Gaffney unveils new signings

Munster coach Alan Gaffney tonight unveiled five new signings and said he had his sights on adding three more players to his squad, with legendary All Black full-back Christian Cullen among those in the frame.

Former Natal Sharks winger Shaun Payne has joined the Celtic League champions from Swansea while Gaffney has also signed Australian lock David Pusey from the ACT Brumbies.

Both are Irish qualified.

Rejoining Munster after spells with the Connacht squad are scrum-half Eoin Reddan and hooker Jerry Flannery while Garryowen lock Donal Sheahan has been offered a full-time contract after a successful season with the Limerick club having moved back to the city from Dublin.

Of the players still to join Munster’s 34-man squad for the 2003/04 season, which kicks off with a Celtic League pool game against Leinster on September 6.

Gaffney confirmed he was talking to Wales and Newport centre Jason John-Hughes and had held talks with 27-year-old Cullen’s agents about a possible move to Ireland.

Cullen, out of favour with All Blacks coach John Mitchell having been omitted from the three-Test series last month against England, Wales and France, has still to put pen to paper, though, and Gaffney said:

"His name’s been thrown up and I won’t deny his agent has been spoken to. It’s not a fact we chase Cullen, his name was put to us by his agent and Christian is in the pot with a number of other players at the time.

"Obviously a player of his quality is not a player you would dismiss readily.”