Long-serving Munster prop John Ryan said he still has a lot to offer after signing a contract extension which will keep the Cork native with the province until the summer of 2026 at least.
It’s been a remarkable journey for former Muskerry and CBC protege. He is now in his third stint with Munster, having been let go to Wasps in the 2022/23 season before they coaxed him back amid an injury crisis. But while he returned for a handful of games, he had already committed to the Chiefs in New Zealand where he reached the Super Rugby Pacific final.
His exploits also earned him a URC winners' medal but as he didn’t feature in the final, it has left an itch for him to scratch in the remainder of his Munster career where he hopes to win silverware on the field of play.
“To get another year, it’s just a bonus but I suppose I have a lot to achieve yet I still believe. I’ve got a bit of rugby left in me yet and a bit of hunger,” said the 36-year old, who has been playing both sides of the scrum this season.
“I really enjoy it. And I think it’s great coming here playing a game for a career, but also having a bit of hunger to drive it on and try to get on a podium. I was obviously missing in that URC final. So, that’s still a big driver of mine, to win some silverware in the club.
“I’m extremely happy coming to work every day and getting to run out on the pitch at the weekends, which I’m still lucky to be able to do in my, I wouldn’t say late 30s, mid-30s! It’s great.”
Ryan has amassed 238 appearances for Munster, currently fifth on the all-time list of record appearance holders for the province and on target to hit the 250 mark.
Capped 24 times, Ryan believes Munster are set for a big finish to the season. But having won four of their last five league games, he reckons the break of games during the Six Nations makes momentum difficult.
“I suppose maybe the frustrating thing is the gap because of the Six Nations window that there’s maybe in terms of momentum.
“There’s such a gap between games that you can’t build on them. That is something that is frustrating at times when you have that momentum and when you get a few wins, and maybe you come in after two weeks and you’re kind of almost falling off your feet again for the first five, 10 minutes of the game, when you’re just trying to have a fast start.
“It can be tough, but, look, it’s going well for us at the moment and hopefully that continues to do so again because we feel like we’re in a really good place at the moment and we got more lads back in the pitch. So it’s getting quite exciting here in Munster,” said Ryan, who is hoping they can continue their good run when they host Edinburgh in Cork this Friday night.
Munster also announced a new two-year deal for secondrow Fineen Wycherly that keeps him at the province until the end of the 2026-27 season at least.
