Munster Rugby to play fixture at Croke Park

MUNSTER Rugby are set to play in Croke Park next season, it has been confirmed.

Leinster Rugby has announced this Wednesday that the BKT United Rugby Championship game between Leinster and Munster Rugby will be hosted in Croke Park on Saturday, October 12, 5.45pm.

The game will see Leinster host Munster at the home of the GAA for the first time since the Champions Cup semi-final in 2009, when Leinster won in front of over 82,000 spectators.

Tickets for the game will go on public sale on Friday, August 30.

The Munster Rugby's men’s squad returned to their High Performance Centre at the University of Limerick this week to begin their pre-season training programme ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The team had a six-week off-season after a 2023/24 campaign that ended in a disappointing semi-final defeat to eventual United Rugby Championship winners, Glasgow Warriors, at Thomond Park.

New signings Thaakir Abrahams, Billy Burns, Tom Farrell and Diarmuid Kilgallen are linking up with the squad for the start of the pre-season training programme.

Tony Butler, Ethan Coughlan, Mark Donnelly, Edwin Edogbo and Brian Gleeson join the senior squad after graduating from the Munster Rugby Academy.

Exciting back-row Gleeson returns home from the U20 World Championship with Ireland this week with Edogbo continuing to rehab his achilles injury.

Scott Buckley has joined Australian side Randwick on a short-term loan for game-time during the off-season. Buckley will return to Munster in early September ahead of the new season.

Tadhg Beirne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Oli Jager, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash and Peter O’Mahony returned from South Africa last week after Ireland’s two-Test tour. They have started their respective off-seasons.

Academy members return to the High Performance Centre this week to begin their preparations for the upcoming campaign.

Seán Edogbo, Michael Foy, Luke Murphy, Gene O’Leary Kareem, Jake O’Riordan and Danny Sheahan are the new additions to the Academy. For more information on our new Academy recruits, click here.

Like Gleeson, Academy players Evan O’Connell, Ben O’Connor, Edogbo, Murphy, O’Riordan and Sheahan return from the U20s World Championship in South Africa this week.

Two pre-season games have been confirmed for the Munster men in August and September.

Munster face Bath at The Rec on Saturday, August 31 (3pm) before a home game against Gloucester at Virgin Media Park in Cork on Friday, September 6 (7pm).

The majority of fixture details for Munster’s URC and Champions Cup games for 2024/25 have been confirmed.

Munster Rugby will open their campaign with a home date against Connacht at Thomond Park on Saturday, September 21 at 5.15pm.

Munster travels to South Africa for matches against the Stormers and the Sharks in Rounds 5 and 6.