MUNSTER ARE SET to complete the signing of Mike Haley from Sale Sharks ahead of next season.
The southern province have been looking to bring in a fullback since confirmation of Simon Zebo’s impending departure to Racing 92 and it appears that Haley is the solution.
The move was first reported by The Rugby Paper in the UK last weekend and The42 has since confirmed the story with sources close to Munster.
Haley still has a year left on his current Sale contract, meaning Munster and the IRFU may have to pay a fee for the fullback unless a mutual agreement for an early release can be reached.
The 23-year-old played for the England Saxons twice in 2016 but remains Irish-qualified due to those games having come against South Africa ‘A’ – who are not their union’s official second team.
As such, Haley – who also represented an ‘England XV’ in a non-capped match against the Barbarians last summer – remains eligible for Ireland thanks to family roots in Limerick.
The42 understands that the IRFU’s IQ Rugby programme, run by Joe Lydon, has played a central role in Munster’s capture of Haley, with his Irish-qualified status making him attractive as Irish rugby looks to continue to grow its depth.
Irish-qualified prop Ciaran Parker joined Munster from Sale last summer, while former Sharks scrum-half James Mitchell moved to Connacht at the start of this season.
Haley made his senior Sale debut in April 2014 and has gone on to become an impressive presence in the 15 shirt in recent seasons – including a start against Munster in the Champions Cup back in 2014.
It now seems that Haley’s future at club and perhaps international level lies in Ireland.
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I get we have to look over seas for players, we don’t have the finances or numbers of counties/schools to pick from that Leinster have but surly it’s time we trusted our youth a bit more? Nash, Fitzgerald Sweetnam and Tynan are all very good players capable of playing at 15 when Conway isn’t there????
@Barry Mullane: am I right in saying that Leinster have 2 non Irish qualified outside backs on their books while even with this signing munster have none? Just an observation.
@Jim Demps: true. I agree we need NIQ and players from other provinces in other positions but in the back 3 we have the talent. Ronan o Mahony is another.
@Jim Demps: Tyler Bleyndaal, Jaco Taute?
Keynon Knox / Matt More but they don’t think they are in the academy
@Barry Mullane: I get what you’re saying about trusting in youth but without zebo we are just too light out wide yet. A back three of Fitzgerald, tynan and Wooton would be too inexperienced to play together
@Paddy Murphy: none of those are outside backs paddy. What’s your point?
@Jim Demps: Isa and who else?
@Chris Mc: Lowe
@Jim Demps: You made a comparison to Leinster NIQ backs and I just noted Munster have a few. I probably didn’t appreciate you said outside backs but backs nonetheless. Apples and oranges. What’s your point?
Genuine question
@Paddy Murphy: Tyler Bleyndaal is IQ
@Barry Mullane: I’m not sure buying a player from another club is a good idea but if they get him for free, go for it.
@Jim Demps: Loughman, Marshall, Parker, Grobler, Kleyn, Copeland, Oliver, Cloete, Stander, Hart, Bleyendaal, Keatley, Arnold. Taute, Farrell, Wootton, Conway………all proud Munstermen
@Paddy Murphy: well if you’re comparing all the back line then munster have one who unfortunately hasn’t played this year and Leinster have 3. My point was to the people who think munster have too many non Irish players.
@Léon D’Arcy: I think all of them have been very proud to put on the jersey. I didn’t think you had to have been born in a province to play for them.
@Léon D’Arcy: So Munster bringing IQ players back to Ireland from abroad is seen as a negative? We would be without Farrel last Saturday if Munster hadn’t signed him from France. Taghe Byrne coming back to Ireland. Surely this can’t be a negative thing.
@Jim Demps: just an observation Jim……….Barry’s point was about your youth system, nothing to do with NIQs or Leinster.
@ Aidan never said bringing back players was a bad thing.
@Aidan Bowen: Beirne and Farrell were both born in Ireland,Kildare and Tyrone respectively. They both came up through the club game and then through their provinces before moving abroad due to stiff competition and a chance to start more games. I feel people’s issue is that Haley(all be it a very exciting player) is only qualified (as far as I know) through a grandparent from limerick and that the money is being spent by the irfu getting in the likes of him instead of pumping it into the schools and club teams around the country and helping develop the talent from within. But at the same time all the countries are doing this and it’s that that’s needs to be addressed first but I doubt that’ll ever happen. I wish him all the best and I hope he aids munster and they continue to improve.
@Léon D’Arcy: Leinster have Bent, Cronin, Nagle, Fardy, Gibson Park, Nasewa, Henshaw, Lowe, Strauss from other provinces/countries. Ulster and Connacht have many more. What’s your point. The other 3 provinces have to sign IQ players from outside their provinces. People comparing the academies of ulster and Munster to Leinsters’ are delusional considering their economic and demographic advantages.
