The 2022–23 Munster Rugby season was Munster's twenty-second season competing in the United Rugby Championship, alongside which they competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Graham Rowntree's first season as head coach following his promotion.
Events
Head coach Johann van Graan, who joined Munster in November 2017, confirmed in December 2021 that he would be leaving the province at the end of the 2021–22 season to join English club Bath. In addition to this, senior coach Stephen Larkham also left the province to return home to Australia to become head coach of the Brumbies, and defence coach JP Ferreira followed van Graan to join Bath. However, forwards coach Graham Rowntree extended his stay with the province by a further two years, and the province confirmed in April 2022 that Rowntree would be promoted to head coach from the 2022–23 season. Mike Prendergast, a former scrum-half for the province, joined Rowntree's coaching setup as the attack coach on a three-year contract, having most recently fulfilled a similar role for French club Racing 92. Andi Kyriacou, who had joined the province in April 2021 as an elite player development officer with the academy, was promoted to forwards coach with the senior squad on a two-year contract, and former Munster player Denis Leamy returned to the province as defence coach on a three-year contract. Three additions were also made to the academy staff, with former players Brendan O'Connor and Tommy O'Donnell joining as elite player development officers and Matt Brown joining as pathway development coach.
In player news, Munster's marquee signing ahead of the commencement of the season was centre Malakai Fekitoa, who won the 2015 Rugby World Cup with New Zealand before reverting his international allegiance to his native Tonga. Irish-qualified hooker Chris Moore joined from Exeter University, and five players were promoted from the academy to the senior squad: hooker Scott Buckley, lock Paddy Kelly, back-rower Alex Kendellen, lock Eoin O'Connor, and scrum-half Paddy Patterson. Centre Antoine Frisch, who is Irish-qualified, also joined the province from English club Bristol Bears. Six players joined year one of Munster's academy programme ahead of the season: props Darragh McSweeney and Kieran Ryan, lock Evan O'Connell, back-row Ruadhán Quinn, scrum-half Jack Oliver and centre Fionn Gibbons.
Hooker Declan Moore left the province to join Ulster on a permanent basis, having spent time on loan at the northern province during the previous season. Fly-half Jake Flannery joined Moore in moving north to Ulster, whilst lock Jason Jenkins moved east to join Leinster after an injury-disrupted season at Munster, and fullback Matt Gallagher and flanker Chris Cloete joined former head coach Johann van Graan at Bath. Veteran prop John Ryan left to join English club Wasps, and hooker Kevin O'Byrne joined English RFU Championship club Ealing Trailfinders. Centre Alex McHenry and back-three Seán French left the province to join English Championship clubs Jersey Reds and Bedford Blues respectively, whilst scrum-half Rowan Osborne and academy back-three Jonathan Wren were both forced to retire due to injury, and South African world cup-winning centre Damian de Allende returned to Japanese domestic rugby with Saitama Wild Knights. Centre Chris Farrell was released from his contract with the province in early March 2023 to join French club Oyonnax, with prop James French and centre Dan Goggin also being released by the province in March 2023 to pursue a new playing opportunities.
Munster were drawn in pool B for the 2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup and faced French club Toulouse, who have won the competition a record five times and have knocked Munster out of tournament in the previous two seasons, and English club Northampton Saints, who beat Munster in the 2000 Heineken Cup Final and last faced the province during the 2011–12 Heineken Cup pool stage.
Munster began pre-season with a 28–19 defeat at home to English club Gloucester on 26 August 2022. The following day, after the GAA Central Council unanimously backed the proposal, Munster confirmed they would face a South Africa XV in a friendly held at Cork GAA's 45,000-capacity Páirc Uí Chaoimh on 10 November 2022. It would be the first time Munster have faced a South African national team in the professional era - their last such meeting was in 1970 - and would also see former Munster coaches Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber return to the province for the first time since their departure in 2017. Munster's second and final pre-season fixture was a 19–14 defeat to London Irish on 2 September 2022.