The Munster squad arrived back after time off to UL on Wednesday to begin preparations for the 2017/18 season.

With the pre season still in its infancy, not all the squad have started back. Keith Earls, Dave Kilkoyne, Simon Zebo, Andrew Conway, Niall and Rory Scannell, Jack O’Donoghue and John Ryan have a few weeks off before they get back into the swing of things due to their involvement with the national side in the U.S and Japan.

Likewise those involved with the Irish under 20 side in Georgia at the World Cup will also return in a few weeks.

Stephen Fitzgerald, Dan Goggin, Brian Scott, Bill Johnston and Conor Oliver, who were all awarded development and professional contracts retuned alongside some new and some old faces like ex Racing 92 scrum half James Hart and ex Grenoble centre Chris Farrell and old favourite utility back, JJ Hanrahan.

https://twitter.com/Munsterrugby/status/880041631487074305

Exciting out half Bill Johnston has fully recovered from a broken fibula in march to return to full training.

To help increase squad depth a number of club players also retuned including Shannon’s Ronan Coffey, UCC’s James kendrick, Clontarf’s Max McFarland, Dolphin’s James Rochford and Young Munster’s Tom Ryan.

In terms of rehab, Dave O’Callaghan underwent a successful ACL operation in June due to the injury he picked up towards the end of the season against Treviso in the Pro12 and young lock Darren O’Shea underwent shoulder surgey meaning both will be out for the early part of the season.

Well that's day 1 done and everyone survived!….#preseason

✅Pick up kit
✅Baseline testing
✅On pitch conditioning #NewSeason pic.twitter.com/iU6uh0nmgU

— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) June 28, 2017

It has been a busy off season for Munster with some exiting signings. Credit should be given for the fact that a lot of the deals to bring players to the province have been done and dusted a long while back thus making planning for the upcoming season a lot easier.