Munster rugby players back in pre-season training

THE Munster Rugby squad has gathered in the High Performance Centre at UL this to commence pre-season training ahead of the 2019/20 season.

Under the watchful eye of the strength and conditioning staff, players will undergo screening and monitoring in these early days of training, with gym and conditioning sessions taking place across the week.

The players, who hit the ground running with a 1km fitness test on Monday, will follow their initial training schedule over a four-week block.

On the coaching front, Head Coach Johann van Graan and Defence Coach JP Ferreira will join the squad next week.

Meanwhile Senior Coach Stephen Larkham is set to arrive later in August, with Forwards Coach Graham Rowntree on board following his World Cup commitments with Georgia Rugby.

Next season’s Guinness Pro 14 campaign will begin four weeks later than usual and games will continue during the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The PRO 14 competition will kick off on Friday, September 27 and there will be three rounds of games before a break for the weekend of the World Cup quarter-finals on October 19 and 20.