MUNSTER ARE WORKING towards completing new signings ahead of next season as they get set to deal with the departure of Springbok centre Damian de Allende.

The World Cup winner is expected to move back to Japanese club rugby next summer after two years with Munster.

Munster senior coach Stephen Larkham, who is himself leaving at the end of the season to join the Brumbies, admitted that de Allende will be missed if his move to Japan is confirmed.

“Look, it would be understandable,” said Larkham. “Players move around all the time. Yeah, disappointing. He’s been great for us.

“I’m not sure what your opinion of him is but he’s been great within the squad, within the organisation and then obviously his performances on the field have been tremendous as well. So yeah, he would be a loss, no doubt.” 

The province are also set to see once-capped South African lock Jason Jenkins depart for Leinster at the end of the season.

However, Munster have tied Springbok World Cup winner RG Snyman down to a new two-year contract to keep him with the province beyond the end of this campaign and the province’s fans will be excited to see him return next season.

The 26-year-old second row has played just four times for Munster since joining in 2020 due to back-to-back ACL injuries, but Larkham believes Snyman can get back to his best.

“No, not at all, but it’s an exciting one,” said Larkham when asked if it had been a straightforward decision for Munster to re-contract Snyman.

“I’m certainly excited by that prospect. We’ve seen glimpses of RG on the field and we’ve seen a lot more of him at training and around the place, and he adds a lot to this organization. So it’s exciting.

“There’s always a concern with players and signing big contracts. Look at some of the big players around the world who sign big contracts and then get injured, it’s part and parcel of the game.

 “In terms of where RG is at, it’s expected that he will make a full recovery. There’s a tremendous team around him at the moment building him back up, so we’ve got full confidence in that process.”

Larkham said that Munster are working hard behind the scenes to complete new signings ahead of next season.

He and current head coach Johann van Graan won’t be around to benefit from any additions, with the latter heading to Bath at the end of this season, but the province are continuing with their efforts to bring in fresh talent for 2022/23.

Munster have been linked with current Wasps centre Malakai Fekitoa as a possible midfield replacement for de Allende. It’s also understood that the province have been looking for additions at tighthead prop and hooker. 

Larkham confirmed that there was work ongoing to secure new signings that would excite Munster fans.

“That’s always part of the process,” said Larkham. “I think we certainly haven’t secured our full roster for next year and that’s a process is always going throughout the 12 months of the year.

“There’s always contract negotiations and top-ups and those discussions happening. So it’s no different at the moment. We’re kind of in the heat of it at the moment, just trying to get a number of guys signed. So we’ll have to wait and see.”