Munster Back To The Grind As Pre-Season Begins
Felix Jones, one of the players to impress in the Ireland ‘A’ side’s Churchill Cup success, will link up with the Munster squad for the first time today, while Grand Slam-winning duo Tomas O’Leary and Jerry Flannery are making good recoveries from their recent injuries.
Tony McGahan’s Munster squad are into their third week of pre-season training. The province’s Cork and Limerick-based players came together on Friday in the University of Limerick for a rain-hit training session.
The news on the injury front is all very positive according to Munster team manager Shaun Payne.
Both Tomas O’Leary and Jerry Flannery, who were unfortunately ruled out of the Lions tour, are progressing well with their respective injuries.
O’Leary, who sustained a fractured ankle against the Scarlets in April, is obviously staying out of contact and is off the crutches at this stage.
But the scrum half, 25, is present at squad sessions and whilst not taking part fully he is practicing his passing, and most certainly making a steady recovery.
Experienced hooker Flannery is training away, carrying out selective gym and strengthening work and continues to advance with his recovery from the elbow injury he picked up training with the Lions in May.
Payne is quite pleased with how everything is progressing for both players.
Meanwhile, winger Ciaran O’Boyle is still hampered with an ongoing hamstring injury, but both prop Darragh Hurley and scrum half Duncan Williams are both going well after their respective surgeries (neck and shoulder).
Squad newcomer Felix Jones, who has transferred down south from Leinster, will train with his new team-mates for the first time today (Monday), with five of his Churchill Cup-winning colleagues – Denis Hurley, Denis Fogarty, Donnacha Ryan, Niall Ronan and Tony Buckley – also returning to the fray.
New Zealander Toby Morland, brought in to cover injuries at scrumhalf, has been training with Munster and is settling in well.