# 2014–15 Munster Rugby season

The 2014–15 Munster Rugby season was Munster's fourteenth season competing in the Pro12, alongside which they also competed in the new European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Anthony Foley's first season as head coach.

## Events

On 27 August a document detailing players individual strengths and weaknesses was leaked. The email intended only for the management team was accidentally sent to every player in the Munster squad. Players were notified within an hour that the email had been sent to them through human error. Anthony Foley speaking on 3 September said that it is unfortunate that the document was leaked saying "It will never, ever happen again. It's unfortunate that it's out in the public domain, something that we do behind closed doors to make us better."
Upgrades to Thomond Park were completed in time for the new season kick off on 5 September against Edinburgh. The creation of a Fan Zone Plaza and introduction of a dedicated Bank of Ireland Family Fun Zone, and face-lift of the Guinness Dug Out bar were among the improvements and changes carried out at the ground. The new Fanzone Plaza was officially opened on 10 October before the match against the Scarlets.
The season kicked off on 5 September against Edinburgh at Thomond Park, a match that Munster lost 13–14. Munster secured their first win of the season, a 21–10 away win against Benetton Treviso on 12 September. The following week on 19 September, Simon Zebo scored a hat-trick of try's against Zebre at Thomond Park as Munser recorded their second win of the season on a 31–5 scoreline. On 27 September, Munster suffered a second defeat at home in three games when the Ospreys won 19–14. On 4 October, Munster beat Leinster in Dublin for the first time since 2008 with a 34–23 win at the Aviva Stadium. First half try's from James Cronin, Robin Copeland, and an interception try from Ian Keatley gave Munster a 28–9 lead at half time. Munster received four yellow cards in the second half.
On 18 October in their first game in the new European Rugby Champions Cup against Sale Sharks, Munster came back from 23–7 down at half-time to win the game 27–26 with a last kick drop-goal from Ian Keatley. On 24 October in their first home game in the European Rugby Champions Cup, Munster defeated Saracens 14–3 to continue their winning start to the European campaign.
On 6 December in their second home game in the European Rugby Champions Cup, Munster lost 16–9 to Clermont Auvergne, with Clermont becoming the first French team to win a European game at Thomond Park. The loss was the third defeat in 53 European games for Munster on their home ground. Eight days later on 14 December, Munster lost the away game against Clermont by 26–19. Ian Keatley's two penalties gave Munster an early lead but two tries from Clermont gave them a 15-6 half-time lead.
Clermont scored another try in the second half but Munster gained a losing bonus point with a try from Duncan Casey and a late Ian Keatley penalty.
On 17 January, Munster lost 33–10 to Saracens in their second last game in the pool stage, a defeat that meant that they would not qualify for the quarter-finals, only the second time that has happened in seventeen seasons. Saracens had a 23–3 lead at half-time after a disappointing display from Munster. It is the first time in history that Munster have lost three pool games in succession.
In their final pool game of the European Rugby Champions Cup against Sale Sharks on 25 January at Thomond Park, Munster won by 65–10. Munster scored nine tries in total, eight came in a second half during which they scored 52 points without reply. Munster ended the pool stage with three wins from six games, finishing third behind Clermont and Saracens who both made the last eight.
On 16 May, Munster had a bonus-point 50–27 win against the Newport Gwent Dragons, scoring eight tries which booked a home semi-final against the Ospreys in the Pro12 on 23 May.
On 23 May, Munster defeated the Ospreys by 21–18 to reach the 2015 Pro12 Grand Final on 30 May at the Kingspan Stadium. Josh Matavesi looked to have won it for the Ospreys with an injury-time try, but it was ruled out after Rhys Webb had knocked on earlier in the move.
The game was Paul O'Connell's last game for Munster at Thomond Park. Munster went on to lose the final to Glasgow on a 31–13 scoreline.

## Coaching and management staff 2014–15

| Position | Name | Nationality |
| Head coach | Anthony Foley | Ireland |
| Team manager | Niall O'Donovan | Ireland |
| Scrum Coach | Jerry Flannery | Ireland |
| Backs Coach | Brian Walsh | Ireland |
| Assistant coach | Ian Costello | Ireland |
| Technical Advisor | Mick O'Driscoll | Ireland |
| Head of Fitness | Adam Trypas | Australia |
| Strength & conditioning coach | Aidan O'Connell | Ireland |
| Conditioning Assistant | Will Douglas | Wales |
| Head of physiotherapy | Anthony Coole | South Africa |
| Physiotherapist | Colm Fuller | Ireland |
| Rehab physiotherapist | Colm Oakley | Ireland |
| Performance analyst | George Murray | Ireland |
| Asst. Performance Analyst | Elliot Corcoran | Ireland |
| Kit manager | Jack Kiely | Ireland |
| Operations manager | Bryan Murphy | Ireland |

