WATCH: JP Ferreira on giving youth its head in the early part of the season

Munster defence coach JP Ferreira was up for media duty this week as the province prepare to open their pre-season with a game against London Irish at Musgrave Park tomorrow.

Head coach Johann van Graan has picked a youthful side for the fixture and by the looks of the squad as a whole (with 12 players at the World Cup) it’s likely that Munster will be giving youth a big chance in the early season.

Ferreira sees giving the province’s academy players a chance is vital to future success.

“For us as coaches it’s massive. For where they are at, they can kind of analyse themselves and say ‘am I ready for it or am I not?’

“We are excited to see them come through and see how they go with the senior guys. Personally, I’ve said it all along that these guys are the next group in.

“They have got to step up. We have had to do a lot of work with them and get them on par so I’m keen to see where they are really at and see if they can make the next step up to a higher level.”

Ferreira also talks about former players Pete McCabe and Paddy Butler training with Munster and new short term signing Jed Holloway. Click below to see the full video.