}} | pattern_la1 = _thinblackhoops | pattern_b1 = _adidas_navyshoulder | pattern_ra1 = _thinblackhoops | pattern_sh1 = | pattern_so1 = _3_stripes_white | leftarm1 = D50032 | body1 = D50032 | rightarm1 = D50032 | shorts1 = 001F3F | socks1 = 001F3F | | pattern_la2 = _redwhitehoops | pattern_b2 = _adidas_redshoulder | pattern_ra2 = _redwhitehoops | pattern_sh2 = | pattern_so2 = _3_stripes_white | leftarm2 = | body2 = | rightarm2 = | shorts2 = FF0000 | socks2 = FF0000 | | pattern_la3 = | pattern_b3 = | pattern_ra3 = | pattern_sh3 = | pattern_so3 = _3_stripes_white | leftarm3 = 805071 | body3 = d072a1 | rightarm3 = 805071 | shorts3 = 805071 | socks3 = d072a1 | | prevseason = 2024–25 | nextseason = 2026–27 }} The 2025–26 season is Munster Rugby's fifth in the United Rugby Championship, and their 138th season of representative rugby since their foundation. Along with competing in the URC and its Irish Shield competition, the club also participated in the 2025–26 European Rugby Champions Cup, their 32nd season of European and professional competition, and will participate in the knockout stages of the 2025–26 EPCR Challenge Cup.
For the first time, Munster will bring a competitive in-season fixture to the 45,000 capacity Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Cork, with one of the two European Rugby Champions Cup home matches designated for the venue. Munster had previously played a number of high-profile 'friendly fixtures' at the venue. Munster will become the third Irish province to bring a major competitive home fixture to a larger GAA ground, Munster having played away fixtures against both Leinster at Croke Park, and Connacht at MacHale Park, in the previous season.
Munster appointed a new head coach for the 2025–26 season, Clayton McMillan. McMillan was previously head coach of Super Rugby side, The Chiefs.
Munster men Transfers
Full squad Munster Rugby senior squad Prop John Ryan, 36 Michael Alaalatoa, 34 Conor Bartley, 30 Oli Jager, 30 Jeremy Loughman, 29 Roman Salanoa, 27 Josh Wycherley, 25 Michael Milne, 25 Mark Donnelly, 24 Kieran Ryan, 23 Darragh McSweeney, 22 Ronan Foxe, 22 George Hadden, 22 Emmett Calvey, 20
Hooker Niall Scannell, 33 Diarmuid Barron, 26 Lee Barron, 24 Max Clein, 21 Danny Sheahan, 21
Lock Tadhg Beirne, 33 Jean Kleyn, 31 Fineen Wycherley, 27 Tom Ahern, 25 Edwin Edogbo, 22 Conor Ryan, 21 Evan O'Connell, 21 Michael Foy, 19 Conor Kennelly, 19 Back Row Jack O'Donoghue, 31 Gavin Coombes, 27 John Hodnett, 26 Alex Kendellen, 24 Ruadhán Quinn, 21 Brian Gleeson, 21 Seán Edogbo, 21 Luke Murphy, 20 Oisin Minogue, 19
Scrum-Half Paddy Patterson, 26 Craig Casey, 26 Ethan Coughlan, 23 Jack Oliver, 22 Jake O'Riordan, 20
Fly-Half JJ Hanrahan, 32 Jack Crowley, 25 Tony Butler, 23 Dylan Hicks, 20 Tom Wood, 20 Centre Tom Farrell, 31 Alex Nankivell, 28 Shane Daly, 28 Seán O'Brien, 27 Dan Kelly, 24 Fionn Gibbons, 23 Gordon Wood, 20 Gene O'Leary Kareem, 20 Eoghan Smyth, 20
Wing Calvin Nash, 27 Diarmuid Kilgallen, 25 Andrew Smith, 24 Shay McCarthy, 22
Fullback Mike Haley, 31 Thaakir Abrahams, 26 Ben O'Connor, 20 (c) denotes the team captain. Players and their allocated positions from the Munster Rugby website.
Pre-season and friendlies
Munster's men will begin their season with two pre-season friendlies against English opposition. Both ties will be reversals of upcoming European Rugby Champions Cup pool matches.
Munster will also play a friendly match against Argentina XV during the 2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals at Thomond Park.
United Rugby Championship Matches
Standings
Playoffs
Quarter-final'
URC Irish Shield
European Rugby Champions Cup Munster have been drawn in Pool 2 of the European Rugby Champions Cup, along with URC colleagues Edinburgh (whom Munster will not play in line with the rules of the competition), along with Bath, Castres, Gloucester and Toulon.
Pool matches
Knockout stage : EPCR Challenge Cup
Munster's loss to Castre in their final Champions Cup pool game confirmed their fifth-place finish in the pool, qualifying them for an away tie in the last sixteen of the second-tier 2025–26 EPCR Challenge Cup against Exeter Chiefs.
Round of 16
Munster Women
IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series
The 2025 IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series is being contested by women's teams representing the four provincial rugby unions of Ireland, under the same branding and uniforms as the senior men's teams in the United Rugby Championship. The competition currently uses a single round-robin format, similar to the one used in both the Six Nations Championship and the Women's Six Nations Championship. Each team plays the other three teams once.
As in previous seasons the competition also features playoffs and a final.
Leinster Women return as defending champions.
Table
Matches
Interprovincial final
Celtic Challenge The 2025–26 Celtic Challenge was the fourth season of the Celtic Challenge, a cross-border women's rugby union competition with teams from Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The six-team tournament features a full double round robin fixture series, with each team playing the others both home and away. For the first time, the competition will include a finals series with semi-finals and a grand final.
Clovers, a combined team representing Munster and Connacht, return for a third season.
Table
Clovers fixtures
Play-offs
References