Connacht have had a largely awful beginning to their defence to their Pro 12 title, and if reports in this morning's Irish Independent are to believed, some Munster transfers are going to make it a whole lot worse. Up to now, they've lost Robbie Henshaw, Aly Muldowney and AJ MacGinety, Nathan White has retired on medical advice and those still in green currently prop up the Pro12 table with zero points.
The Indo are reporting that Rassie Erasmus is planning a double Munster swoop for Ultan Dillane and Bundee Aki. Dillane is from Tralee, and the paper report that he is "open" to a move to his home province.
With Aki Irish-qualified in a year, and out of contract with Connacht at the end of this season, he is pretty valuable given the IRFU's rules on playing homegrown players.
Aki is a man-in-demand across Europe, with clubs across England and France believed to be chasing his signature. As an aside, the residency rule which allows Aki qualify for Ireland after just three years has been fiercely criticised by Donal Lenihan, who branded it "farcical".
All in all, these Munster transfers threaten to deepen Pat Lam's and Connacht's new-season strife.
The paper also link Paddy Jackson with Northampton Saints, although expect him to pen a new IRFU contract before his current deal expires at the end of the season.
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