My Day as Mascot – Alyssa Cotter

Alyssa Cotter from Cork was chosen as our MRSC Match Day Mascot from our ‘Guess the Player’ postcard competition in the Junior Club Membership packs. She had the job of leading the team out onto the pitch with Captain Peter O’Mahony ahead of one of our most important games this season in front of a sold out crowd. She tells us about her experience here:

"When I entered the competition, I did not think that I would have any chance of winning out of all the people that would also enter the competition. When my mother told me that I was going to be the mascot, I was over the moon and so excited for the whole week before the match.

We left home early Saturday morning and had some lunch when we got to Limerick. Then we took the bus over to Thomond Park and met Kerry in the shop where he gave me the Munster Rugby kit, which was really cool."

"Next we met Elaine who was very nice and told us what was going to happen. We waited for a while in the reception area before Kerry brought us to see the dressing rooms while the team was out warming up. I took lots of pictures, and I even managed to get a Jaffa Cake before the team came back!"

"After that we went back to the tunnel and we saw the teams come back in to get changed. We could see the crowds outside and hear the singing. After a while the teams were ready and then Peter O'Mahony took my hand and we walked out onto the field. When we were walking out I could hear the ‘Thomond Roar’ and see the flames shooting up into the air. Then we got some pictures taken before Elaine took us back in, and Kerry took us to our seats to watch the match. It was a very tough match, but Munster won which was really great."

"After the match, we were allowed back into the tunnel where we waited for the team, and when they came out of the dressing room I got to meet lots of them and they signed my jersey. That jersey will never be washed!!!"

"I got pictures with loads of the team, including Simon Zebo who is my favourite player. It was a fantastic day that I will always remember!"

We will have plenty more competitions to come over the course of 2017 for our Junior Members. If any of our young supporters have any stories, drawings or pictures that they would like to send into us or the Munster team, send it to ciaralyons@munsterrugby.ie and you might even see it on the website or in a match day programme!