The '200' Club

Only a few names have ever eclipsed the two-hundred cap mark for Munster. Among them are all-time greats and loyal servants of the club. When you read through the list of players, there is one name that jumps out. John Ryan. Never mentioned among the club's greats, and yet, right there between Anthony Foley and Mick O’Driscoll, two men who are undoubtedly on the Mt. Rushmore of Munster Rugby, sits John Ryan.

Ryan’s journey was probably the most unlikely of those 12 men who call the ‘200’ Club home. Ryan officially passed the double century on 2nd December 2022 when he started against Edinburgh in a 38-17 victory, with this he joined the likes of Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer, John Hayes, and Donncha O’Callaghan. However, it didn’t always look like it would end this way. Early on in his career, Ryan was loaned to London Irish for part of the 2011 season. This began a trend that saw the Munster man leave the Limerick-based club three times in his career. The next six seasons were good to Ryan. He went from strength to strength in these years, breaking into the Irish squad during the 2016 November Internationals before becoming a regular player for the national side in the following seasons. Ryan played an important part in Ireland’s Grand Slam run in 2018, appearing in two games. His last Irish cap was in 2021 against Japan.

Going into the 2022 season Ryan and Munster's management failed to reach a contract agreement. Ryan signed with Premiership club Wasps for the following season. Things were not to be, however, and Wasps failed to fulfill contractual obligations to members of their organisation and were forced to enter administration in mid-October. Ryan returned to Munster on a three-month contract following an injury to Stephen Archer. It was during this stint, he passed the 200-cap mark to become one of Munster’s longest-tenured players. At the end of the season, both parties failed to come to an agreement and once again Ryan left, this time taking his talents to the Southern Hemisphere. He joined the Super Rugby outfit Chiefs and finished the season in New Zealand.

Ryan must have got sick of the running rugby down south, perhaps preferring the power game of the Heineken Cup because, for the coming season, the prodigal son returns to Limerick once again on a one-year deal with his home province. Munster gladly welcomes home one of its best servants, for one more year at least.