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League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Munster centre Dan Kelly.Dan Sheridan/INPHO 'As soon as my agent told me Munster were in for me, it was a no-brainer' Dan Kelly on settling into life at Munster, and his ambitions of playing for Ireland. 7.31am, 25 Oct 2025 Share options DAN KELLY IS sporting a small shiner under his right eye, a souvenir of a memorable tussle with Leinster in Croke Park. He might be new to the Munster squad but it didn’t take long for the centre to embrace the rivalry, throwing himself right into what became an attritional, spirited performance from Clayton McMillan’s men. These are the days Kelly was dreaming of when he put pen to paper with Munster, joining from Leicester Tigers over the summer. And Kelly makes it clear Munster has long been the club he wanted to call home. The links are real and long-standing. While born in England, Kelly qualifies for Ireland through his grandfather. “He grew up in Dublin, came over and was a builder so there was plenty of work to get after over in the north of Manchester,” Kelly says. “So work brought him over there, and then he was there on the weekend (in Croke Park) so it was a special moment for us this weekend, definitely. He hasn’t smiled like that since, I suppose, my Ireland U20s days.” Those Ireland U20s days came as part of Noel McNamara’s 2020 crop. Current Munster players Jack Crowley, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Thomas Ahern and Sean O’Brien were among the same vintage. Kelly and Crowley grew particularly close at the time. “Jack and his family took me in, to be honest,” Kelly says. Kelly and Jack Crowley were teammates with Ireland at U20 level.Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO “I was at Loughborough University at the time trying to do my degree and obviously there wouldn’t be enough time then to sometimes fly back and be back for the Wednesday for example, so I’d go and stay with Jack and his family just outside of Cork. They welcomed me into their family for a good few months and then obviously Covid hit after we won the triple crown, which is a shame. “But we’ve always had a good relationship, me and Jack, and it (playing together again) was almost like we were back to the U20s days when we were in Musgrave Park on a weekend and he’s got such a good flow about him and you just follow him and things start to come off. I love playing with Jack, he’s a phenomenal player and I think it’s one of the best 10 performances I’ve seen from someone on the weekend. It was a pleasure to play outside of.” Having made the move across the Irish Sea with his girlfriend, Kelly is settling into his new home after ending a five-year stay with Leicester Tigers. Now 24, the time for a fresh challenge felt right, having grown frustrated as his gametime diminished under Michael Cheika. In the 2023/24 season Kelly started 24 games for Tigers. In 2024/25 that dropped to just 11. Advertisement “I wasn’t playing week in, week out, which I found really hard last year. Sometimes you’re just not the right player or not the right person for someone and that was hard to take for me, as I’d really try and control the controllables and I’d always be a person that looks at myself rather than anything else first.” He considered his situation and sought second opinions. Mike Brown was among the senior pros to advise Kelly how quickly a career can pass by. Kelly opted for twist over stick. There were other options in the mix but Kelly saw Munster as the outstanding choice. “When such a big club like Munster come and approach you it’s not that hard a decision. “I think if you go back to signing for Leicester when I was really young, what brought me to that club was it had a big fan base, a big club, big history and when you look at Munster it’s the exact same thing. “Hard-working people, our fans earn the money and turn up in their thousands and you can definitely get that feel when you’re playing, so that’s the (type of) club I like to play for, hard-working people. Kelly gets in a tussle with Leinster's James Lowe.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO “Regardless of what other clubs were involved it was a no-brainer for me. As soon as my agent told me Munster were in for me, I feel like you know deep down. I obviously slept on it but I didn’t really need to. It’s such a big club and I’ve always seen myself fitting in here, and I’m slowly getting there I think.” Always seen myself fitting in here. Tell us more… “Yeah, I’ve always watched Munster, being close with Jack and a few other lads here from my U20 days I’ve always kept an eye on them, how they’ve been going, and they’ve had some real famous wins like La Rochelle last year. Games like that are what you want to be a part of. I’ve always been watching them over the years, definitely.” This new chapter is the latest in what has been an interesting and varied sporting life. Rugby started with the Rochdale U6 team. It was union at first, before league also came into the equation. “I went to Rishworth School in West Yorkshire, obviously a massive league county. So I used to play my rugby union in the winter and in the summer I’d go and play for Siddal Rugby League. I’d say there’s maybe 10,11,12 Super League players that came out of that team. We won the national championship a year above as well, so we had a real plethora of talent in that team and it taught me some real things, discipline and tackle technique and things you just love in the game when you watch rugby league.” There was also golf, which started young, and judo. Only one of those is still going, with Kelly joining his new teammates for a first cut at Doonbeg last Sunday. “That’s another pro of being in the West of Ireland, there’s some phenomenal golf courses. I’m trying to get them ticked off if I can.” Plenty of rugby players hit the golf course. We want to hear more about the judo, which sounds like a handy skillset for a rugby player to lean into. “It’s definitely been transferable into my rugby,” Kelly says. “I probably finished properly when I was about 16/17. I was county champion, I used to really enjoy my judo and it was so transferable because I was a bit of a late developer, so technique was big for me when I was younger. Maybe you shouldn’t be throwing people over your legs but there’s definitely things in judo that have transferred and have come through into my professional career. I’ve always enjoyed that physical side of things.” Union eventually became the sole priority. Kelly quit rugby league when it was decided union offered a better path, allowing him the opportunity to play and complete his studies, which was a non-negotiable with his mother. He signed with the Sale Academy and joined a rugby school in Kirkham before moving on to Loughborough University, later signing for Leicester. In his first full season of senior rugby, Kelly played 18 times and finished the season as a Test international, Eddie Jones giving the centre 80 minutes in the England 12 shirt against Canada in the summer of 2021. Kelly was 21 at the time, and wouldn’t play for England again. Kelly was capped by Eddie Jones for England in 2021.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Now that he’s on new ground the prospect of becoming an Ireland international is back on the cards. Our conversation takes place a few days before Kelly is announced in the Ireland A squad to face Spain next month. He has ambitions of playing his way into Andy Farrell’s senior set-up, but is aware the more pressing job is making himself an important cog in the Munster system. “Yeah, I wouldn’t deny it. It’s definitely a factor,” Kelly says of the Ireland squad. “But I touched on it before, the competition is even fierce here at the province. “You’ve got to play well in a Munster jersey to even be in any conversations for that so I try and take it one step at a time and just enjoy it on the way because I feel like that’s stuff I’ve not done previously. You’re always looking for that next thing and sometimes you get lost in the moment. “So I’m just trying to enjoy my rugby. I’m doing that, and hopefully the rest and the future falls into place. And if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.” Ciarán Kennedy Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'As soon as my agent told me Munster were in for me, it was a no-brainer'”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'As soon as my agent told me Munster were in for me, it was a no-brainer'”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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