MUNSTER CENTRE JACO Taute says CJ Stander and Peter O’Mahony love the province too much to leave.
The future of the two Munster internationals has come under scrutiny recently with lucrative deals from abroad believed to have been tabled.
Earlier in the week Ireland flanker O’Mahony failed to rule out a move away from his native province, while Stander, who is also out of contract at the end of the current campaign, is being linked with a move to Montpellier.
But Taute believes both players will stay in Limerick.
“CJ loves Munster and he shows it the way he plays. Peter grew up in Munster and he’s the club captain,” said Taute.
“At the end of the day it comes down to their individual choices. Where they are individually in their careers, family choices, and future choices.
“I am positive they will stay. They love Munster and Munster love them.”
The 26-year-old Springbok centre will be at Munster for 2018-19, having signed a contract extension last term. But he knows that Munster and the IRFU are fighting a massive battle to keep some of their bigger names.
“I have got a degree in Business Management and I know it’s not that easy to say pay them what they want, and comparing it to the English and French leagues where there is a lot more money. There are a lot of pros and cons that need to be looked at,” said Taute.
“It’s impossible to compete with the money that’s in the French league, even in the Aviva Premiership, they had the salary cap but there is still a lot of money.
“I know for a fact that the IRFU and Munster will do their best to keep those two players now. It’s just trying to negotiate the money that’s the hard part in this professional environment.”
Taute was capped three times for South Africa, and played under new Munster head coach Johann van Graan when he was Springbok forwards coach in 2012.
The Munster centre is currently out with an ACL injury and may not play under van Graan at all this season.
However he believes that Munster could have found the right man to lead them to their first piece of silverware since the Magners League in 2011.
“I spent a Rugby Championship and end of year tour with him, so I knew him. He is a very good coach. He is coming to the part of his career now where he is ready to take on the role of a head coach,” said Taute.
“He has been in the game for ages. He has been held in high regard and has been with some very successful teams.
“He is a very good coach to work with so I am excited for that. He is ready now and no bigger challenge than coaching Munster.
“He has got his goals set, and the team have got their goal set of actually winning the trophies and not just competing in semi-finals and finals,” said Taute.
“The team has been together for 18 or 20 months now so it’s time to kick on.”
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I was thinking the same yesterday. Can you imagine a player like Aidan O’Shea was left on the bench for a whole game. There would be a mutiny the day after their championship campaign ended.
@Ned Flanders: cheap shot. O’Shea showed he is the ultimate team player by switching to a totally new position over the last 2 games to help the team get over the line. I guess haters are always gonna hate though
@Pepper Brooks: ultimate team player? That particular tactic nearly blew up in mayos face. In the replay he was soloing around his 21 half way through second half and trying 40 yard outside of boot passes that ran out over the line. If kerry hadnt panicked and had taken points earlier rather than going for goals when 7 down it could have been a very different
@Pepper Brooks: O’Shea wouldn’t make the Dublin bench.
Juniors maybe
@johnnyA the game is also about opinions,for you it’s bitter and twisted against Dublin,while us Dublin fan’s are enjoying every minute of this great Team,so happy days for us Ha Ha ha
@alan dodrill: *fans
It’s a great achievement to show humility when you’re strolling through the championship. Fair play to the Dublin/AIG players for being such good winners. If Gavin exerts such control he must endorse or at least turn a blind eye to the playacting. Cooper at it again yesterday. McCarthy and McCaffrey at it the last day – good footballers but while their fans have brought the worst aspects of UK terrace culture to Gaelic Games the players have brought Neymar type playacting into our national sport. Great lads all the same.
@Johnny A: Why not just enjoy the football instead of always having a bitch , life is too short
@Tony Talbot: the football championship used to mean something. Now it’s completely hollow. Very few meaningful contests – certainly none when Dublin/AIG are involved. Instead of mitigating their natural advantages – population, money, home advantage – the GAA have bolstered these and set them in stone. Teams like Tyrone and Monaghan now come up to Croker with ridiculous defensive systems just to keep the score down. The GAA have to look at the population and reconsider a split – for example Dublin North/AIG & Dublin South/HSBC. There should be an equalisation process with the corporate loot – they should be allowed keep 20-30% with the rest being redistributed. And they should be kept out of Croker a lot more – why not make them play an away semi final for example. I’ll enjoy it then.
@Johnny A: have to hand it to you mate you have bitterness to a new level. Short memories like most non dubs. This golden era has more to do wirh jim gavin than anything else.Maybe he should only be allowed manage smaller counties?
@Johnny A: explain 1995 – 2011??
If you split Dublin now you’d risk an all Dublin All Ireland final and that would be worse! Did you see the bench. Dublin A Vs Dublin B would be some game!
Other counties need to stop making excuses… Kerry has the same population as Wicklow as is the most successful football county by far
Also, let’s split Kilkenny into North & South and actually while we’re at what about the most successful football county, Kerry…well over due a split!!
@Brendan Farrell: if you think a 2 way split isn’t enough and they’d still be too strong then a 4 way split would be ideal. Could be 4 Dublin zones – AIG1, AIG2, AIG3, AIG4. Have their own provincial championship. The metropolitan cup or something like that.
@paddy: I wouldn’t call it bitterness – more like constructive hate.