Replacing Laulala a huge headache for Penney

Munster head coach Rob Penney has admitted it will be difficult to find a quality replacement for Casey Laulala when the former All Black quits the province next summer.

On Sunday Munster gave up their bid to keep the centre, signed from Cardiff Blues in June 2012, admitting they could not compete with the terms being offered by his suitors, including French Top 14 clubs Grenoble and Racing Metro.

This makes the task of replacing Laulala potentially fraught if Penney wants to bring in a player of similar pedigree from outside his present squad. Asked if Munster could match the French clubs in financial terms for a transfer target, Penney replied: “We are not going to be able to. Simple answer.