LAST UPDATE | 23 Dec 2022

MUNSTER CENTRE ANTOINE Frisch said that one of the reasons he made the move to the southern province was to be capped by Ireland.

He was born in Fontainebleau outside Paris but qualifies for Ireland through a maternal grandmother, and is doing his utmost to catch Andy Farrell’s attention.

He was in South Africa with the Emerging Ireland squad in September and then was selected for the French Barbarians last month, but hasn’t masked his intention to be capped for Ireland.

“I’m not shying away from the fact that I came here with ambitions to try and play for Ireland. But you’ve got to focus on the team and the process and doing the job for the team,” said Frisch.

He knows that the St Stephen’s Day clash against Leinster at Thomond Park is the sort of platform he needs to perform on, not least as he and most of the other Munster players are vying for positions in the Irish squad.

“So it’s really simple, just go out there and perform as best as you can and I think if you do that then the rest takes care of itself. It’s in the back of your mind but you don’t think about it too much at the moment. Looking forward to it, anyways.

“It’s huge. We know that we’re watched every week, every player, and you’re compared every week.”

The 26-year old, who joined on a three-year deal from Bristol Bears, made his Munster debut off the bench against Cardiff in September before heading away to Bloemfontein with the Emerging Ireland squad.

But Frisch, who suffered a calf injury on that tour which kept him out of action for a few weeks, really made a mark in his second Munster game when he started against a South Africa XV at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last month and has impressed in playing 80 minutes in each of his four games since against Connacht, Edinburgh, Toulouse and Northampton Saints.

He knows the significance of the Munster-Leinster rivalry and is looking forward to his first taste of it.

“Yeah, obviously it’s huge. Every year it’s massive and I just remember when I was younger, watching those games, huge rivalry between the two and Munster were winning and Leinster sort of took the upper hand, so yeah it will be a big game at home and obviously it’s just a huge classic in the rugby world.

“So if I’m a part of it, it will be really special for me. I’ve always dreamt of playing in games like that, it’s why I came here.”

He previously played for Rouen in Pro D2 in France before moving to Pat Lam’s Bristol, so his experience of playing in three different countries has helped him develop.

“I’ve seen different styles and it has helped me to have a better understanding of what a team needs and just playing in the right areas of the field.

“For example at Bristol there was a big emphasis on holding the ball and putting teams under pressure through your shape and your attack, and I improved massively from that point of view last year.

“So it definitely gives me a better knowledge of rugby and understanding what a team needs. I’m just using my ability to bring that to the team and it’s good, it’s definitely a plus in my game,” he added.

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