year, and have been turned down every year by the IRFU because the latter fear it will impinge on ticket sales for the November tests.

Munster are in significant debt at the moment, and from Munster's perspective it is a great option to make a dent in that without being seen to go to the union with a begging bowl. Both establishment and supporters prize their record against touring teams and the spectacle makes them feel special. They could fill Thomond with supporters paying €20 a head and take in €500k+ [minus the Maori's match fee, which would be six figures].

From the non-financial, non-Munster perspective, there's no reason whatsoever to recommend it. Munster are the worst province in the country at the moment [in terms of their standing in the Pro12, their record in this season's interprovincial fixtures and their overall win-loss record this season, i.e. pretty much every quantifiable metric] so to put them out as a representative province and to allow them a big pay-day is ridiculous. It's a reward for under-performing.

I would be much happier if the IRFU were to act like a well-run company and offer incentives and rewards for achieving tasks which they have put to the provinces. For example, offer the reward of a mid-week game against a touring team [and the resultant six-figure pay-out] to whichever provincial side fielded the most Irish-qualified academy players for the most minutes of gametime in the Pro12 [regular season] the preceding season.

That would be a significant incentive to the coaching and executive staff to expose younger players, which is something that Nucifora [in particular] and Schmidt are particularly keen on. Play younger players more often and you get a nice midweek game under lights against a decent international touring team [with your team largely composed of those young players]. On the basis of this season, Connacht would have got the nod just in front of Leinster. Nobody would begrudge them it either.

Unfortunately, the union just think that every single edict has to be carried out with the stick [as opposed to the carrot] and that for the most part Irish rugby fans shouldn't be told why decisions are made, or who makes them.

[COYBIB]

Would the IRFU not have preferred 52,000 tickets sold? They prop up Munster anyway, so could send the money down anyway, but with more left over for everyone else, plus the small matter of letting the Leinster fans play against one of the big three southern hemisphere sides for the first time in a quarter of a century... not in the life time of many, many fans who attend the RDS week in and week out, whilst we just signed a player who's still dining out on their last big southern hemisphere clash, how recent it is.

Very disappointing, Leinster historically get snubbed for all the touring games as traditionally the Dublin leg of the tour was reserved for the match with the national team, but in modern tours it's very different.

I have absolutely zero doubt this would have sold out the Aviva.

Having said all that, this is an IRFU call and I'm happy for Munster that at least somebody gets to play these exhibition matches, one of the sadly many great aspects of the game lost to professionalism. (many great aspect gain too, of course).

It would have been nice if the Fiji and Barbarians game was instead those two teams against provinces also.

[Dave Cahill]

If theres a spare couple of hundred grand knocking around, I'd rather it was spent on the team and not on massaging my ego

[munster#1]

Munster have a very good tradition of playing these touring sides, and playing well, registering some very impressive victories.

You just have to do a short search to see how well the last all blacks match was received in NZ. And having met many kiwis, I have been surprised about how many know about the 1978 game.

Having a strong tradition of providing competitive opposition and a great atmosphere, and a world class stadium is probably worth more than current standing in a league that not many outside of Europe would be aware of.

[blockhead]

Munster have a very good tradition of playing these touring sides, and playing well, registering some very impressive victories.

You just have to do a short search to see how well the last all blacks match was received in NZ. And having met many kiwis, I have been surprised about how many know about the 1978 game.

Having a strong tradition of providing competitive opposition and a great atmosphere, and a world class stadium is probably worth more than current standing in a league that not many outside of Europe would be aware of.

Ah yes, yesteryear. These days though, Munster are the sick man of Irish rugby. They need a lot of help. Agree with a previous poster about playing it in the Aviva. Twice the return. The money the Munster branch get from this they would have got anyway from the IRFU. This way however its not leeched off the other 3 provinces.