A two-year contract extension for Munster centre Alex Nankivell will add real substance to his desire to play for Ireland when he qualifies in two years, the 29-year-old has said, but in the interim, his focus is on achieving success with the province.
Nankivell, who joined Munster in 2023 from the Chiefs, where he also played under Clayton McMillan, signed a new contract this week that will keep him in Limerick until the summer of 2029, by which time he will have qualified to play for Ireland.
“International rugby is still the pinnacle for me,” he said. “Obviously, the opportunity to represent New Zealand has gone on since leaving and coming over here. I never thought I’d be here this long and I guess the prospect of becoming Irish-qualified is exciting because it gives me an opportunity to try and get selected to play international rugby.
“Now, that’s a long way away, and I don’t really get too far ahead of myself, but yeah, it’s a really exciting prospect to try and challenge to play international rugby, because that was a dream of mine as a young fella.
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“But, first and foremost, I’m here at Munster and I want to do well for them and contribute as much as I can, both on and off the field.”
Nankivell, who played five times for the Maoris and four games for the All Blacks XV, has made 58 appearances for Munster and reckons they are going places under McMillan.
“I’m really excited about it to be honest. Obviously, with the new coaching group coming in, Clayton coming in, I’ve got huge faith in him having been coached under him in New Zealand. I know what he’s about, and being here at Munster, he suits it to a T.
“I’m really optimistic about the growth that we can have going into the future, [and] that we’ve already had, just over this past pre-season. We’ve got an awesome group of lads who are extremely passionate about this club and we’ve got an awesome province behind us, and to me there’s no reason why we can’t continue to grow and continue to challenge.”
He has plenty of experience of Irish derbies since his arrival in Munster, and is set for another this weekend as they take on Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
“Obviously, I’m not from Ireland, but seeing what it means to the lads here at Munster, and obviously the rivalry has been going on for years and I guess it stays strong as things have been going so well in the recent past.
“We’ve probably got a bit of a chip on our shoulder that we want to compete, and obviously that rivalry is strong, the lads are always excited to face the [other] provinces. Whatever province we face, it’s always a big game because you want tobeat them and get bragging rights.
“There’s something about the Leinster game. Going up there, we always get great support. I don’t know where it starts, but it’s just always intense.”
Munster’s biggest concern ahead Saturday’s clash is at loosehead, with Michael Milne battling his way back from an ankle injury while Jeremy Loughman is in a race against time after suffering a knee injury in the Champions Cup win over Racing 92 last weekend.
Forwards coach Jimmy Duffy said Lee Barron (ankle), Shane Daly (groin), Edwin Edogbo (shoulder) and Will Harrison (knee) are all increasing their training load, with a decision on their availability to be made later this week.
“They’re going through their rehab kind of stuff, and hopefully everybody that’s on that list is available for selection on Saturday,” said Duffy.
The former Connacht player and coach, who joined Munster from Ulster, has more experience than most of what’s involved in Irish derbies, and he’s under no illusions as to the challenge awaiting them at the Aviva.
“We’re up against the defending champions and an international scrum that’s probably coming again on the weekend,” he said.
“It all [goes] hand-in-hand. If you’re stable in your setpiece, then it makes a huge difference. We’re very aware of how strong Leinster are in that department; scrum and lineout.
“We’ll have to be completely on the money for the weekend to be in the fight.”
