New Munster head coach Clayton McMillan says his squad is focused on readiness, availability and consistency as they prepare to open their campaign against Scarlets.

“There’s a huge amount of excitement in the group to go out there and play a competitive match against Scarlets,” McMillan said. “We’ve really enjoyed our pre-season. A lot’s been documented – it’s been hard, we’ve done things a little differently – but we feel like we’ve landed in a good place. Every coach and team, you always want another training session or another week to prepare yourselves, but everyone’s in the same boat. I guess we’ll find out where we’re at on Saturday.”

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The new coach has made availability his central theme, emphasising that Munster’s success this season will depend on keeping players fit and ready to perform.

“It’s been very important, a focal point of our pre-season, why we’ve done what we’ve done,” he explained. “We’ve worked hard to make sure we are physically, technically and tactically ready to enter the season in the best possible position. But that’s only achieved if you’ve got your best bodies playing. The best form of selection is availability.”

That outlook influenced early selections, with McMillan rewarding those who completed the full pre-season workload.

“We came into this block knowing that those who’d been here for the duration of pre-season were more rugby-ready, given the internationals arrived later,” he said. “We’ve largely rewarded those performances. Having international experience and X-factor coming off the bench is a great position to be in – we’re hoping they’ll finish the job for us. John Hodnett’s injury meant we went for an experienced specialist, seven in Alex Kendellen, and obviously Craig Casey is the captain. In those two cases, the theory hasn’t played out, but the intention was clear.”

Scarlets are the opening test, and McMillan is under no illusions about the challenge.

“We’re wary of every opposition,” he said. “Scarlets finished last season really well and will want to carry that momentum. They’ve recruited strongly, they’re at home, and we’re well aware of the desperation they’ll play with, given the wider situation in Wales. They’re a dangerous side, one we have huge respect for.”

Injuries have forced adjustments, but also allowed others to stake their claim.

“He started a little slow, coming off a lengthy injury last season,” McMillan said of Conor Bartley, “But people have always spoken highly of his scrummaging. Over the last six or seven weeks, he’s made real strides. We saw evidence of that in the pre-season games. With John Ryan injured, the decision to go with him was easy. It’s a reward for his effort. He’s no spring chicken, but there are advantages in having someone with that man strength, who’s been through any number of scrums.”

Much of Munster’s work has been about ensuring the squad reaches the starting line in better condition than in previous campaigns.

“Our big focus was on players being available, fit and effective,” he said. “That meant looking back over the past three years, finding the lessons, and making sure we had more bodies at the start line. Of course, you could wrap everyone in cotton wool, but that wouldn’t prepare you for a season. We still needed to be fit and effective in our roles. Internally, there’s plenty of evidence that we’ve ticked those boxes – but you only really know when the competition starts.”

McMillan recognises the need for Munster to maintain standards every week, not just in big occasions.

“If we’ve been guilty of anything over the last couple of years, it’s producing big performances with our backs against the wall, then following them up with poor ones,” he said. “If we want to be the team we aspire to be, consistency is the starting point. I just think the game is pretty simple, though coaches can complicate it. Set piece, winning the territorial battle, valuing possession, converting pressure into points – those fundamentals hold true everywhere. That’s what we’ll be looking to do.”

For the coach, excuses won’t cut it. He insists the squad is as ready as it can be.

“I’m not giving myself or the team any outs – losing experience, short pre-season, whatever,” McMillan said. “We’ve had enough time, we’ve shown enough in the games. We’re as ready as we can be. We’re not the finished product – no team is this early. You want to be at your best at the back end of the season, but you want your starting point to be higher than last year. That’s the expectation. That’s what we aspire to. We’ll be able to answer that on Monday morning.”

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