Billy Scannell: ‘I left no stone unturned in Munster, I gave it my best shot’

As the youngest of three brothers, two of whom play for Munster, Billy Scannell was always determined to forge his own path, rather than be burdened by some kind of pressure to follow Niall and Rory – or his cousin Jack O’Sullivan, who is also part of the province’s current squad.

For a while, however, it looked as though that is exactly what Billy would do until he was overlooked for a place in the Munster Academy following a spell in the sub-Academy.

By that stage, Niall (32) and Rory (30) were already regulars in the Munster team, while they had also played for Ireland together on the 2017 summer tour.

Given that Billy (24) and Niall are both hookers, the three siblings were never likely to get a chance to line out together, so there are no regrets about how things panned out.

Having dealt with the natural disappointment of being told that Munster did not have a place for him, Billy moved to France, where he spent two years playing for Biarritz, as well as a couple of loan spells.

Looking back on it now, the chance to experience life outside of Munster and Cork was a blessing in disguise.

“It would always be nice to play for your home province, but I kinda knew after the year there that it was unlikely,” Scannell tells the Irish Independent.

“I never felt like I had to play for Munster because Niall and Rory had done it or whatever. I always just wanted to play because I enjoy playing rugby.

“I don’t regret the life experience I got from going to France, learning a new language, new culture, met people from all over the world.

“I left no stone unturned in Munster. I gave it my best shot and I just obviously wasn’t cutting it at the level Munster were looking for.

“It was nice seeing my two brothers and my cousin Jack playing, but it’s not something I feel frustrated about.”

Scannell’s mature outlook is refreshing because the way he sees it, had Munster not let him go, he would never have had the chance to play in France, even if it wasn’t always plain sailing.

Those tricky spells away from home were challenging, yet by the time Scannell returned to finish his degree and join Cork Con, he felt that he was all the better as a person for having faced those kinds of tests head on.

“As you know, in France there are a few red tape issues, so I actually went out on loan in my last year for three months in the pre-season with a club called Macon, they are close to Lyon,” Scannell recalls.

“There was a problem with my French rugby licence, so I ended up having to go back to Biarritz. I was there for a few weeks, and then I found another club close to Bordeaux called Lagonnais.

“I played half a season there and then came back and played a European Cup game against Zebre, which was nice.

“Towards the end it was tough, but I definitely really enjoyed the experience of being in Biarritz. There were some great players there.

“We had the likes of Francis Saili, Steffan Armitage, Henry Speight, Tevita Kuridrani, Tomas Cubelli – all internationals, and I got to train with them every day. It was unbelievable.

“I wasn’t involved too much when the club got promoted but being around a Top 14 setup for a bit was unbelievable.

“I definitely don’t regret anything about living in the southwest of France for three-and-a-bit years,” he smiles.

“I was lucky to have Irish guys over there, the likes of Dave O’Callaghan and James Hart when I first went over, and then later on, James Cronin joining Biarritz as well, and Francis Saili, who I consider to be Irish!

“It was nice to play a handful of pro games. In my last year there, I wasn’t cutting it at the level. I was sent out on loan to a few different clubs at a lower level.

“I started to reevaluate things and chat to people about coming home and playing AIL.

“I was definitely nervous about coming home, but once I got back and settled in Con, I started to really enjoy rugby a lot more. The pressure was off a bit and I got my professional career on track as well.

“Sometimes you just have to assess how well things have gone, but things like Covid when I was in France and shoulder surgery, then being sent out on loan, I thought I’d be happier at home.”

As Scannell weighed up his options, having his older brothers to lean on helped, even if he jokes that Niall and Rory haven’t exactly been faced with a similar dilemma.

“In a sense they have been at the same club for their whole career, so I don’t know if they were the ones to be advising me about moving! They haven’t experienced moving and going on loan.

“When I was younger, I definitely would have chatted to them and leaned on them a lot but as I got to know how rugby works, I was able to come to decisions myself. But they were always there if I needed to talk or needed advice. Niall and Rory are very good to me, to be fair.”

These are busy times for Billy, who will sit his final exam for his bachelor of commerce at the University of Galway today, before he drives back home to Cork and then makes his way to Dublin for tomorrow’s Energia All-Ireland League (AIL) final against Terenure at the Aviva Stadium.

The former Ireland U-20s international, who won a Senior Cup with Pres in 2017, has scratched the professional itch and for now, at least, he is content with getting his fix from Con, whilst focusing on his career outside of rugby, with a new job with Deloitte on the horizon in the autumn.

“I did have opportunities when I was leaving Biarritz to stay in France at lower leagues,” Scannell says. “I am actually JIFF (French Academy trained) qualified now.

“If a club did come knocking, I wouldn’t totally be against it but I am enjoying being back home and being near family. That’s important to me. It has been a lot easier with my girlfriend, instead of travelling over and back. But never say never.”

The chance to win an AIL medal is enough to ensure that Scannell is not looking too far ahead. His parents, Billy Snr and Emer, will be at the Aviva tomorrow with their daughter Kate for what they hope will cap a big weekend for their family.

“Niall and Rory will be in the air coming back from South Africa when our game is on,” Billy adds.

“Donal Lenihan is over there as well, he was briefing them on how they can stream the game on the flight with the Wi-Fi. He has all the timings planned out and how they are going to watch it!

“I hope they will be able to watch it anyway. It would be a nice weekend if they got a second win over in South Africa, and if we get the win at the Aviva.”

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