MUNSTER HAVE announced they will face Crusaders in a ‘Clash of Champions’ game on 3 February, 2024 (kick-off: 5pm).
The match comes off the back of the Irish side’s URC success in Cape Town and sees them face the New Zealand-based team, who secured their seventh successive Super Rugby Pacific championship on Saturday in Waikato as they overcame Chiefs 25-20.
The game will also see a reunion with former Munster coach Rob Penney, who has agreed to take charge of Crusaders from 2024.
The fixture will be part of a pre-season tour that also sees the Super Rugby side face Bristol Bears on 9 February.
The venue in Munster has yet to be confirmed while ticket details will be announced in due course.
Cool. Great to see the top two teams in each hemisphere have a game. Cant wait to go
@mike o’farrell: Toulouse just pushed to the back here or are they just considered better than both?
@mike o’farrell: I can almost hear the teeth grinding in certain parts of the country.
@mike o’farrell: Munster are arguably not even top 5 team in the northern hemisphere.
@Alan O’Neill: Doesn’t matter. Munster are still one of the few NH teams that register down south and their exploits in SA recently won’t have done that any harm.
This’ll be some occasion. A Saturday afternoon in cork! Possibly even bigger than the South Africa game? Either way it’ll be class to see the two biggest and best supported clubs in the world going at it, even if it is just an exhibition match.
@JimDemps: Happy fishing, Jim
@JimDemps: Best supported apart from all the teams who are better supported of course, like Leinster who have consistently higher attendances and a higher sell out %.
How they could conceivably be deemed the “biggest” club in the world makes literally no sense either, when they’re the second biggest club in Ireland (barely ahead of Ulster).
@Alan O’Neill: hang in there alan. If leinster keep at it they too one day might build a fan base and attract the big games.
@Alan O’Neill: and nearly every game at home. Couldn’t even fill the Aviva for big games
@Sean barry: they dont win the important games in the aviva, sadly… the aul’ fair weather supporters tend to drop away quite quickly…. sadly
Pity it is in the middle of the Six Nation window as Crusaders will be fully stocked and Munster could be down a dozen. But we have been there before and won. Hopefully it will be in Pairc Ui Chaoimh to accommodate the large crowd
@Patrick O Connell: Fully stocked, quite possibly, but it’s a pre-season tour for the Crusaders so they won’t be up to speed. The current Crusaders have looked pretty scary in their recent games – I’d be worried about facing them if they were at their peak
Ireland play France in Marseille the night prior.
@John Fitzgerald: that could be detrimental to Munster’s efforts as they’ll be supplying the bulk of the Irish team by then!
@Leeeeroy Jenkins: Let me pop my rib back in. How do you come to that conclusion? Apart from being completely narrow sighted, Munster have at 3 players who can be deemed as starters. Please do explain……..
A shame this isn’t a real fixture but appears to be being billed as such
@Adam Carey: Maybe it will be in the future. Hopefully it’s a start in that direction..
Great news, 2 of the best teams facing off.
Pairc ui Choimh I presume. Fantastic stadium
Two of the biggest brands in world rugby, mouthwatering.
The two titans of each hemisphere!
Me mouth is watering!