Emerging Munster star Fineen Wycherley joined Thursday's Off The Ball where the Bantry man spoke about his unorthodox rugby roots.

Bantry Bay is more readily associated with a herring fleet anchored than Munster locks slash flankers.

However, that hasn't stopped Wycherley and the rest of the so called 'West Cork Mafia' assembling at Thomond Park.

🏉🏉🏉

- "We're creating land where God failed!" 🤣🤣

- "When you ask for help, you get help around here." 👊👊

Bantry Bay RFC has an emotional engagement with Munster Rugby that runs deep.

Here's why 🔽🔽🔽@bankofireland | #NeverStopCompeting pic.twitter.com/3FKY3zVrGE

— Off The Ball (@offtheball) January 7, 2021

Wycherley's inspiration in a predominantly GAA stronghold, came from an underage GAA star appearing on the biggest rugby stage.

"To see Darren Sweetnam put on the green jersey for Ireland, making his debut and scoring tries for Ireland. Getting man of the matches for Munster and scoring tries for Munster.

"That inspires younger players and younger children looking on watching the matches. Ultimately they veer off from just GAA to even just try rugby.

"There were no rugby camps or rugby in primary schools when we were younger. Where now they have it in their timetable, they have tag rugby or some sort of rugby in their schedule now.

"It's great that they are trying different sports and trying rugby."

Wycherley family club heritage

Wycherley has seen first hand the embedding of rugby into the life of Bantry with his family helping with the underage setup in a big way. Even if his father had to move from a rival West Cork club.

"I was playing in the back garden since I could catch a ball. I had no choice," he joked.

"My dad was very big into it, he played, my grandad and grand-uncle played so we were big into it. Dad is from Skibbereen originally and they ended up being the rivals so I ended up playing them.

"He met mum and moved across to Bantry and played with Bantry Rugby Club for years. Then I have older brothers Jason, Gary and Nathan. So they wanted to play and there was no underage in Bantry then.

"So Dad and about six others all came together who all had younger sons who wanted to play. They basically set up the underage team at the time and it progressed on from there.

"Then I came through and my brother Josh and my two sisters came through. Bantry Rugby club has been a massive part of my family's life for years."

Now Bantry and it's graduates are becoming a massive part of Munster and Irish rugby.