O'Callaghan possibly leaving Munster

EdgarAllenPoo

Taken from Ireland.com, I'm sure the full story is in the Irish Times.

Stade target O'Callaghan as contract talks stall
RUGBY NEWS BOTH STADE Français and Gloucester are believed to have made lucrative offers to the Lions, Ireland and Munster lock Donncha O'Callaghan as his negotiations with the IRFU over a new contract - the current one expires at the end of this season - have dragged on for several months.

Sherifu

I don't see it happening tbh, they'll work something out with the IRFU.

Stealdo

Bad news for Munster as he's been coming back into form the last few weeks. I wonder was his very poor form up to the last round of HC games anything to do with the contract negotiations dragging on or has his return to form anything to do with it either.
From an Irish point of view if selection policy was a little different it's not that bad of a thing. He'd gain some decent experience while it would open up a position in Munster for MOD or the next on the production line to get some serious game time. I'd imagine like most of the others he'll end up staying.

hardCopy

Probably just a bluff like BO'D talking to Biarritz a few years ago.

EdgarAllenPoo

In all fairness could they really be in a position to offer him more money than Stade Français? I don't think shower ads would really bump up the bank balance that much.

It would be a great signing for Stade but I'd have to wonder how it would affect his selection for Ireland. EOS doesn't like guys who go abroad but given O'Callaghan's current position in the Irish squad it would be ignorant of EOS to drop him simply because he no longer plays for an Irish team.

Amz

And we all know Eddie is above showing his ignorance

EdgarAllenPoo

Hey look what moving to France did for Trevor Brennan's career (well apart from the end of it).

Amz

To be fair though, you can't really compare the two, unfortunately for Brennan his career here in Ireland wasn't really going anywhere. So it was a fantastic move that really paid dividends for him.

shaneh

That article also mentions that there's foreign interest in Donnacha Ryan as well. Bad for Munster if they lost both!

There's also interest from abroad in Shane Horgan.

Something will have to be done by the IRFU if all the foreign clubs offer alot more money.

Jackz

I think players had a tendency to stick around in the last 5 years beause they thought they would win a championship or do well at the world cup.

Stev_o

Thats a hard blow for Munster if he leaves. Chances are he could though since he has been playing his best rugby away from POC's shadow but the only teams that would really suit his style in Europe are Bristol and Leicester and maybe Bath dew to their woeful lack of 2nd rows. But funny that this is only being brought up now iv seen this rumour on the Leicester Tigers forums for a while now

sickpuppy

I think a move would be great for him
Ok he is guaranteed hero status in munster but its a short career.
Why not see of the grass is greener on the other site.
And if he does get a better pay packet hed be mad not to take it.
Personally if i was a pro rugby player and the chance came to go to france especially the south id be gone like a shot.
Would you prefer to be getting the bollix frozen off you in Galway or Edinburgh or playing in the lovely South of France good luck to him if he does go.

tHE vAGGABOND

The move to France would make him more a season than the life of his ireland/munster contract.

Hard to turn that down..

Stev_o

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

The move to France would make him more a season than the life of his ireland/munster contract.

Hard to turn that down..

Yeah but with EOS would he ever be picked again for going to France?

zAbbo

He could also end up playing double the games if he does go.

Maybe it's not a bad thing that our International players get experience abroad.

EdgarAllenPoo

Well if you consider the case of Leo Cullen then playing IN Ireland doesn't exactly guarantee selection for Ireland anyway and it would be crazy to turn down big money just because he might lose his Ireland spot.

He'll be 29 this year if my memory is correct so unless he's able to play well into his 30's then he'd be finishing his career outside Ireland.

Isn't it funny how people say we have too many foreign players in key position who come here for a nice retirement bonus when our own players aren't offered good money.

siochain

GDM wrote: »

Hey look what moving to France did for Trevor Brennan's career (well apart from the end of it).