@Barry Mullane: just an observation Barry in reply to Jim. Didn’t make a comparison
@Ian Verdon: That’s kind of the point I was making, the person I replied to named every player in Munster that wasn’t born there, probably trolling but certainly implying that this was somehow negative. Ireland have one of the best grassroots development systems in rugby, but with it being the 3rd, debatably 4th sport of a country with an already small population, we need to look down every avenue we can for players.
@Aidan Bowen: I ignore any provincial bs I see, not worth the time. It is for sure the 3rd biggest sport at best but I still feel more can be done by the IRFU to attract the youth across the whole country especially in rural areas into the game by providing coaches and systems to schools across Ireland and not just the the private schools. Give every young boy or girl the option to play rugby in school and if they don’t like it that’s grand but at least the option is there. I would argue rugby is Ireland’s fastest growing sport in terms of popularity within the youth but there’s not enough gateways for them to get into the sport outside of the hub cities and towns. This is the areas the IRFU should be focusing a lot of its financial power rather than “oversees” players.
I also feel that more financial backing has to be give to the clubs whether they be big or small and a significant effort has to be pumped into the AIL. Tbh I don’t see the IRFU addressing this as the Oversees project is a lot more simple and financially cost effective than what I impose. I could be talking a load of crap also it’s just what I’d like to see being done.
@Jim Demps: There is a genuine debate to be had for why Munster are not producing players for Ireland anymore. Conor Murray, Simon Zebo and POM are the last home grown players and they were, what, 6 years ago? Munster seem to be relying very heavily on NIE, NIQ or other provincial players. You can say Leinster have a couple of guys here and there. But how many since 2011 have become regulars for Ireland? How many have Connacht and Ulster had? And Munster?
@Ian Verdon: I think there is a decent amount being put into grassroots development, certainly more than other countries, buy your right there could always be more done. I think the success (internationally) and publicity Irish rugby have had over the last 3-5 years will encourage more young people to take up rugby. However I do think we should take every option available and this signing is an example of work from the irfu paying off
@grandslamkbo: i think it’s well established that Leinster have the stronger academy. Player numbers and population give Leinster the stronger base from the start before any thing else comes into it. I don’t see anything wrong with recruiting smartly like Munster have done. They don’t give out medals for having the most academy players in your team.
@grandslamkbo: Sweetnam and the scannell brothers, all from the Munster academies, Nial generally seen as the long term replacement for Rory best.
@grandslamkbo: the volume of players being produced by the Leinster system is contributing to this. Ulster have produced Stockdale in that time, Connacht produced Henshaw, Leinster produced Furlong, Ryan, Ringrose, Jack McGrath. Munster will produce regulars again if we trust our youth a bit more, R Scannel, N Scannell, B Johnston, Sweetnam, Jack O Sullivan, J O Donoghue to name but a few all have the potential to become regular squad members.
@Jim Demps: he will be Irish qualified in a couple of years.
@Chris Mc: he’s not now though is he? Munster have been getting awful stick for picking up foreign players, irrespective of whether they will qualify in time or not.
@Barry Mullane: Henshaw is from Leinster
@Aidan Bowen: not trolling Aidan, just replying to a comment that suggests the signing is fine as Munster have less NIQs in the outside backs than Leinster. People can infer what they like from the list, although perhaps as a Munster (and Ireland) fan it should cause concern. Here is another; Horan, Clohessy, Hayes, Wood, Sheehan, POC, DOC, Galway, O’Driscoll, Ryan, Leamy, Wallace, Foley, Quinlan, Stringer, O’Gara, O’Leary, Horgan, Williams, Earls. Saying we can’t compete with the Leinster academy is easy to say and dismisses the point that more players should be coming through. Since the last european win, Murray, POM and Zebo are the only players to make a real impact. 3 players in 10 years…..cause for concern for all Ireland fans
@Boo Radley: he was developed as a player, by Connacht, through school and their academy. He’s a Connacht man.
@Barry Mullane: You’re looking at this too shortsightedly. Munster need to stay competitive now and build for the future at the same time. That means spending a bit of money to make more later. The money they’d need to buy out his contract would be pennies compared to what they would lose if they weren’t competitive. They rely on selling out big games and getting home playoff games to fund player development. Nash, Fitzgerald and Tynan are all talented but have yet to prove themselves even at Pro14 level. Haley is a proven player who was on the fringes of the England squad. Signing him doesn’t mean he’ll jump straight in front of them in the queue. He’ll have to earn his shot just like everyone else.
Seems to be a good signing. On other forums, Sale fans are piiiiissed. They hold him in high regard.
@Pete Slattery ✊: yeah I just did a bit of snooping and they don’t seem one bit happy about it. That’s always a good sign.
Lol they must have watched his interview when they last played Sale. He said his fatbers family hails from Limerick or something like that.
