A Frisch Start

With the charismatic Antoine Frisch, affectionately known as Tony Fresh to the Munster faithful, becoming a staple of every Munster team sheet this season, we look back on the tumultuous history of Munster Rugby’s infatuation with the imported centre.

Historically Munster has had some difficulty in producing quality homegrown centres. This issue dates back almost two decades with the only exception being Keith Earls but even he played on the wing for much of his career. This has led to the import of several big names in that time span, from Lifeimi Mafi in 2006 to Malakai Fekitoa just last summer. This tactic has had varied success for the club. Take the previously mentioned players, for example, Mafi and Fekitoa, both former All Blacks, were signed to fill a desperate need at centre. Mafi would go on to make 141 appearances for the club over the next seven seasons, being an integral part of Munster’s 2008 Heineken Cup victory. Mafi is considered by many an honorary Munster man, given the name Larry Murphy by staunch supporters. In contrast, Malakai Fekitoa, inarguably a more impressive signing as a World Cup-winning centre, will depart the club one season into a two-year deal, after a slow start to the campaign.

Over the last eighteen years, 6 foreign-born players have eclipsed the 40-cap mark for Munster at centre, with a total of 19 foreign-born midfielders playing at least one game for the club. These include notable names such as former Springbok captain Jean De Villiers, World Cup winner Damian de Allende and Māori maverick Christian Cullen. Many of these blockbuster signings seem like busts in retrospect, however. Cullen, while undeniably talented, was riddled with injuries in his five seasons with the club. De Allende was often away on international duty and never quite clicked with any outside centre Munster paired him with and De Villiers only lasted a single season before returning to South Africa. Instead, Munster has found immense success with their lesser-known signings. Lifeimi Mafi and Rua Tipoki formed arguably the club’s most successful pairing in the last two decades. With zero international caps between them, they commanded the Munster midfield on the way to claiming the club’s second Heineken Cup in 2008.

This season Antoine Frisch joined Munster from Bristol Bears on a three-year contract. This news flew somewhat under the radar due to the Fekitoa signing. The unheralded arrival was a diamond in the rough for a Munster side that struggled early in their campaign. Recently, Fekitoa and Frisch have begun to gel in the midfield. Frisch has scored twice in his last two appearances, picking up a try assist along the way. Fekitoa also scored against the Ospreys in a game where the partnership really shone. With Fekitoa leaving at the end of the season and Munster announcing the signing of New Zealand native and Chiefs centre, Alex Nankivell, the average fan wonders if the duo of Frisch and Nankivell can reach old heights when it comes to foreign-born centre partnerships. Munster’s previous success with Māori centres would make supporters all the more hopeful.

Despite this already exciting midfield partnership rumours have been circulating of another blockbuster centre signing for next season. Bundee Aki, who seemingly fell out of favour with the Connacht coaching staff before Christmas, may be looking for a new home next year. After displaying his obvious impact for Ireland both off the bench and in place of an injured Gary Ringrose during the Six Nations so far, many fans have begun to question if it was a personal disagreement that had Aki benched at his province as opposed to a dip in form. Aki was internally disciplined by the club prior to Christmas, making it seem more likely a personal issue with management or players. The talismanic Connacht man is up for a contract extension after the World Cup and at 33 years of age and with a change in management within Connacht Rugby there has never been a more likely time for him to move on. Bernard Jackman on Rugby Weekly Extra echoed the sentiments of many Munster fans when he said, “If Munster are looking after their own needs, they would be naïve and stupid not to at least look at the possibility of getting Bundee Aki”. Would Aki be another big-name bust for Munster or could he be the one to finally break the curse?

Click to listen to Bernard Jackman's take on the Aki situation.