## Senior Playing Squad 2014–15

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| Player | Position | Union |
| Duncan Casey | Hooker | Ireland |
| Eusebio Guiñazú | Hooker | Argentina |
| Niall Scannell | Hooker | Ireland |
| Mike Sherry | Hooker | Ireland |
| Damien Varley | Hooker | Ireland |
| Stephen Archer | Prop | Ireland |
| BJ Botha | Prop | South Africa |
| Alan Cotter | Prop | Ireland |
| James Cronin | Prop | Ireland |
| Martin Kelly | Prop | Ireland |
| Dave Kilcoyne | Prop | Ireland |
| John Ryan | Prop | Ireland |
| Dave Foley | Lock | Ireland |
| Billy Holland | Lock | Ireland |
| Donncha O'Callaghan | Lock | Ireland |
| Paul O'Connell | Lock | Ireland |
| Donnacha Ryan | Lock | Ireland |
| Shane Buckley | Flanker | Ireland |
| Sean Dougall | Flanker | Ireland |
| Dave O'Callaghan | Flanker | Ireland |
| Tommy O'Donnell | Flanker | Ireland |
| Barry O'Mahony | Flanker | Ireland |
| Peter O'Mahony (c) | Flanker | Ireland |
| CJ Stander | Flanker | South Africa |
| Paddy Butler | Number 8 | Ireland |
| Robin Copeland | Number 8 | Ireland |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Conor Murray | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Cathal Sheridan | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Duncan Williams | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| JJ Hanrahan | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Jonathan Holland | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Ian Keatley | Fly-half | Ireland |
| Cian Bohane | Centre | Ireland |
| Tyler Bleyendaal | Centre | New Zealand |
| Ivan Dineen | Centre | Ireland |
| Keith Earls | Centre | Ireland |
| Andrew Smith | Centre | Australia |
| Andrew Conway | Wing | Ireland |
| Johne Murphy | Wing | Ireland |
| Luke O'Dea | Wing | Ireland |
| Ronan O'Mahony | Wing | Ireland |
| Gerhard van den Heever | Wing | South Africa |
| Simon Zebo | Wing | Ireland |
| Denis Hurley | Fullback | Ireland |
| Felix Jones | Fullback | Ireland |
Internationally capped players in bold.

