MUNSTER Rugby’s pre-season friendly against Biarritz Olympique has been cancelled. The province were set to play the Pro D2 side on Friday 22 August.
However due to a delay to pitch renovations at the Stade Aguilera, Biarritz Olympique are unable to host Munster Rugby for the fixture.
Munster defeated them in the 2006 Heineken Cup final[/caption]
Alternative venues were explored between the Basque club and the 2023 URC winners but “no viable and workable solutions were found.”
The cancellation of the province’s opening pre-season friendly will cause a lot of disruption for the new-look Munster team.
A Munster spokesperson said: “Given the disappointing decision by Biarritz Olympique, Munster Rugby will now make alternative arrangements regarding pre-season preparations.”
New boss Clayton McMillan would have been hoping to have a good pre-season before his first campaign with the Stags.
With new team manager Martyn Vercoe being announced to replace the departing Niall O’Donovan, the almost complete make-over coaching team will want to have plenty of time to work with the squad and have good pre-season fixtures.
The Red Army are still set to face Gloucester Rugby on 5 September and Bath Rugby on 12 September.
That will be a long gap in matches for the side who’s season ended in a heartbreaking penalty shootout against the Sharks on 31 May in South Africa.
It will be a long summer break for many Munster players to dwell on the agony of the URC quarter-final exit.
Tadgh Beirne was Munster’s only selected player for the British and Irish Lions’ Australia Tour this summer and has started the first two tests.
A large Munster contingent were picked by former player Paul O’Connell for the Ireland squad to face Georgia and Portugal.
Seven players for the province will be up for selection for the game in Tbilisi on Saturday with Craig Casey picked as captain.
With a record number of fifteen Ireland stars selected for the Lions, it gave an opportunity for players such as Alex Kendellen to get their first call-ups.
Uncapped players Tom Aherne and Michael Milne will be looking to make their debuts alongside clubmates Jack Crowley, Calvin Nash and Gavin Coombes who have already got a taste of international rugby.
