New year, new me? Well, change could be on the horizon in Ireland. This isn’t some bombshell news about Andy Farrell or Jacques Nienebar, but rather the motorway traffic of incoming and outgoing transfers that may hit our eyes in the coming months.
With the IRFU and performance director David Humphreys keen to ‘re-balance’ the provincial spread of talent, 2026 could be the summer of love…
Southern Exclusive
AllThingsRugby understands that Ireland international Jack Aungier is set to move to Munster at the end of the season. The 27-year-old tighthead has been a stellar signing for Connacht since his switch from Leinster in 2020, culminating in a debut Ireland cap last summer
Sources suggest that Clayton McMillan’s men have made a move for the Dubliner in order to bolster their prop depth chart, as well as another former Connacht man, Ultan Dillane.
The Kerry native looks set to swap the coastal town of La Rochelle for his homeland, but this move could signify a lock heading in the other direction.
Munster are expected to announce their first bits of movement shortly, with Springboks and Scarlets hooker Marnus van der Merwe among those expected to be confirmed soon.
Ciarán Frawley Confirmed
Just over a week ago, the first major domino to fall was announced. 28-year-old Leinster and Ireland utility back Ciarán Frawley is swapping Skerries for Salthill, Donnybrook for Dexcom and Leinster for Connacht.
He will rejoin former Leinster coach Stuart Lancaster out west, and could be joined by a number of his former teammates.
This highly-discussed switch will please the IRFU, and possibly Andy Farrell, as it keeps more players who are in Ireland contention, in the frame for regular starters minutes.
Rumour Mill in Overdrive
The perks of signing a coach with the name value of Lancaster, is his wide ranging contacts book. Racing 92 never got the full value from it, but Connacht might.
The42.ie were among those to report that Jordan Larmour was on the radar of the westerners. The 32-time-capped Ireland international has been a mainstay at Leinster for the guts of the decade, but may be deemed surplus to requirements at the URC champions.
Munster’s NIQ duo of Thaakir Abrahams and Jean Kleyn have both been tipped with moves, while word on the Limerick street is to watch out for a high profile tighthead. Could McMillan get someone like Tyrel Lomax up north alongside Aungier?
Most recently, former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman floated the idea of half-back duo Matthew Devine and Joey Carbery calling Belfast home, with Ballinasloe man Devine having worked with Richie Murphy and Mark Sexton with the 2022 Grand Slam winning Ireland under-20 squad.
Writer’s Suggestions
Leinster’s NIQ duo of RG Snyman and Rabah Slimani may not re-sign, which could open the door for a blockbuster replacement. Shaun Stevenson has been linked with Leinster before, and would add the much-need speed on the edges too. Leo Cullen is likely to also add to some positions where they are not as deep like at lock or prop.
The likes of Will Connors, Scott Penny, Andrew Osborne and Bobby Sheehan, brother of Dan, have also been talked about as those heading across the country.
This efflux of talent is not a sign of war times in Dublin, but rather the pinch of the new central contracting system in Ireland. That excess cash is needed to be reserved for Porter, Furlong and Doris; rather than Frawley, Larmour and other valuable, but not irreplaceable options.
You could see the likes of Cormac Foley, Will Connors, Scott Penny, John McKee and Jack Boyle follow Frawley by switching provinces in search of gametime elsewhere.
McKee and Boyle would certainly bolster Ulster’s stocks, with the latter expected to be in demand since being jumped in the pecking order by Paddy McCarthy. That is unless someone makes a big play for this season’s phenom.
Richie Murphy’s connection to young talent makes him a sleeping assassin of sorts. Could we see a wave of players aged 25 and under head north? He may even target the academies, where the likes of Henry McErlean, Andrew Osborne or Max Clein are in the final year of their contracts.
He may also be keen to use an NIQ spot on another powerful forward, and Bulls’ second-row Cobus Wiese may fit the bill.
As for Stuart Lancaster at Connacht, he could be set to make as many as 10 signings, many of whom from Leinster but beware; he will need to fight off stiffer opponents in order to get deals done.
Regardless of what happens; something tells me that Ciarán Frawley won’t be the only current or future Ireland international on the move.