## 2014–15 Pro12

* 5 September 2014 19:35
| (1 BP) Munster | 13–14 | Edinburgh |
| Try: Stander (2) 35' m, 59' m Pen: Keatley (1/2) 69' | Report | Try: Cuthbert 47' m Pen: Heathcote (3/5) 3', 8', 40' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 13,428 Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
* 12 September 2014 20:00
| Benetton Treviso | 10–21 | Munster |
| Try: Ragusi 17' c Con: Carlisle (1/1) Pen: Carlisle (1/3) 63' | Report | Try: Stander 28' c Zebo 50' m Con: Keatley (1/2) Pen: Keatley (3/3) 2', 25', 70' |
* Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 3,491 Referee: Andrew McMenemy (SRU)
* 19 September 2014 19:30
| (1 BP) Munster | 31–5 | Zebre |
| Try: Zebo (3) 14' m, 30' m, 36' c Smith 43' c Kilcoyne 64' c Con: Hanrahan (3/4) | Report | Try: Vunisa 80' m |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 12,488 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 27 September 2014 18:30
| (1 BP) Munster | 14–19 | Ospreys |
| Try: van den Heever 11' m Pen: Keatley (3/4) 40', 41', 56' | Report | Try: Hassler 15' c Con: Biggar (1/1) Pen: Biggar (4/4) 32', 53', 65', 69' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 13,547 Referee: Neil Hennessy (WRU)
* 4 October 2014 18:30
| Leinster | 23–34 | Munster |
| Try: Fanning 62' c penalty try 69' c Con: Madigan (2/2) Pen: Madigan (3/3) 2', 12', 35' | Report | Try: Cronin 18' m Copeland 31' c Keatley 37' c Con: Keatley (2/3) Pen: Keatley (4/5) 4', 16', 24', 66' Hanrahan (1/1) 76' |
* Aviva Stadium Attendance: 43,817 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 10 October 2014 19:35
| Munster | 17–6 | Scarlets |
| Try: Smith 24' m Pen: Hanrahan (4/6) 21', 42', 48', 60' | Report | Pen: Priestland (1/3) 38' Drop: Priestland (1/1) 1' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 13,851 Referee: Claudio Blessano (FIR)
* 1 November 2014 17:15
| (1 BP) Cardiff Blues | 24–28 | Munster |
| Try: Amorosino 33' m Vosawai 62' c Con: G. Davies (1/2) Pen: Patchell (3/4) 8', 13', 23' G. Davies (1/1) 73' | Report | Try: Butler 77' c Con: J. Holland (1/1) Pen: Hanrahan (7/7) 2', 10', 15', 19', 32', 39', 69' |
* BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 6,902 Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
* 21 November 2014 19:30
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 12–38 | Munster (1 BP) |
| Pen: G. Jones (4/5) 5', 19', 32', 65' | Report | Try: Copeland 14' c Casey (2) 46' c, 72' c Smith 62' c R. O'Mahony 78' c Con: Keatley (5/5) Pen: Keatley (1/1) 43' |
* Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,783 Referee: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
* 28 November 2014 19:35
| Munster | 21–20 | Ulster (1 BP) |
| Try: Copeland 29' m Williams 43' c Con: Keatley (1/2) Pen: Keatley (3/5) 23', 51', 54' | Report | Try: Williams 79' m Pen: Humphreys (5/5) 2', 10', 12', 20', 71' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 17,101 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 20 December 2014 14:40
| Glasgow Warriors | 21–18 | Munster (1 BP) |
| Try: Nakarawa 51' c Gray 72' m Con: Russell (1/2) Pen: Russell (3/5) 6', 18', 29' | Report | Try: Hanrahan 7' m Copeland 40' c Con: Hanrahan (1/2) Pen: Hanrahan (2/4) 26', 36' |
* Scotstoun Stadium Attendance: 6,176 Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
* 26 December 2014 17:00
| Munster | 28–13 | Leinster |
| Try: Stander 16' m Conway 44' c Da. O'Callaghan 62' c Con: Keatley (2/3) Pen: Keatley (3/4) 2', 31', 54' | Report | Try: Jennings 69' c Con: Madigan (1/1) Pen: Madigan (2/3) 6', 28' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 25,600 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 1 January 2015 17:00
| Connacht | 24–16 | Munster |
| Try: Marmion 29' c Ronaldson 42' c Muldowney 60' c Con: Ronaldson (1/1) Leader (2/2) Pen: Nikora (1/1) 55' | Report | Try: P. O'Mahony 10' c Con: Keatley (1/1) Pen: Keatley (3/3) 7', 15', 38' |
* Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 7,745 Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU)
* 10 January 2015 16:00
| Zebre | 7–31 | Munster (1 BP) |
| Try: Fabiani 57' c Con: Orquera (1/1) | Report | Try: Jones 13' c Stander 28' c Murray 32' c Zebo 42' c Con: Keatley (4/4) Pen: Keatley (1/1) 8' |
* Stadio XXV Aprile Attendance: 2,615 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 14 February 2015 19:35
| Munster | 33–16 | Cardiff Blues |
| Try: Hurley 47' c O'Donoghue 59' c R. O'Mahony 80' c Con: Hanrahan (3/3) Pen: Hanrahan (4/5) 10', 35', 38', 76' | Report | Try: Navidi 70' c Con: Patchell (1/1) Pen: Patchell (3/3) 13', 17', 30' |
* Irish Independent Park Attendance: 6,991 Referee: Lloyd Linton (SRU)
* 21 February 2015 14:40
| Scarlets | 25–25 | Munster |
| Try: Parkes 60' c Con: S. Shingler (1/1) Pen: S. Shingler (6/6) 3', 14', 23', 27', 59', 68' | Report | Try: O'Donoghue 53' c Jones 75' m Hanrahan 80' c Con: Keatley (2/3) Pen: Keatley (2/3) 10', 20' |
* Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 6,059 Referee: Dudley Phillips (IRFU)
* 28 February 2015 19:15
| (1 BP) Munster | 22–10 | Glasgow Warriors |
| Try: O'Donoghue 28' m Guiñazú 37' c Earls 61' m Stander 66' m Con: Keatley (1/4) | Report | Try: de Klerk 59' c Con: Braid (1/1) Pen: Braid (1/2) 52' |
* Irish Independent Park Attendance: 7,361 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 7 March 2015 14:40
| Ospreys | 26–12 | Munster |
| Try: Baker 31' m Pen: Davies (6/6) 4', 22', 37', 60', 74', 79' Drop: Davies (1/2) 39' | Report | Try: D. Ryan 71' m Earls 76' c Con: Keatley (1/2) |
* Liberty Stadium Attendance: 8,632 Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
* 28 March 2015 17:15
| (1 BP) Munster | 42–20 | Connacht |
| Try: B. Holland 12' c Casey 55' c Zebo 63' c Smith 72' c Hurley 74' c Earls 79' c Con: Keatley (3/3) Hanrahan (3/3) | Report | Try: Nikora 68' c O'Leary 78' c Con: Nikora (2/2) Pen: Carty (2/3) 1', 45' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 18,762 Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
* 11 April 2015 19:30
| Edinburgh | 3–34 | Munster (1 BP) |
| Pen: Heathcote (1/1) 3' | Report | Try: Casey 32' c Stander 52' m Murray 56' c Zebo 62' m Earls 64' c Con: Keatley (3/5) Pen: Keatley (1/1) 19' |
* Murrayfield Stadium Attendance: 4,818 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 25 April 2015 15:05
| (1 BP) Munster | 30–19 | Benetton Treviso |
| Try: Zebo 9' m Stander 18' m O'Donnell 39' c penalty try 67' c Con: Keatley (2/4) Pen: Keatley (2/2) 4', 52' | Report | Try: Luamanu 24' c Pratichetti 42' c Ragusi 74' m Con: Hayward (2/3) |
* Irish Independent Park Attendance: 7,644 Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
* 9 May 2015 14:40
| Ulster | 23–23 | Munster |
| Try: Bowe 40' c P. Marshall 80' c Con: Jackson (2/2) Pen: Jackson (3/3) 39', 44', 70' | Report | Try: Earls 76' m Pen: Keatley (6/6) 4', 31', 36', 54', 60', 68' |
* Kingspan Stadium Attendance: 17,139 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 16 May 2015 15:00
| (1 BP) Munster | 50–27 | Newport Gwent Dragons (1 BP) |
| Try: Smith 3' c Stander 8' c Murray (3) 16' c, 23' c, 64' m O'Connell 40' m Earls 41' c R. O'Mahony 78' m Con: Keatley (5/6) | Report | Try: Hewitt 4' c Morgan 50' c Buckley 74' m Dixon 80' m Con: Tovey (2/2) Pen: Tovey (1/1) 2' |
* Irish Independent Park Attendance: 8,200 Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

