MUNSTER FANS WILL be hoping there are more transfer announcements to come ahead of next season, but the southern province confirmed two of their new recruits yesterday in the shape of John Andress and Darren O’Shea.
Ireland U20 international centre Sam Arnold is the only other officially announced addition for 2016/17 at present, with the athletically-gifted England-born midfielder set to join from Ulster.
23-year-old lock O’Shea is a Munster man born and bred. The Crosshaven product joined the academy in 2013, but completed only one year before packing his bags and heading to England in search of regular game time.
It was a rather unorthodox, and brave, decision in an Irish system where the pathway through academies into senior squads is often viewed as the only one.
O’Shea backed himself to start games with Worcester Warriors and did so 13 times as he helped Dean Ryan’s men to promotion into the Premiership.
The current campaign has not been as kind in terms of opportunities, the arrival of Donncha O’Callaghan one reason for that, and O’Shea has taken up the offer of a return to his home province on a two-year deal.
“We’ve kept in touch and he’s played a lot in the Challenge Cup [four starts this season],” said Munster head coach Anthony Foley in Limerick yesterday.
“We’ve kept a good eye on him, we would have come across him last year in the B&I Cup, where Worcester play Munster, without having to go over and have a look at him – which we’ve also done. He’s on our doorstep as well.
“He’s more experienced now. He’s a bigger, older man and hopefully we get the value of that time he’s had over there in a different rugby environment.”
O’Shea will compete with Ireland internationals Donnacha Ryan and Dave Foley, former Wallaby Mark Chisholm – who won’t be seen until next season due to the effects of concussion – Billy Holland and youthful pair John Madigan and Sean McCarthy, both of whom progress onto development contracts in 2016/17.
Meanwhile, Andress’ signing – reported by The42 in January – was also confirmed yesterday as Munster added a tighthead to help compensate for the departure of BJ Botha.
Munster explored a number of non-Irish-qualified options in the tighthead position, but the IRFU are extremely keen for all four Irish provinces to promote Ireland-eligible talent in this position, rather than spending big money on foreign imports.
Andress is an Ulsterman by birth, but never made a senior appearance for the northern province after advancing through their age-grade ranks.
An Ireland international at U21 and A levels, the Campbell College alumnus instead headed to England to join then Championship side Exeter, moving on to Harlequins a year later before returning to the Chiefs in 2011.
He subsequently signed for Worcester, where O’Shea has spent the last two seasons, but had departed for Edinburgh before his compatriot joined the Warriors.
Andress – who turned 32 in January – made 10 starts in his first season under Alan Solomons and has started 13 times during the current campaign.
“John has come across as a very good scrummager, he’s Irish and he couples there well,” said Foley of Munster’s new tighthead addition.
“He’s come through the 21s and the A set-up in Ireland, he’s been across a couple of divisions in England and made a living up in Scotland and he’s a very abrasive player and a very good scrummager and hopefully we’ll see that in our team.”
Foley said Munster had looked at other options in the tighthead slot over recent months, but underlined his belief that Andress will adapt well in Ireland next season.
“It’s something that we’ve investigated and looked at different avenues. We’ve had John [signed] for a while, there’s been one or two things, it’s been done a while; it’s obviously only been released now,” said Foley.
“He’s a guy that we’ve watched and played against a couple of times and our looseheads know they’ve had a day out when they come up against him in the Edinburgh scrum, which is probably one of the best in this competition anyway.
He’s obviously very experienced. He’s not a young fella and he’s a lot of time under his belt and that bodes well for us.”
With Botha leaving Munster this summer, Uruguayan Mario Sagario also set to exit and development-contracted Pete McCabe’s deal expiring, Andress will be up against Ireland international Stephen Archer and John Ryan for the tighthead position.
That said, there remains scope for Munster to add another tighthead before next season, though the aforementioned restrictions on NIQ players in the front row make it a difficult task.
The province has looked at a number of possible project players at tighthead too, but again the options are increasingly limited in that regard.
Certainly the province’s supporters will be hoping that there are further, high-profile announcements to come on top of the confirmation of promising prospects O’Shea and Arnold and experienced campaigner Andress.
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Good piece Ciaran, sums us Mayo’s up to a tee.
It will be an epic, be it an epic fail or victory for the Red and Green.
Donegal all the way man
This study has clearly shown, that, based on the proportion of red to green thumbs, twice as many Mayo fans read the Journal than Donegal fans….time to blow the pr budget on the advertising in Donegal….
