Munster thrashed the Dragons with a bonus point win in Cork earlier this season, but the game may, in time, be remembered for the professional debut of Ben O'Connor.
The 19-year-old was one of many hugely talented young Munster players in action on Saturday.
The likes of Edwin Edogbo and Tom Ahern are not your run-of-the-mill young lads getting an early season outing before the front liners come back, but players with bona fide world class potential, while substitute Brian Gleeson is arguably the most exciting prospect in the country.
But we already know about the talent possessed by those three, we've seen them on the telly for Munster and Ireland U20s.
Below we will take a deeper look into the new kid on the block, the former Cork minor hurler turned Munster fullback, and a player primed to show-off his plethora of skills in the uber competitive U20s Six Nations Championship.
64 | Scott Buckley is on for Diarmuid Barron and Academy man Ben O'Connor replaces Shane Daly as the 19-year-old makes his Munster debut!
Congratulations, Ben! 🚩#MUNvDRA #SUAF 🔴— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) November 4, 2023
READ HERE: Picking The Best Irish Rugby U23 Squad From The Four Provinces
READ HERE: Munster Rugby Prospect Sent Off As Cork U20s Pip Limerick In Munster Hurling Championship
Ben O'Connor - The New Kid On The Munster Block
4 June 2023; Ben O'Connor of Cork after the O’Neills.com GAA Hurling All-Ireland U20 Championship Final match between Cork and Offaly at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
To appreciate O'Connor's athletic talent, you can look to his mid-year schedule in 2023: 14th March, won the Munster Schools Senior Cup with PBC, following a 24-0 win over rivals CBC; 12th April, represented Ireland U19s in a loss to France U20 Development XV; 15th May, started for Cork U20s hurlers in their Munster Championship final win over Clare; 4th June, started in the All-Ireland final win over Offaly.
His U20s medal can now sit proudly alongside his minor All-Ireland from 2021, while his Munster Schools medal made up for the final loss in 2022, and also drew PBC level with CBC with 31 titles each.
Something that is inherent and often can't be taught is the 'big game' gene. As his PBC coach, Ger Burke, said, “Ben’s a special talent..... He’s just a guy you want on a big occasion.”
These words came after Pres' semi-final win over CBC in the 2022 Munster Schools Senior Cup, where O'Connor kicked an incredibly tough and clutch conversion to seal a two point win, which you can watch below. These two points came just minutes after an even harder kick from out on the touchline [7mins in the video below].
Munster's gain is also a massive loss for Cork hurling. As mentioned, the St Finbarr's man played a pivotal role at centre halfback for the Cork team that won the 2021 minor and 2023 U20 All-Ireland. As Cork look to end their long Liam MacCarthy drought, it's imperative that talents like O'Connor are retained.
After choosing the path of rugby - like his teammates Brian Gleeson, a former Tipperary underage hurler, and Patrick Campbell, an All-Ireland Minor Football winner with Cork - Ben O'Connor joined the Munster Academy last year.
In an interview last August, he described his introduction to the sport, and the experience of juggling both rugby, hurling, and, of course, the Leaving Certificate that was completed this summer.
I started playing rugby in sixth class. I joined Highfield with a couple of friends from school, and I was kind of up and down there on Saturday mornings just playing with my friends for fun.
I played in first year, second year, got off it in fourth year to focus on hurling, and came back in fifth year again.
I was selected for training in the summer [2022] and then a game against Connacht and then the 19s ..... So I played the 19s Interpros last year .... The experiences going abroad playing against top class teams was amazing, and then the U19s Ireland team.
My coach in Pres, Joe Burke and Kian Bohan, they were very big influences. They brought me in and I just fell in love with rugby, the systems, how they played, how they let everyone play in Pres, they just made me fall in love with it again.
It was hectic, with all the sports, and the All Ireland final this year was only three days before the first Leaving Cert exam. But I was able to get into the library late after trainings and get the study done.
So I just hope to become better rugby player, [improve] my techniques in rugby, just understand the game better, the system, and hopefully make the Irish 20s team.
Since O'Connor's debut against the Dragons, he has won three further caps, including a tough62 minutes in Munster's Champions Cup draw with Bayonne, which was very much a 'welcome to the league' moment for the 19-year-old.
Great @Munsterrugby debut for Quercus scholar, @UCCRFC and @CACSSS1 student Ben O’Connor in Musgrave Park this evening. Onwards and upwards!! pic.twitter.com/gdSloIPRKy
— QuercusUCC (@Quercus_UCC) November 4, 2023
O'Connor will start at fullback for Ireland in Aix en Provence on Saturday. He's excelled in the red jersey; it'll be fascinating to see him in the green jersey.
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