These are testing times for Munster. Last week ended with a miserable 22-6 defeat away to the Newport Gwent Dragons last weekend, and this week has brought scant relief. The province are struggling to sell tickets for this weekend's crucial Champions Cup tie against Leicester Tigers, and the mood around the club may be further compounded by the fact that they may be about to lose one of their most important players in Simon Zebo. Zebo's contract with Munster and the IRFU runs out at the end of this season, and he has been linked with moves to French Top 14 sides Pau and Stade Francais.
The cash-rich English and French sides are making it increasingly difficult for the IRFU to keep Irish players playing in Ireland, and Zebo admits that the finanical security on offer elsewhere may trump the passion he has for Munster:
Munster will always, always mean a lot to me, it’s my childhood club. I have supported Munster all of my life. It always will mean a great deal to me. But at the end of the day, rugby is a business and you can’t get swallowed up. You have to look after yourself, and know what’s best for you and your family. Hopefully everything works out the way I would like it to. We will see what happens.”
As a fluent French speaker, it is understandable why a move to France would appeal to Zebo. Also, he is struggling to nail down a regular international starting berth under Joe Schmidt as it is, meaning there is much less at risk for him than there would be for the first-choice players.
Via: the42.ie
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