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Ulster head coach responds to reports of Ireland poaching Aussie prospect

Published 17:29 31 Mar 2026 BST

Updated 17:33 31 Mar 2026 BST

Colman Stanley
Ulster head coach responds to reports of Ireland poaching Aussie prospect

Homerugby

Interesting....

The big news in Irish rugby yesterday was the possibility of Ireland poaching one of the hottest prospects in Australia, tighthead prop Massimo De Lutiis.

Reports have said that the IRFU have made contact his club, the Queensland Reds, but there have been no contract discussions with the 22-year-old himself.

However, due to the fact that he represented Australia A in 2024, he wouldn't be able to play for Ireland until November 2027, despite qualifying through a maternal grandparent.

He has been dubbed Australia's 'strongest' player due to his exploits in the gym, and was called up to a Wallabies training camp in January.

There has been speculation on these shores as to which province he would join, and given that Tom O'Toole is in the process of switching to loosehead prop, Ulster would be the likely destination.

Speaking on the De Lutiis reports, Ulster head coach Richie Murphy said: "There's speculation about players all over the place at the moment. Things that are out there at the moment, people can run with it or they can wait until they hear what the actual facts are... we've no update on Massimo."