Munster Takeover!!!

flsghujslkuo

Munster Rugby football club is to be bought by Irish billionaire Sir Anthony "Tony" O'Reilly for an undisclosed amount.
The surprise takeover - the biggest in rugbyhistory - was finalised late on Thursday after talks with IRFU.

The Irish businessman pledged to plough even more resources into the club while an IRFU spokesmans said the deal would move munster onto the "next level".

"We are delighted to agree this deal to acquire what is already one of the top clubs in Europe," Sir O'Reilly said.

"We have the resources and ambition to achieve even more given the huge potential of this great club."

Sir Anthony O'Reilly is best known through his chairmanship of Dublin based Independent News & Media Group (INM) and as former CEO of the H.J. Heinz company, but was also previously an international rugby union player.

An excellent rugby union player, he played for Leicester Tigers and London Irish in England. He made his international debut as an 18 year old in the centre against France on 22nd January 1955 and went on to gain 28 caps for Ireland between 1955 and 1963.

The TV interests were significant, "as in the modern game today TV rights are what it's all about," he said.

"Rugby has been in bit of trouble in this country recently - it's clocked up huge debts over the new stadium and hasn't had any buying power the world transfer market," he added.

One Munster Rugby fan told this reporter he was shocked by the news.

"I think it's disgraceful because I always thought that the IRFU owned Munster Rugby."

Mr John O' Donoghue, minister for Art, Sport and Tourisim said: "I know Sir Anthony is an individual that is a fit and a proper person to be taking over a club like Munster."

Declan Kidney is expected to remain as manager, said the deal would help the club.

"This is a great deal for munster, the club and its fans," he said in a statement.

"In today's highly competitive rugby market, the club will benefit from a new owner with deeper pockets to move munster to the next level."

Munster, who have been linked with several high profile players in the last week are expected to delve deeply into the 'transfer market' and with "only high profile players 'fit to play for Munster' being the the targets."

marco_polo

Very late April fools day joke? Can't find a source anywhere on the web for this story.

*Edit* Been on munsterfans and feel very silly now

zAbbo

No source, buts heres his wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_O'Reilly

flsghujslkuo

Great news for munster rugby. Pitty the HEC won't really be around next year.
I can't wait to see who they bring in.

zAbbo

flsghujslkuo wrote:

Great news for munster rugby. Pitty the HEC won't really be around next year.
I can't wait to see who they bring in.

zzzz hoax from some tool at the cabbage brigade http://www.munsterfans.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4313&TPN=1

Robbo

Surely a link to an American sugardaddy of dubious origin would have been more plausible. Thomond Redskins anyone?

psicic

Tony O'Reilly's not the kind of man to waste money on a Red Herring like this.... or should that be 'a dead kipper'???

Chalk this one down as "Believable only to the type of people who watch a 90-minute game full of forward passes and without any decent scrums, where their goals are missing most of the uprights and where the scoring is kept simple so they never have to count too far past ten, if even that."

Should have posted a story about Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism putting pressure on IRFU to sell Provincals to investors. That'd be believable from that gomdaw...

Amz

I don't think you should ...