Munster sign Maori All Black centre Alex Nankivell

CLASSY OPERATOR: Alex Nankivell of Maori All Blacks during the match against Ireland at the Sky Stadium in Wellington. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Munster have signed Maori All Black centre Alex Nankivell on a two-year deal from the Chiefs.

The 26-year old will arrive in Limerick during the summer and his signing comes just days after the province announced that former All Black World Cup winner Malakai Fekitoa will depart at the end of the season, halfway through his two-year contract.

The former Wasps player, signed to replace World Cup winning Springbok Damian de Allende, struggled to make an impact with Graham Rowntree’s side.

Nankivell will bolster the Munster midfield where Irish international Chris Farrell remains absent due to a legal case in France.

Nankivell has made 58 appearances for the Chiefs since his debut in 2017 and he has played for the Maori All Blacks and played for an All Blacks XV that took on Ireland ‘A’ and the Barbarians in November.

Meanwhile, Munster have extended the contracts of experienced props Stephen Archer, the province’s second most capped player in history, and Dave Kilcoyne, both of whom are penned one-year contract extensions.

Archer (35) could now be in a position to equal Donncha O’Callaghan’s record 268 Munster appearances.

Kilcoyne (34), who won his 50th Irish cap at the weekend against France, has played 213 times for Munster since his debut in 2011.