‘I’M still 28, Kieran. When this goes out, don’t mention the 29!’

Gavin Coombes is laughing, but there’s a serious point behind the joke.

The Skibbereen native turns 29 on December 11th – he shares the same birthday as team-mate Fineen Wycherley – and, after a decade at Munster, he is now one of the more experienced players in the dressing room.

A lot has changed around him too, with Munster losing a number of senior figures in recent seasons. Coombes is now part of the group expected to step up, help lead the younger players coming through and take on greater responsibility.

It’s a role he is embracing as a new season kicks off this weekend with Munster’s United Rugby Championship opener at home to Glasgow in Thomond Park on Saturday (5.30pm).

‘We’ve lost a lot of experienced members over the last couple of years, and we’ve got a group of lads around my age that all came through together,’ he says.

‘It’s a good challenge for us to step up and lead a good group of young lads into the season, help them along and hopefully benefit Munster Rugby.’

That responsibility rests easy on Coombes’ huge shoulders. The six-foot-four Skibb juggernaut isn’t easily fazed. Instead, he embraces the role that age brings – helping the next generation understand the high standards expected at Munster.

‘I want to take it in my stride and be able to help the younger lads come through. Hopefully that helps us succeed and takes us where we want to get to. It’s definitely something that excites me.’

Ciara Hueston and Gavin Coombes at the recent 2026 Munster Rugby Awards.

Coombes is keen to point out he’s still learning, too. He feels there’s more to come.

‘Yeah, there’s definitely plenty of stuff to work on. There always is. I don’t think anyone will ever say they’re the complete player,’ he says.

‘And for me, you know, I think I definitely have areas that I want to work on and strengths that I want to work on as well.

‘Every season brings a new possibility. So, yeah, definitely excited for it and excited to see where I can go this year.’

Well-versed in interviews at this stage, Coombes neatly sidesteps the follow-on question: can you share with us one area you’re hoping to take to the next level this season?

‘No, I’d rather keep that to myself, Kieran, to be honest.’

Straight to the point. No bullshit. He doesn’t waste his words. Instead, he does his talking on the pitch. There’s a reason he is third on Munster’s all-time try-scoring list with 55. Only two legends have more tries, Simon Zebo (73) and Keith Earls (64).

And with another pre-season behind him, Coombes is ready to get to work, starting this weekend.

‘I’ve done about ten pre-seasons now, so it’s always exciting to get into the season,’ he says.

He insists there’s enjoyment in the pain of pre-season.

‘First of all, you have your weekends free anyway, which is always nice,’ he quips.

‘But there’s enjoyment in getting through the work as a group and getting that bank of work done – you can take confidence from that going into the season.

‘The downside of it is when you’re doing the training, you want to be playing games. And when you have no games, that’s probably the hardest part of it, not having something to look forward to when you are training on the weekend.’

It’s the time of the year too when optimism abounds – a new season, with all its shine and promise, offers fresh opportunities. For Munster, it’s a chance to drive forward after an underwhelming campaign last time out. They bowed out of the Champions Cup at the pool stage, then the Challenge Cup at the round of 16 before exiting the URC in the quarter-finals.

‘We still finished fifth,’ Coombes says, pointing to Munster’s late run in the URC.

‘I’ve been in the club for ten years, and when it’s going good, you can’t get too up, and when it’s going bad, you can’t get too down.

‘We try not to listen to what’s happening on the outside. I think we’re quite good at keeping everything within the group and just keeping our belief in what we think.’

On the new season, Coombes adds: ‘We’ve a few new coaches in and new ideas. Every season, the goal is to build on the season before and be competitive. I think we have the squad that can challenge for something.’