Rassie: Zebo cried, he’s one of our friends. But he’d be stupid not to take up the offer

Rassie Erasmus believes Simon Zebo would have been stupid not to take the money on offer to him in France and that the Irish provinces must resign themselves to losing more talented, homegrown stars in the future.

Despite the disappointment of losing an Irish player with genuine X-factor, the outgoing Munster director of rugby says Zebo will leave his home province at the end of the season with the blessing of coaches and team-mates after receiving an offer, understood to be from Racing 92, that he believes will net the full-back three times the salary he would receive by staying in Ireland.

“We’re disappointed but I have to take it like any other job. In any other job if you get a massive offer like that and you can look after your family..,” Erasmus said, following last Friday’s narrow loss at Connacht.

“He’ll probably earn in Racing in three years what he will earn in Munster in nine years. So it’s nobody’s fault you know. It’s the way the professional game goes. It’s sad. The boy’s cried. He’s one of our friends and he’s a guy who’s not going to play with us next year but what can you do?

“If he gets an offer like that from a massive club, I’m telling you he’d be stupid not to take it so nobody’s upset with him and he’s sad to go.”

Erasmus is confident Munster’s Ireland and Lions stars CJ Stander and club captain Peter O’Mahony will commit their futures to the province beyond their current deals, which like Zebo’s expire at the end of the season.

“I think Simon is an extraordinary talent which will fit into the French set-up. He’s a player that they have been targeting for years and he is extravagant and the way they do it in France is probably a perfect fit.”

The South African joked that O’Mahony was “not as extravagant” as Zebo but more seriously he said the model of provinces being financed by the national governing body, the IRFU, would mean Ireland’s top stars would continue to be tempted by big offers from England and France.

Munster have now lost Donnacha Ryan and Zebo at the end of successive campaigns and asked if Munster must resign itself to losing a big name every season, the outgoing boss said: “I think all clubs are currently. Clubs that don’t have private owners struggle because obviously there is restrictions and a lot of other things. Club players who are selected for Ireland must play in Ireland but it seems to be different when you are playing in France so I just think if you don’t have a club owner you won’t have those big bucks.

“Racing is currently under us in the (Champions Cup pool) table, they’ve got an owner and the big names and massive guys in their team and Munster seem to find a way to beat them. It’s not the end of the world. Sometimes the tightness of a team is more important than the names on the team. But I think it is going to become a trend with all clubs that don’t have owners.”

Erasmus: There was no intent in Conway tackle

Rassie Erasmus is confident Andrew Conway will escape further sanction over his sending off in Munster’s Guinness PRO14

defeat at Connacht last Friday.

Conway’s participation in Ireland’s November Tests has been thrown into doubt after the wing received a red card from Nigel Owens at the Sportsground as the Munster player jumped into Connacht’s Jack Carty as he tried to block down a kick, catching the fly-half in the head with an elbow as he turned into the kicker.

“I will be surprised if there is a suspension,” Erasmus said. “I am sitting here thinking it was a tough call and if you are in the air, you can’t disappear in the air if you are gonna land on somebody and if somebody is on the ground and you are landing from the air, in my opinion, and again I might be totally wrong when they look at that.

“I can tell you that was not intentional. If it was dangerous or reckless because he was off balance, he definitely didn’t try to put his elbow on the opposition’s face while flying through the air.

“I don’t think that was his plan.”