Yeah won EC and FC medals, a hell of a lot more than he would have won if he stayed in Ireland.

phog

siochain wrote: »

Yeah won EC and FC medals, a hell of a lot more than he would have won if he stayed in Ireland.

Donncha won a HC medal while with Munster.

I don't see him moving to be honest, he is Munster through and through and then there's the tax incentive when he retires from rugby is he's playing with an Irish club.

tHE vAGGABOND

Yeah won EC and FC medals, a hell of a lot more than he would have won if he stayed in Ireland.

..and now owns a deadly pub over there - what a nightmare

jph100

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

..and now owns a deadly pub over there - what a nightmare

savage pub so it is!

yeah think a move abroad wud be great for any irish player. think Toulouse wud be a great club for DOC

Crash

I can see DOC's munster-ness winning through on this - fortunately in that if thats where he prefers to be fair enough, unfortunately in that i think he keeps up his game a lot better when he's the man they have to rely on.

Santa Claus

hardCopy wrote: »

Probably just a bluff like BO'D talking to Biarritz a few years ago.

Or even better was when ROG was going to be a kicker for the Dallas Cowboys about 3 weeks before his contract !

buck65

I think it was the Miami Dolphins?!!

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Homer J Simpson

Santa Claus wrote: »

Or even better was when ROG was going to be a kicker for the Dallas Cowboys about 3 weeks before his contract !

Wasnt that rumour sent around only a few weeks before Munster played Leicester in the 2002 Heineken cup final??
It certainly would have been hard for ROG to concentrate on preparing for the final with rumours like this floating around pre-match.

Sherifu

buck65 wrote: »

I think it was the Miami Dolphins?!!

Yep $12 million was bandied about - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20030316/ai_n12861979

buck65

O Gara later admitted to it being a hoax that he started for fun - I think

jdivision

Santa Claus wrote: »

Or even better was when ROG was going to be a kicker for the Dallas Cowboys about 3 weeks before his contract !

Complete and utter nonsense. Used as an attempted bargaining chip in negotiations for his contract. And $12 million for an unproven kicker (kicking an AF is very different to a rugby ball, much smaller sweet spot) would be unheard of.

dc69

jdivision wrote: »

Complete and utter nonsense. Used as an attempted bargaining chip in negotiations for his contract. And $12 million for an unproven kicker (kicking an AF is very different to a rugby ball, much smaller sweet spot) would be unheard of.

kicking in af is a joke.all they do is toe bog it,there is no accuracy involved,they are right between the posts all the time.I would expect after 3 months any top class rugby kicker,comfotbale with long distances would be as good if not better than an af kicker.

Hippo

dc69 wrote: »

kicking in af is a joke.all they do is toe bog it,there is no accuracy involved,they are right between the posts all the time.I would expect after 3 months any top class rugby kicker,comfotbale with long distances would be as good if not better than an af kicker.

OT for a moment.....
Aren't you forgetting that they have to wait for the snap and start their run-up while the holder is still turning the ball around to the sweet spot? No accuracy involved? a joke? I don't think so !

Beano

wasnt there a scottish rugby player who became a kicker in the NFL? Would have been around the late 80's.

bing3

Think it was Gavin Hastings for the Crusaders or Highlanders or something like that. Wasnt a huge success if memory serves.

jdivision

dc69 wrote: »

kicking in af is a joke.all they do is toe bog it,there is no accuracy involved,they are right between the posts all the time.I would expect after 3 months any top class rugby kicker,comfotbale with long distances would be as good if not better than an af kicker.

I take it you've never kicked an AF. I know outhalves who kicked for their teams who can't kick it over the crossbar from 20 yards with an AF first time out. The technique is very different. Obviously, they get better but most still can't get same distance. It's the run up, the hold, the guys in your face, the need to get immediate height to lift it over the 6'6 (in NFL) guys in front of you. The ball can actually be kicked from the left or right of the posts depending on where the last play stopped, most teams will try to position themselves to kick from the middle though.