But seriously a decent signing if it happens.
That’s a good signing. I can’t say I know a lot about him but I’ve seen him twice this season and I thought he looked handy. At 23 he’s the perfect age to come over and make an impact. Chris Farrell has just shown that it can take as little as 12 months to get into an Irish shirt if the talent is there.
@Jim Demps: joe has been working with Farrell for 3 seasons now. This guy looks decent and with family in the area will settle quickly. Best of luck to him.
Munster really are becoming the new Connacht
I wonder how many Munster men will be playing for Munster in a few years. Quite sad actually.
@Callum: It’s becoming like the soccer – all money and no loyalty to club or school. Money talks, real sport walks.
Haley seems like a good potential signing for Munster. Felix Jones will now what he wants in a fullback and should have a keen eye for talent. From what I’ve seen of him play, Haley has a good all-round game for a fullback.
Haley’s best attribute is his pace and ability to score tries in the wide channels. He is also a good passer-often playing as a second playmaker for Sale-and can offload out of the tackle, which makes him similar to Zebo.
From a defensive standpoint, Haley is a good fielder of the ball and has strong positioning and anticipation for a 15. He runs and kicks the ball back in equal measure.
The one relative weakness of Haley’s game is his kicking. While he gets decent distance on his kicks, his garryowens are often kicked too far and don’t give his teammates a chance to contest.
To sum up, he should be a good signing to fill the vacant fullback contract in the Munster squad. He was in the England elite training squad last year so he has potential to push on.
@EK: Thanks for that mini scouting report. Sounds like a decent signing. Do you think he’d have any chance at breaking into the Irish set up?
It’s a very good signing. Very solid young Irish qualified player. He’ll add real depth to the squad.
Feel sad for Stephen Fitzgerald & Shane Daly.
@Lf: Why? He’s coming in to try a fill a hole that Zebo will be leaving. Doesn’t mean for one second that he is the starting FB next season. Common sense lads.
@Dave Barry: Exactly. He’s just filling a vacant senior fullback/wing contract.
Munster could have gone and signed another academy player but with the amount of young players already on the books, that player wouldn’t have got much game time for a couple of years at least.
@Lf: Stephen Fitzgerald is nowhere near the level. He’s a full back that doesn’t like to tackle. Shane Daly however, looks like a great talent, would like to see him get a run to see how he fares up
Good signing for Munster as they needed a bit of depth at full back. Guys like Stephen Fitzgerald etc need to up their game to overtake these imported players like James Lowe at Leinster because at the end of the day the provinces are trying to compete at European level while maintaining a balance in terms of development of younger players which is hard to do.
My real gripe with importing players is that the development is not being done at schools level provinces other than Leinster. Sports such as Aussie Rules look to recruit guys with transferable skills for their sport and we see Irish guys going out to play their despite not being native to the game and making good strides out there. We should be targeting other sports for players that could make the move over to professional rugby from a young age. The likes of Tommy Walsh from Kerry played rugby at a young age but I was told by one wise old rugby sage that he wouldn’t have the hands for rugby! I am a GAA man and I know that it would cause trouble within the GAA but there is a talent pool that is not being exploited by professional sports in Ireland. Shannon rugby club did experiment with it in getting Stephen Kelly, Sean Armstrong and Brian Moran (brother of David) on their books but it should be seriously looked into by the likes of David Nucifora.
It’s very simple if James Lowe was Irish he wud never have made it out of the Academy system, his defence wud have been seen as too weak…. the All Blacks have noted that and that’s why he came up here to make his living.
We all saw how exciting he was in Super Rugby scoring tries but never looked at the rest of his game. Since coming up he has had to work and learn how to defend, improving but not great. No Irish kid wud be given the time or opportunity we (Irish) just focus on the negative and the grass is always greener on the other side… Munster have the talent they just need to give them game time, Sweetman had made it but slipped back, Fitzgerald, Nash, Daly & many more have it but need time on the other side of the tackle bags…. coaches need to do more coaching..imports !
Wonder how many Munster men are with leinster
@Mr Banker: Hahaha. Fair play u do try hard.
@Mr Banker: Gets boring tho.
@Mr Banker: I like your style. You’re an out an out troll. Never let reality get in the way of an opportunity to get a dig in. When are the champions cup medals arriving?
@Mr Banker: those are some fancy words you’ve used. You might summarize your points again for me?
@Mr Banker: good man. Enjoy it. Let me know when you’ve something valid to add to the convo
@Mr Banker: any player moving to any province does so to gain new opportunities and more playing time, mainly due to the number of players ahead of him in his province of origin. The reason a player moves to from Leinster to munster is the same reason one moves the other way.
@Jim Demps: You have to admire his dedication to the role. One of the better trolls to pop up.
@Eddie Hekenui: yeah I’d agree Eddie. At least he’s consistent I suppose.