Ireland: Munster hooker Niall Scannell still harbours international ambitions despite fierce competition

Experienced Munster hooker Niall Scannell has not given up hope on getting back into the Ireland reckoning ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup.

The front-rower has earned 20 caps for the national team and was a regular between 2017 and 2019, but he has not featured for the country since Andy Farrell took charge.

Scannell’s last match in a green shirt came in their heavy 46-14 World Cup defeat to New Zealand over three years ago.

He has since been overtaken by Leinster duo Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher, while Ulster’s Rob Herring and Connacht’s Dave Heffernan have also kept themselves in the mix.

The pinnacle

“I’m not going to shy away from it,” Scannell told the Irish Examiner. “I want to get back in and play for Ireland. I’m Irish and I love playing for Ireland, it’s the pinnacle of what you can do as a rugby player.

“Equally, it can’t be at the forefront of my mind day in, day out because I felt like that was distracting me a couple of years ago.

“Now I just want to play well for Munster and that’s what they’re picking the team on. So I feel like I’m just a bit more free in how I’m playing and a bit more open-minded to everything that’s going on here with the new coaches and the things they can add to my game.

“It seems to be working for me and I’m enjoying it, which is the main thing. It’s a lot easier when you’re enjoying it so that’s how I’ve been going about it but certainly the injection of new coaches in pre-season was refreshing.”

Scannell has remained a constant presence in the Munster starting line-up and continues to impress for the province.

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It means that the 30-year-old has not given up hope on another Ireland call-up, although it is not the be-all and end-all for the hooker.

“Not like I’ve given up on that but after a couple of years where I really pushed to try and get back in, you need to start concentrating on something a bit more tangible,” he said.

“I’m not Dan (Sheehan), I’m not Ronan (Kelleher), I’m not Rob Herring, I’m not Dave Heffernan.

“I think I offer something different but equally I’ll try and add all the other aspects of my game and hope that I can make myself as a package the kind of player they feel could add to the group and if they do, brilliant, but if they don’t I still need to keep getting better.

“I think for too long everything I was concentrating on around my game was based on trying to get back in there but it’s not the best way to get better.

“I’m at a stage where I hope that’s enough and if it’s not, I’ll just keep doing it and keep getting better. What else can you do?

“That’s all you can do, isn’t it? Just get better and better every day and if they pick you, they pick you. I’m not going to be throwing the toys out of the pram. I know the standard there now and the lads in there have set a high standard and that’s what I’m trying to get up to.”

Facing Leinster

Scannell will look to stake his claim as he comes up against one of his rivals for the Ireland shirt, Sheehan, when Munster face Leinster on St. Stephen’s Day.

The festive fixture against the Dubliners is one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the season, although there is one drawback for the players as they cannot indulge themselves like others can over Christmas and New Year.

“Christmas is probably Leinster on Stephen’s Day, isn’t it?” he added.

“It was unusual last year when it was cancelled (due to Covid). There was the disappointment of it being cancelled and then ‘I actually might get a Christmas for the first time’.

“It makes Christmas different but I suppose I’m lucky in the sense I have (Munster centre and brother) Rory as well so it’s not the like the whole family is going mad around me and I’m the only one there not drinking or not eating. So at least we’re both in it together.

“Like, since 2012 now, there’s been games and I’m kind of used to Christmas like this. When you’re a bit younger it’s different to what all your friends are doing and a bit annoying at times but at this stage it just is the way it is. I’ll enjoy my first one when I retire, certainly.”