Flutey plays down talk of Munster move

RIKI FLUTEY has played down talk of a move to Munster, insisting he has not been contacted by anyone from the province and revealing he cannot move unless Brive, his current employers, agree to let him go.

There has been widespread speculation linking the England centre with a switch to Thomond Park, with Munster looking for big-name arrivals due to the departures of Jean De Villiers and the possible departure of Doug Howlett.

But Flutey, who will start against Ireland at Twickenham this weekend, is adamant that news of the proposed switch took him and his wife by surprise. Yet the New Zealand-born centre has not definitively ruled out leaving Brive, although with a year left on his contract he acknowledges that it would require the Top 14 side – who must cut their wage bill ahead of next season – to decide to let him leave for any move to happen.

“I got a phone call from my wife on Monday morning, asking me if we were packing our bags and heading to Munster,” said Flutey, 30. “Her parents in New Zealand rang her up and asked if we were going to be living in Ireland from next season!

“But at the end of the day, all I’ve been doing is speaking to Simon Gillham (Brive’s managing director), and I’m contracted for another season. I don’t know if anyone from Munster has contacted him, but he has the final say (on whether I am allowed to leave or not).”