Munster waiting on de Villiers

MUNSTER may learn by Sunday if their bid to sign Springbok centre Jean de Villiers has been successful.

Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald confirmed yesterday the province’s on-going interest in bringing the 28-year-old to Ireland, but said the ball is firmly in de Villiers’ court on whether he wants to join the province.

De Villiers is weighing up offers from Munster, a French club and another from the South African Rugby Union – the latter are believed to be keen to sign him up through to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

“The position hasn’t changed,” said Fitzgerald last night. “Whatever is going to happen I’d hope there’d be some conclusion by either Sunday or Monday, but there’s no change today as where things were before.

“There is no question that de Villiers is one of the people over a period of time that we’ve shown an interest in, but it’s up to them (de Villiers and his representative) to decide what to do. I know he has a lot of other suitors, one of them being his own employers (the SARU) who don’t want him to move.

“Hopefully in the next days we’ll get to find out whether it is a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’.”

Meanwhile Munster’s Lions will not return to competitive action until week five of the Magners League.

Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara, Donncha O’Callaghan, David Wallace and Keith Earls – whose seasons concluded on July 4 – are expected to return to their province for the league’s marquee fixture against Leinster at the RDS on the first weekend of October.

Munster’s leading lights will therefore only have one competitive run-out before round one of the Heineken Cup.

The return date for John Hayes is not known given that the tighthead prop joined the Lions tour on June 20, and up that point had been resting since his 2008/09 season ended in mid May. Tomás O’Leary (ankle injury) isn’t expected back until late November at the earliest while Jerry Flannery is said to be making excellent progress after chipping a bone on his left elbow at Lions training at the end of May.

“If you go back to the 2005 Lions tour, they did the same thing. Our Lions aren’t due back until about Magners League round five at the earliest,” added Mr Fitzgerald. “That would be the same for Leinster, Ulster or Connacht players. Some of the guys who played for Ireland in the Churchill Cup will be delayed coming back; provinces have to stagger players’ returns depending on how much they played last season”.

Fitzgerald also said Munster’s squad size for the coming season will be determined by the size of their budget.

Up to 11 players left the province at the end of last season but it’s unlikely that there’ll be the equivalent number of signings for the season ahead.

Fitzgerald also said Munster are allowed four non-eligible Irish players each season but that can be increased to five in exceptional circumstances, he added. “Nick Williams, Lifeimi Mafi, Doug Howlett and, which ever of the two or three centre options we are looking at, that would be four.

“Paul Warwick is allowed given the commitment we have to the national squad. Given the number players we have on the national squad we are allowed a fifth, but it’s on year-by-year basis. If you have to bring someone in for two or three months to cover an injury like we did with the scrum half (Toby Morland for Tomás O’Leary and Duncan Williams), that’s not a full time thing so that doesn’t count.”

Meanwhile Leicester will host fellow double European champions Munster in a pre-season fixture at Welford Road on August 28. Tigers head coach Richard Cockerill believes the clash will offer his side a perfect test ahead of the Guinness Premiership opener at Sale on September 4.

“We’ve enjoyed some big games against Munster over the years and they are one of the biggest clubs in European rugby,” said Cockerill.

“Munster have a good depth of talent in their squad and we look forward to welcoming them and a decent Bank Holiday weekend crowd to Welford Road. It should be an excellent occasion.”