URC Grand Final: Three unlikely stars for Munster

All eyes are set to be on the star players when the Stormers take on Munster in the United Rugby Championship Grand Final at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday evening.

Moments of magic will be the order of the night and fans will be backing their favourite players to turn up on the big plays and make game breaking contributions in the match.

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For Munster the obvious stars include hulking Springbok lock RG Snyman, Irish internationals Conor Murray and Tadhg Beirne, as well as former New Zealand centre Malakai Fekitoa.

However the biggest contributions could end up coming from some of the more background players, who could make a massive impact on the outcome of the game.

Jean Kleyn

South African born Irish international Jean Kleyn has become a stalwart of the team since his arrival in Ireland in 2016 and has racked up an impressive 135 caps for them.

Kleyn has always been a bit under the radar, but has solidly just gone about his business, putting in consistently strong performances every season.

His impressive form was recognised internationally in 2019 when he was brought into the Irish squad and featured for them at the World Cup, but he hasn’t made any appearances for them since.

Kleyn will thus be eager to continue putting his name forward and will know a big performance in the final would go a long way towards getting back into the international set-up.

Rory Scannell

Munster utility back Rory Scannell is part of a brother impact duo that could make a big splash off the bench in the URC final.

Along with his older brother Niall, who is a hooker, the brothers have been a key part of the teams impact squad over the current season.

Rory, at just 29-years-old, has already racked up an impressive 173 caps for Munster, since making his debut in 2014, and is already considered a veteran of the squad.

He is primarily a centre, but can also slot in at flyhalf or fullback and his usefulness across the back could be key in the final, wherever he needs to slot in during the second half.

Craig Casey

Rising scrumhalf talent Craig Casey has slowly been working his way into being a key member of the Munster set-up over the past couple of seasons.

The 24-year-old is effectively the understudy of Irish scrumhalf Conor Murray, and with Murray heading into the twilight of his career, Casey will likely have aspirations of taking over as their first choice scrumhalf over the coming seasons.

After Murray was ruled out of the URC semi-final against Leinster due to concussion protocols, Casey stepped in and performed superbly, playing the full 80 minutes, helping his side to a famous victory.

Although Murray is back and likely to start, Casey will have an important role to play off the bench should he come on in the second half.