Alex Ken lead the Reds on SA tour
IT’S a case of second time lucky for Alex Kendellen, the Munster flanker who has been appointed as captain for the tour which takes place in early November.
The 24-year-old was due to travel on the first Emerging Ireland tour in South Africa in September 2022. But, after suffering a concussion, he left the camp just before they travelled to Bloemfontein.
Six players who made that trip have since been capped by Andy Farrell at senior level, including Jack Crowley, Joe McGrath and Calvin Nash.
But Kendellen is still clearly on the Ireland head coach’s radar as he has been chosen to lead the squad this time around by Simon Easterby.
Kendellen signed a senior contract for the Reds ahead of the 2022-23 campaign and is contracted until July of next year.
Verge
He has made 67 appearances for the province, including 15 in the Champions Cup.
He looked on the verge of a big breakthrough with his performance in the European quarter-final against Toulouse in 2022.
His progress stalled for 18 months until he began to flourish again early this year, with Graham Rowntree trusting him with the Munster captaincy in a couple of games and his work-rate making him a stand-out performer in the Reds’ revival.
At international level, Kendellen captained the Ireland under-20s in the 2021 Six Nations, scoring six tries in five games and two player of the match awards, before he was selected for the Emerging Ireland squad - only to miss out.
Easterby said: “His standing within Irish rugby has really grown over the last couple of seasons but part of that was his performances and captaincy of the 2os a couple of seasons ago and I think he’ll stand up and lead really well.”