Keatley and Hanrahan set for number 10 battle

Munster have confirmed Ronan O’Gara’s replacement will be an Irish qualified out-half, meaning the onerous task of taking over from the legendary number 10 will likely rest on either Ian Keatley or JJ Hanrahan.

CEO Garrett Fitzgerald revealed: “it was never part of our policy to look for someone in that position. We have tried to bring fellows through and regardless of what decision Ronan took, it was an area in which we felt a need to give younger players a chance. In any case, the right wing is the only area under IRFU regulations in which we could sign an overseas player.”

Although the arrival of promising Leinster man Andrew Conway should go a long way towards plugging the gap left by the retirement of Doug Howlett, Fitzgerald admitted the search for a right wing continues.

“We budget in Doug’s area to try and replace him at similar figures,” he stated. “We have the facility to replace him with an overseas player which is not to say we’re going to end up with someone tomorrow.

“We did a shortlist of four or fiveplayers but as it turned out, three of those became unavailable. The right wing is the only position available to usbecause all the other slots are taken up by Ulster and Leinster. And, of course, we are not going to sign someone for the sake of signing him. If we find someone who is beneficial to sign with a bit of flexibility in the area he plays in and maybe someone who is a long term investment, we will go there.

“And if we can’t find him, we won’t go there.”