While it's been a week of soul-searching in Munster, those disappointments will have been quickly forgotten in the Edogbo household in Cobh.
On Wednesday, 23-year-old Edwin received his first full Ireland call-up from Andy Farrell for the Guinness Six Nations, and there has already been considerable clamour for the second row to be thrust straight into the matchday squad for Ireland’s opening game against France in Paris in a fortnight.
Further good news followed this afternoon, as the younger Edogbo brother, Seán, was handed his Munster debut by Clayton McMillan, named in the starting back row for tomorrow's clash with Dragons in their native Cork.
The only downside to the news is that the pair will have to wait for their first opportunity to play in a Munster game together; Edwin has been ruled out of Friday’s meeting as he follows the return to play protocols, after experiencing concussive symptoms after last week’s defeat to Castres.
The second row (below) missed out on training with Ireland as a development player in October after suffering a concussion in the province’s win against Leinster, although McMillan expects he will be fit and ready to train with Ireland next week.
Edwin’s Ireland call-up came as no surprise after he had been on Farrell’s radar ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.
Had it not been for significant injury, the powerful lock could well have a number of caps to his name by now.
He was just 19 when he made his debut for the province in September 2022, and had become a key player in the Munster engine room by the time he suffered a torn Achilles in their Christmas interpro against Leinster in December 2023, an injury he had previously suffered in his other leg earlier in his career.
That second Achilles tear cost him 22 months of rugby, but with nine games under his belt since returning in October, his Munster coach believes he’s getting better week on week.
"A year and a half or two and a half years [combined] out of the game will take its toll on anybody," McMillan said.
"I think everybody can see that he's still a little bit of a work in progress.
"We've been very considered around reintegrating him back into rugby. He's had the odd start, he's had plenty of opportunity off the bench, he's picked up a couple of niggles here and there that have hampered his ability to get out on the on the field on a semi-regular basis, but certainly getting a number of runs on the board to showcase what he can do.
"I think in the last two weeks, despite us not getting the collective result, he’s been somebody who, when he's been injected into the game through his ball carry and physical presence, is a sight to behold.
"The challenge for him, much the same as us, is to continue to provide that consistency in his performance but there's definitely something pretty special being unearthed or starting to realise its potential."
At 6ft 6in and an estimated 127kg, the second row has the kind of size and strength which has been severely lacking in both the Irish and Munster pack in recent seasons.
With no shortage of bulk in the French pack, there have been plenty of calls for the Munster man to be handed his Ireland debut against France in Paris, with Bernard Jackman suggesting on the RTÉ Rugby podcast that he would even start Edogbo alongside Joe McCarthy.
"I wouldn't be against both him and Joe together, to start..."@bernardjackman believes a Joe McCarthy/Edwin Edogbo lock combo against France could be the move ☘️🇫🇷
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) January 21, 2026
📺🎧Full pod: https://t.co/Nx712YXRaF pic.twitter.com/ulTJaKA6S2
And while McMillan tried to temper expectations when asked if he believes the player would be ready, he believes there’s only one way to find out.
"I'm 100% confident he has the ability.
"You never quite know at that level of the game until you get chucked in the arena how you're going to respond.
"But, you'd have to say that the way he's fought back through some pretty serious adversity around his body over the last couple of years shows the strength of character and resilience, and you'd have to say that that would serve him pretty well," he added.
The younger Edogbo, Seán, has had to wait a little longer than Edwin to make his Munster bow, with the 21-year-old picked alongside Ruadhán Quinn and Brian Gleeson in a young back row for Friday’s visit of Dragons to Cork.
The flanker played eight times for the Irish Under-20s in 2024, and scored three tries in that year’s Six Nations championship as Ireland finished second to England, while he also featured for Emerging Ireland later that year on their tour of South Africa.
The academy prospect has been a regular for UCC across the last three seasons in the Energia All Ireland League, while he has also been involved for Munster A in their Interprovincial Series.
He has featured for the province in pre-season friendlies in 2024 and 2025, but he’s had to be patient to get his shot in the URC.
"He possibly could have played a number of games already this year but he got injured right at the start of the season where we had a few other things and sort of missed his opportunity when the door was open, and then other people we think have probably performed consistently well, and he's had to bide his time to get an opportunity," McMillan explained.
And while the Munster head coach says Seán shares some similarities to his brother’s style of play, he’s "just a slightly different profile".
"He's not quite as big a lump as Edwin is," McMillan laughs.
"He's a little shorter and perhaps a little bit more acceleration in this game. He's just a different profile of athlete, but we're really excited about his potential.
"He’s gifted aerially, a great lineout forward, he got good foot-speed, and just all-around good skillset.
"Him, along with Ruadhán Quinn and Brian Gleeson, that makes for a young but an explosive, exciting, loose forward trio that everyone in the building has been eager to see get out on the park and see what they can do.
"Through some unavailability and a bit of injuries, this week this happens to be that week."
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow every Ireland game in the Guinness Six Nations on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app, or listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1.
Watch live coverage of England v Ireland (21 February) and Ireland v Wales (6 March) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
