MUNSTER COULD DIP into the All-Ireland League in their bid to find solutions to an ongoing prop crisis.

The province have been hit by a wave of front-row injuries across the early weeks of the URC season.

Dave Kilcoyne (ankle), Oli Jager (neck), Josh Wycherley (neck), Roman Salanoa (knee)  and Mark Donnelly (ankle) are all currently unavailable, and Jeremy Loughman is facing at least eight weeks on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in the recent defeat at the Stormers.

Those injuries have left the province juggling their resources. Munster had academy props Kieran Ryan and Ronan Foxe on the bench against the Sharks last weekend as John Ryan switched from tighthead to cover loosehead in the starting XV. Ryan continues in that role for tomorrow’s meeting with the All Blacks XV at Thomond Park.

Munster’s next competitive fixture is against the Lions on 30 November, and interim head coach Ian Costello says that as it stands, Dave Kilcoyne is the only injured prop who might be available for that game.

“Killer is the only one on track at the moment,” said Costello, who is Munster’s Head of Rugby Operations.

“The others are longer shots but by that first game (back) in four weeks’ time, at the moment that’s what it potentially could be.

“We know that it’s at least eight weeks (for Jeremy Loughman) and the scans could extend that a little bit, but at least eight weeks.

“Guys like Oli are progressing well but there’s a little unknown on one area so we can’t give exact time-frames. With a bit of luck he might be back then as well.”

With Munster also due to compete in an ‘A’ inter-provincial men’s championship over the coming weeks, the province are looking to secure short-term injury cover. They are actively monitoring players in the AIL, while also exploring the possibility of securing cover from overseas – an option dependent on the IRFU making an exception to the ban on the provinces signing non-Irish-qualified props.

“I’d say in the last two weeks, we have looked at half a dozen AIL props,” Costello said.

“We are looking at and tracking the AIL all the time. We cut up the footage. It goes in front of the senior coaches all the time.

“We create depth charts in the AIL. The proof in the pudding is that we have just re-contracted, even though it’s only short-term, Bryan Fitzgerald. We will be tracking those props all the time and looking very closely at them. We are looking at that versus overseas options as well.”

Otherwise Costello is confident Munster have the numbers to compete over the next block of fixtures. 

Diarmuid Kilgallen and Paddy Patterson are both set to return to action in tomorrow’s game at Thomond Park, while Thaakir Abrahams, Shane Daly, Liam Coombes and Alex Nankivell are on track to be fit for the Lions game. Brian Gleeson played AIL last weekend while Costello hopes Edwin Edogbo will be the mix shortly after the Lions game.

“At the moment we have got 43 contracted players and 19 Academy, so in the building, if we had everyone fit, we would have 62 (players),” Costello added.

“But I think we might have to go for a front-row (player) because we have five front-rows at the moment, and as you guys know, we are looking for short-term cover.

“But I would say outside of the front-row, we will go into those games on the 22nd and the 29th with a very strong squad, but we might have to dip into the AIL front-row.”