### Semi-final

* 23 May 2015 14:30
| Munster | 21–18 | Ospreys |
| Try: Zebo 39' m Hurley 42' m Butler 49' m Pen: Keatley (2/4) 16', 22' | Report | Try: Webb 46' m Hassler 52' c Con: Biggar (1/2) Pen: Biggar (2/2) 13', 66' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 16,158 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)

### Final

* 30 May 2015 18:30
| Munster | 13–31 | Glasgow Warriors |
| Try: Smith 37' c Con: Keatley (1/1) Pen: Keatley (2/3) 23', 48' | Report | Try: Harley 8' c Van der Merwe 25' c Pyrgos 31' c Russell 58' c Con: Russell (4/4) Pen: Weir (1/1) 73' |
* Kingspan Stadium Attendance: 17,057 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
| FB | 15 | Felix Jones |
| RW | 14 | Keith Earls |
| OC | 13 | Andrew Smith |
| IC | 12 | Denis Hurley (c) |
| LW | 11 | Simon Zebo | 56' |
| FH | 10 | Ian Keatley | 56' |
| SH | 9 | Duncan Williams | 71' |
| N8 | 8 | CJ Stander |
| OF | 7 | Paddy Butler | 10' to 19' | 10' to 19' | 71' |
| BF | 6 | Donnacha Ryan |
| RL | 5 | Paul O'Connell |
| LL | 4 | Billy Holland | 60' |
| TP | 3 | BJ Botha | 60' |
| HK | 2 | Eusebio Guiñazú | 62' |
| LP | 1 | Dave Kilcoyne | 62' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Duncan Casey | 62' |
| PR | 17 | James Cronin | 62' |
| PR | 18 | Stephen Archer | 60' |
| FL | 19 | Sean Dougall | 10' | 19' | 71' |
| N8 | 20 | Jack O'Donoghue | 60' |
| SH | 21 | Cathal Sheridan | 71' |
| FH | 22 | JJ Hanrahan | 56' |
| WG | 23 | Ronan O'Mahony | 56' |
| Coach: ||
| Anthony Foley ||
| FB | 15 | Stuart Hogg | 62' |
| RW | 14 | Tommy Seymour |
| OC | 13 | Richie Vernon |
| IC | 12 | Peter Horne |
| LW | 11 | D. T. H. van der Merwe | 70' |
| FH | 10 | Finn Russell | 66' |
| SH | 9 | Henry Pyrgos |
| N8 | 8 | Josh Strauss (c) |
| OF | 7 | Ryan Wilson |
| BF | 6 | Rob Harley | 60' |
| RL | 5 | Jonny Gray |
| LL | 4 | Leone Nakarawa | 66' |
| TP | 3 | Rossouw de Klerk | 52' |
| HK | 2 | Dougie Hall | 62' |
| LP | 1 | Gordon Reid | 77' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Fraser Brown | 62' |
| PR | 17 | Jerry Yanuyanutawa | 77' |
| PR | 18 | Jon Welsh | 52' |
| LK | 19 | Alastair Kellock | 66' |
| FL | 20 | Chris Fusaro | 60' |
| SH | 21 | Nikola Matawalu | 70' |
| FH | 22 | Duncan Weir | 66' |
| WG | 23 | Sean Lamont | 62' |
| Coach: ||
| Gregor Townsend ||
* Man of the Match:
* Leone Nakarawa (Glasgow Warriors)
* Touch judges:
* Ian Davies (WRU)
* Sean Brickell (WRU)
* Television match official:
* Derek Bevan (WRU)

