Munster

Munster start another season in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup under head coach Clayton McMillan, with Tadhg Beirne as captain. Their most recent league title came in 2023, the fourth of their domestic championships. The first was the Celtic League in 2003, and the Pro12 followed in 2009 and 2011.

The club's European standing rests on the Champions Cup wins of 2006 and 2008. Anthony Foley captained the side and later became head coach, a post he held until his death in 2020.

The province's habit of beating touring sides is older than any of that. In 1967 Munster became the first Irish provincial side to beat a major touring team, defeating Australia 11–8. In 1978 they beat the All Blacks 12–0, and no other Irish province managed that in the amateur era. The rugby union branch behind the team dates to 1879, when Munster, Leinster and Ulster were established together. Professionalism arrived on 26 August 1995, once the sport was declared open. The province has won a record 22 Interprovincial Championships, and its sharpest rivalries are still with Leinster and Connacht.

Ronan O'Gara scored 2,625 points for the club. Stephen Archer made the most appearances, 304.

Thomond Park in Limerick was rebuilt and reopened in November 2008 with a match against the All Blacks. The rebuild took capacity from about 11,000 to 25,600. Supporters in red, known as the Red Army, fill it for the biggest nights. Some fixtures move 60-odd miles south to Musgrave Park in Cork, which holds 8,800.