Tug-of-war for Antoine Frisch’s signature as three Top 14 giants battle it out
The talented centre looks set to leave Munster a year before his contract expires.
Munster centre Antoine Frisch could leave the Irish province at the end of the season despite being contracted until 2025.
The 27-year-old midfielder qualifies for France through birth and Ireland through residence but announced last week that he intends to represent Les Bleus if called upon, which could happen as soon as the July internationals.
His decision is likely to result in his departure from Munster, which already has New Zealander Alex Nankivell on its books.
Top 14 clubs circle
A similar situation occurred when Jean Kleyn switched allegiances to South Africa and earned his debut for the Springboks, ultimately leaving to RG Snyman’s departure at the end of the season.
With his contract with Munster running until the end of the 2025/26 season, Frisch’s recent announcement about his international allegiance has sparked a flurry of interest from Top 14 clubs.
According to a Midi Olympique report, Toulon are one of three teams keen to bring him to the league, with Fijian centre Waisea Nayacalevu joining the Sale Sharks.
This also comes after they missed out on the opportunity to sign Andre Esterhuizen, who opted for a return to the Durban-based Sharks, while there are also doubts around Samoan international Duncan Paia’aua’s future at the club.
While Frisch would alleviate those concerns for Toulon, they will fiercely compete for his signature, with Montpellier reportedly entering the race and closely monitoring the centre’s situation.
Montpellier are set to clear out a large chunk of their playing squad at the end of the season and have been heavily involved on the market. They look set to sign Billy and Mako Vunipola from the Premiership, while Frisch would be a good signing for their JIFF status – the requirements of Top 14 teams to field French-qualified or academy-trained players.
According to the report, Toulon looks to be in pole position, while La Rochelle is another possible designation for the centre.
Ronan O’Gara is not short on options in the midfield, which could count against him in luring Frisch to the back-to-back Champions Cup winners, but the Munster connection may help.
Quiz: Can you name the Saracens team that won the Champions Cup for the first time in 2016?
