Munster set to lose Irish prop James Cronin to England

Would the last up-and-coming rugby player to leave Ireland please turn out the lights?

Another day, another Irish player linked with a move abroad. Munster and Ireland prop James Cronin is the latest player linked with a switch to the Aviva Premiership. The news comes a day after Marty Moore was said to be on the brink of a three-year deal with Wasps. John Fallon, reporting for the Irish Examiner and The42.ie, has spoken with a source close to the prop who says Cronin is 75% certain of a move to England. This would come as a disaster for a Munster side that lost Paul O'Connell, JJ Hanrahan, Paddy Butler and Sean Dougall last summer. Cronin has long been identified as a long-term option in Munster's front row. The 25-year-old, who has two caps for Ireland, made his breakthrough as a loosehead but was identified as a tighthead option who would eventually replace BJ Botha. The South African, himself, has been linked with a move to Exeter Chiefs. Cronin has played 54 times for Munster since his first appearance in the 2012/13 season. His last outing was in the festive fixture against Leinster. He is currently out injured but expected to retun in the coming months. The Dolphin clubman made is Ireland debut in 2014 against Argentina and featured off the bench in last year's Six Nations win over Italy.