When the IRFU and David Nucifora want to get a good splash in the media, they usually invite the best and boldest of Irish rugby writing to Lansdowne Road for a round-table chat.
Where Munster retaining South African centre Jaco Taute is concerned, the union has opted for a recorded video with its High Performance Director.
The IRFU is just about the only party that had yet to comment on Taute staying on with Munster past January. At present, the festive interpro games were due to act as Taute’s farewell.
He has played 10 games with the province since arriving as an injury replacement for Francis Saili, another talented import, and has won his way into the hearts of Munster fans. In two home Champions Cup ties, Taute has scored three tries and brought a fearsome fight to the opposition.
Taute, the Munster players and Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus all want the 25-year-old to stay on. Even Western Province, with who he is contracted to, are amenable to him extending his stay, according to Erasmus.
So Nucifora sat down with RTE’s Michael Corcoran to clarify the union’s position. That position?
“Francis is back [in action] shortly. We’ll sit and look at the scenarios that exist down in Munster. If there isn’t room for Jaco then, unfortunately, he’d have to leave and go back. Western Province may call him back… we’e not in full control of this… We’ll see how this pans out,” said Nucifora.
We’ll see.
Nice to get an answer, of sorts, on this one. It is good to see the union putting Nucifora out as a public figure on such weighty issues.
Nucifora on @JacoTaute ‘We’ll work with @munsterrugby to see what is the best way to proceed. He’s here on loan so we don’t control it’ pic.twitter.com/aCc5E8IsMh
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) December 22, 2016
Word we are getting is that Taute may be allowed to see out the season with Munster but nothing has been signed off yet.
Were Taute allowed to stay when, for example, Rory Scannell and Sam Arnold may lose out on game-time, it may smack of double-speak to Ulster fans. Ruan Pienaar must leave the province next summer as the union feel the South African international is road-blocking scrum-half development up north.
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