Connacht and Munster look set to do battle to sign Clontarf centre Matt D'Arcy. The tall inside-centre won the Ulster Bank Division 1A Player of the Year and top try scorer of the year titles for the domestic season in Irish rugby.
There is big interest in him from the two provinces, with Connacht looking set to add another Ulster Bank League graduate to their squad after the success of Matt Healy and Craig Ronaldson who were both signed from Lansdowne, while Munster are looking to bolster their centre options after the signing of All Black Francis Saili, while they appear to be in pole position to sign former schools prodigy Diarmuid McCarthy who turned out for their A team this season.
D'Arcy has had a stellar season with Clontarf, almost leading the club to back to back Division 1A titles, narrowly losing to Lansdowne. D'Arcy was also captain of the Ireland clubs side in their games against the Scottish club international team and the French clubs.
D'Arcy won't be the only Clontarf player being signed to pro ranks. Leinster have already announced the signing of Clontarf props Royce Burke-Flynn and Ian Hirst, after signing Clontarf winger Mick McGrath last season.
It's been a good few years for domestic rugby in Ireland, with more players getting signed to provincial contracts, while the likes of Cian Kelleher and Frankie Taggart have been selected for the Emerging Ireland squad off the back of their performances in the league. While the likes of Matt Healy, Darragh Fanning and Craig Ronaldson have been trail-blazers after signing to contracts with Connacht and Leinster.
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Photo Credit Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