## 2014–15 European Rugby Champions Cup
### Pool 1

| Teamvte | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| Clermont (3) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 140 | 80 | +60 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| Saracens (8) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 119 | 95 | +24 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| Munster | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 144 | 114 | +30 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| Sale Sharks | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 82 | 196 | −114 | 8 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
* 18 October 2014 13:00
| Sale Sharks | 26–27 | Munster |
| Try: Lund 23' c Leota 28' c Con: Cipriani (2/2) 25', 29' Pen: Cipriani (4/4) 6', 15', 18', 68' | Report | Try: Kilcoyne 9' c Conway 55' c Murray 64' c Con: Keatley (3/3) 10', 56', 65' Pen: Keatley (1/1) 71' Drop: Keatley (1/1) 80' |
* AJ Bell Stadium Attendance: 9,879 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
* 24 October 2014 19:45
| Munster | 14-3 | Saracens |
| Try: Kilcoyne 60' m Pen: Keatley (2/6) 26', 53' Drop: Keatley 65' | Report | Pen: Owen Farrell (1/2) 37' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Jerome Garces (FFR)
* 6 December 2014 17:30
| (1 BP) Munster | 9–16 | Clermont |
| Pen: Keatley (3/3) 15', 26', 61' | Report | Try: Lee 1' m Fofana 21' m Pen: Lopez (1/2) 30' Drop: Lopez (1/1) 34' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 25,600 Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)
* 14 December 2014 16:15
| Clermont | 26–19 | Munster (1 BP) |
| Try: Chouly (2) 18' m, 72' m Nakaitaci 40' c Con: Lopez (1/3) 40' Pen: Lopez (3/4) 26', 45', 59' | Report | Try: Casey 75' c Con: Keatley (1/1) 75' Pen: Keatley (4/4) 5', 12', 42', 82' |
* Stade Marcel-Michelin Attendance: 17,723 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
* 17 January 2015 13:00
| Saracens | 33–10 | Munster |
| Try: Wyles 20' c Ashton (2) 35' c, 73' c Con: Farrell (3/3) 22', 36', 74' Pen: Farrell (4/5) 8', 29', 40', 57' | Report | Try: Hurley 69' c Con: Keatley (1/1) 69' Pen: Keatley (1/1) 32' |
* Allianz Park Attendance: 9,999 Referee: Romain Poite (FFR) / Christophe Berdos (FFR)
* 25 January 2015 15:15
| (1 BP) Munster | 65–10 | Sale Sharks |
| Try: Zebo (2) 1' c, 67' m Earls 41' c Penalty try 53' c Howard 64' c Conway (2) 68' m, 79' c O'Donnell 72' c Williams 76' c Con: Keatley (4/5) 2', 41', 54', 65' Hanrahan (3/4) 73', 77', 80' Pen: Keatley (2/3) 6', 10' | Report | Try: Arscott 11' c Con: Macleod (1/1) 12' Pen: Macleod (1/1) 8' |
* Thomond Park Attendance: 17,685 Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)