Four Ireland internationals are among Munster eight players that have signed contract extensions with the province.
Brothers Niall and Rory Scannell, Jack O'Donoghue and Shane Daly have all signed two-year extensions, as have Craig Casey and Calvin Nash, while Liam Coombes and Alex McHenry have put pen to paper on one-year deals.
Centre Rory Scannell (27) has played for Munster on 138 occasions and has three Ireland caps.
Hooker Niall Scannell made his Munster debut in December 2013 and has made 110 appearances to date. On the international front, the 28-year-old has earned 20 Ireland caps.
Back-row forward O’Donoghue (27) has made 130 appearances in red and has represented Ireland on two occasions.
Shane Daly has taken his opportunities since joining the senior squad at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, scoring scored five tries in 24 appearances. The 24-year-old made his Ireland debut in the Autumn Nations Cup against Georgia in November.
Casey is another player who continues to impress after making the step up to the senior squad, with the 21-year-old earning a deserved call-up to Ireland’s 2021 Six Nations squad. The scrum-half has made 21 appearances in red, scoring two tries.
Nash (23) made his Munster debut in February 2017 and has made 26 appearances for the province, scoring six tries. This season, the speedy winger has featured on five occasions, playing the full eighty on each occasion.
Winger Liam Coombes made the step up to the senior squad at the start of the season. The 23-year-old has six caps since making his impressive try-scoring debut against Cheetahs in Bloemfontein in November 2018.
Alex McHenry also progressed to the senior squad at the beginning of the season. The 23-year-old centre has made two appearances with his first start coming against Edinburgh in October.
Commenting on the first contract news of the season, head coach Johann van Graan said: "The calibre of this initial player group is a huge positive with the province retaining the services of experienced, quality players while also securing the futures of up-and-coming talent.
"It’s further reward for the clubs, schools and volunteers that have invested time and effort into the development of these players."
A number of Munster's more established Ireland players are also out of contract in the summer.
Winger Keith Earls (33) has reportedly agreed a one-year extension with the IRFU, while CJ Stander and Peter O'Mahony are expected to agree two-year deals.
