It’s been an outstanding start to the URC campaign, better than anyone could have expected, even, I would posit, the organisation themselves. Even better, there’s no one reason for the early-season success.

Are the squad responding to the new culture and environment fostered by Clayton McMillan?

Is that same squad loving every day in training, regardless of how hard it is, thanks to the immaculate vibes, atmosphere and structure created by new voices like Brad Mayo and Martin Vercoe?

Have the coaches been energised by the new context that every session, every meeting is held in?

Have the whole squad been enthused by the fresh slate that comes with all of this, along with almost everyone getting an opportunity to showcase what they can do across the first block of five games, with more to follow against Argentina XV?

Yes.

It’s all of these things, plus a few more that are impossible for those on the outside looking in to ever know in full. Whatever it is, that vibe shift has produced five wins from five in the URC, something we last managed during the pandemic in front of zero fans in 2020/21, but that barely counts. The last time it actually happened in front of actual fans was back in 2008/09.

So it’s good. It’s only five wins from five, and there’s so much rugby yet to play it’d have your head spinning, but we’ve been sitting at the start of November on two wins or worse in the last few years, so I’ll take it.

Maintaining the momentum, however, is the real challenge.

***

We have a depth issue developing in our tighthead chart.

Maybe not depth. We have depth. Top-end quality, I suppose.

In a way, it’s been there all summer, but Oli Jager’s recent concussion suffered against Edinburgh, his third in the last few seasons, and only a few months removed from the concussion he suffered against the Bulls in Thomond Park in April that ended his season, has highlighted how reliant we were (are) on the big tighthead to bring real, elite power to our front row rotation. That, coupled with Roman Salanoa missing out on a URC return before the November break, has highlighted the need that has been there since the summer. When fit, he’s arguably the best player in his role in the country and one I’d expect to see in most wider Ireland squads, but those concussions are a handbrake for his progression and for Munster’s peace of mind once December rolls around.

Will Salanoa make a comeback? His performance for the A team against Leinster A was encouraging, but I expected that to be followed up with a bench appearance against Connacht. When that didn’t happen, and he was still out of the squad for the Argentina XV game, it raised a concern for me.

As I wrote back in August;

I think that, if Salanoa gets through the first three games of the season — and I’m including both friendlies in this — and he looks like he’s handling the return to competitive, live rounds rugby, signing him to a new two-year deal that starts in July 2026 before October is a no-brainer.

He has yet to make an appearance, outside of warming up with the squad before the Cardiff game. He might yet make a full comeback, of course, but just going on what I’ve seen so far — or haven’t seen, to be more accurate — I think it’s not too big a stretch to assume that Munster might be looking beyond Salanoa in the short and medium term.

At a certain point, you have to see it on the field.

And, with big European Cup games on the horizon, I think Munster are going to look at short and long-term signings to top up our front row.

Ronan Foxe’s emergence as a genuine bench option has lowered the red alert signs that were flashing for me a few weeks ago, but he’s still an academy player that we don’t want to overload with the kind of too-much-too-soon usage that breaks guys before they become guys.

If we can avoid that, as well as relying too much on John Ryan for much outside of veteran cover, I think that’s a positive outcome for everyone.

So who’s available?

As always, that’s the question. Short-term signings that can sometimes become full-time deals are hard to predict, so I won’t even try on that one — in this article, anyway.

If we’re looking for a short-term stopgap with the onus on getting in an experienced veteran, Vincent Koch’s deal is up at the end of this season. The two-time World Cup winner is on the outs with the Sharks. The question would be whether or not you’d get the value of the year deal you’d have to offer a guy who would be 36 on the day he’d arrive. In the likely scenario of John Ryan retiring at the end of the season, you’d essentially be replacing one veteran with another, albeit a veteran in possession of two World Cup medals and 60+ Springbok caps.

He would absolutely help our young props — both tighthead and loosehead — as Slimani has done in Leinster, but whether or not you’d get the player you think you’re signing is another question entirely, as would be his willingness to move to Ireland at the tail end of his career for what would almost certainly be a one-year deal max.

There’s availability there, but not a whole ton of immediate utility. He is a proven prop at the highest level, but I suppose the question is whether or not all of that proving is solidly in the rear-view mirror.

Staying in South Africa, the Bulls’ Mornay Smith is out of contract next July and could be an option to look at, as his Springbok ambitions seem to have stalled, but the complications around who the Bulls get to replace the Stormers-bound Wilco Louw. That said, he’d be low enough on my list if we’re purely looking at offensive phase play. His dominant carry numbers and +2 tacklers compressed numbers are fairly average, along with his ruck efficiency.

His big strengths are his top-class defensive output — 90% tackle completion/13% dominant — along with the very obvious power scrummaging. You’d be signing him to power up our tighthead side and elements of our impact defence, rather than as a primary ball carrier.

Clayton McMillan’s New Zealand connection is always going to provide some possible intrigue, and one name that keeps popping up for me is Tyrel Lomax — his contract expires in 2026.

Could he be interested in a change of scenery? At 6’4″ and 127kg, he’s the exact kind of power profile we need, with the kind of hitting power on both sides of the ball that isn’t easily signed these days.

Is he a guy who might be tempted north? How certain is he of that 2027 World Cup spot?

Not an easy deal to do by any means, but one that fits the bill in several ways.