MAYO for SAM, donegal for catch!!!
we can do this… maigh eo abu… :-D
Evokes memories of childhood back home going to those galway matchs – great article! We’re just hoping they can do it, the hype of 1996/1997 has long since passed – Kerry’s cruelty in 04 & 06 put paid to that craze! Losing is unthinkable, but a rational person would have to pick Donegal to win I suppose. But maybe, just maybe Mayo are building quietly to a cresendo this year , and maybe Donegal peaked against Cork and the hype in that county is getting to the players (Apparently thousands turning up to training sessions!?). Surely that has to weigh on these players, no matter how much they’re drilled by Jimmy. Mayo have been in this situation before, hopefully that counts for something?
Am I clutching at straws? Once bitten, twice shy but F~ck it – MAYO FOR SAM!
Here is a bag of straws! :)
Last time GB won an open in the Tennis was 1936.
Andy Murray won the open in 2012.
On Sept 23rd 1936 the AI was contested between Mayo and Laois.
On Sept 23rd 2012 the AI will be contested between Mayo and Donegal.
A certain Henry Kenny (RIP) played that day, father of an Taoiseach.
Mayo came out as winners of the AI, their first. :)
Up mayo
who ever is victorious in this one, there wont be a cow milked for a month will the celebrations that will be had and many a person will be conceived because of Sam going north or west!!
Jimmy’s winning matches, Jimmy’s winning games. Donegal for Sam, Mayo for sandwiches.
Great piece Ciaran.
Maybe the famine ends Sunday?
Up Donegal!!!!!
Brighid, see ya outside coppers at about half 4 Sunday morning… I’ll have a mayo jersey on and a big smile…. I’ll take you for a snack box then we’ll had back to mine… sound??
I don’t think there has ever been a piece written that mentions St Jarlaths and Milltown so many times without mentioning John Scan Concannon …. could you not of stuck it in some how Murf ??
From a corkman, COME ON MAYO!!!!
Lmao fartbox, thanks but no thanks! Only one man for me-a Donegal one. There will be plenty of good looking Donegal dolls about coppers I’m sure. Go on Donegal ;)
“I’ve said in this column before I believe that no All-Ireland final in the 128-year history of the GAA has thrown up a pairing as emotive and unique as this one”
I dunno about that. In 1998 Galway & Kildare hadn’t won the All-Ireland in 102 years between them, compared to a mere 81 this time. That made it fairly emotional & unique. Imagine the emotion in Kildare after waiting 70 years & beating the three previous All-Ireland winners, including Micko’s win over Kerry.
The ’89 hurling final was certainly unique & emotional. It involved Tipp ending their All-Ireland famine against a team who had grown up hurling against the backdrop of the Troubles when, as Terence McNaughten said (I’m paraphrasing), walking to training with a hurl in your hand essentially put a target on your back. Wexford and Limerick were fairly into it in 1996 but that didn’t seem like such a big deal after the dam of emotion that burst in 1995. And what about the first all Munster final in 1997? Mutual loathing, the haves vs the have-nots, the country’s first taste of the back door – the lot!
What’s the big deal this time? Mayo have lost a few big games? Well boo-hoo, at least they got there. If they played in a tougher province then they’d have been culled before they got to the big stage in a lot of those years. A ratio of 3 All-Irelands from 51 Provincial titles tells it’s own story on that front. Losing some matches hardly compares to Tyrone’s emotional state in 2005.
Still, thanks for coming
Put us in a tough province then. We’ll happily go in. Or better still put the so called weaker counties in connacht, they wouldn’t have a hope of winning it. Leinster is full of weak teams and is a 2 team challenge-same as connacht. Ulster is a one county championship most of the time, or sometimes 2-same as connacht.
Munster with just cork and Kerry is the hardest province there is. So what’s your point?
When mayo get out of connacht they have to play teams from other provinces and quite often beat them. We beat the all Ireland champions 2 years in a row, is that because we have it easy?
Tomas, the Ulster Championship is far more competitive than it’s counterparts in Connacht and Leinster. It has very rarely been won by the same county back to back. Donegal made history when we lifted it this year, our 2nd is as many years, that win broke a record. That says it all.
I think throughout this season people have written off Donegal. They all said we’d never beat Tyrone and then we did, then they said we’d never beat Down and then we did, then they said we’d never beat Kerry and then we did, then they said we’d definitely get sent home by cork and we ran rings around them in the 2nd, albeit we dropped the ball towards the end, but we’ve no fear of being underdogs. We’ve spent the entire season proving the country wrong. We like a challenge and I’ve no doubt that Jim and the boys will prove everyone wrong again on Sunday. There’s only one place Sam’s going on Sunday and that’s to the fair hills of Donegal! Dún na nGáll abú!
Yeah except you’re not underdogs this time around! Its all different now, no critics to prove wrong, the weight of expectation on your shoulders. You’d nearly prefer Dublin to have something to aim at, but its Mayo, and we’re in your position now, underdogs, hungry to prove teh pundits wrong. Its going to be interesting thats for sure!
MAYO FOR SAM!