Bernard Jackman has highlighted New Zealand star Shaun Stevenson as a player the Irish provinces should look at signing.
The 27-year-old is an essential part of the Chiefs side in Super Rugby, with the Waikato side in the play-off mix entering the business end of the season.
With the club season set to wrap up in the coming weeks, Stevenson has been highlighted as a target for Irish sides.
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Bernard Jackman calls for Irish provinces to move for New Zealand wing Shaun Stevenson
Former Ireland international Bernard Jackman took to Twitter on Friday saying, "Shaun Stevenson is [a] class player. Be great to see him play for one of the Irish Provinces."
Shaun Stevenson is class player. Be great to see him play for one of the Irish Provinces #xfactor pic.twitter.com/aJdVp67vb4
— Bernard Jackman (@bernardjackman) May 24, 2024
The wing has been capped at test level for the All Blacks, scoring a try in his only outing - a Bledisloe Cup clash against Australia last summer which New Zealand ultimately won.
Auckland native Stevenson has also been capped for the Maori All Blacks.
Several fans suggested in the replies to Jackman's tweet that Stevenson would be a solid replacement for the departing Simon Zebo at Munster. Zebo, a fellow back-three player, announced this week that he would be retiring come the end of this year's URC campaign.
There will already be some All Black representation in Irish rugby next year, with Jordie Barrett signing a sensational short term deal with Leinster.
Stevenson came up against Barrett in Super Rugby on Friday, with the Chiefs hosting the Hurricanes in a tense end-of-season affair.
Absolutely brilliant from Jordie Barrett and the Hurricanes 💪
↳ Super Rugby Pacific, Chiefs v Hurricanes, live now. Every Match. Ad-free. Live & On Demand on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport.#StanSportAU #SuperRugbyPacific #CHIvHUR pic.twitter.com/7JehteVJbE— Stan Sport Rugby (@StanSportRugby) May 24, 2024
Both sides are set for play-off appearances, though the Hurricanes could well go into the post-season top of the Super Rugby table. Their hopes were boosted by a 20-17 win in Waikato on Friday.
Shaun Stevenson would certainly be an exciting signing if one of the Irish provinces could convince him to make the move to the Northern Hemisphere. For now, it's hard to know whether this is idle speculation from Bernard Jackman or if he knows something we may not.
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