Rugby News

After confirming the signing of James Downey for next season, Munster can look forward to a physically-imposing beast of a centre capable of monster hits like the one in the video above.

The more subtle sides of Downey's game are often conveniently ignored because of his power and quite sizeable frame, but one can't argue with the fact that he is a rampaging presence in the centre and offers a physicality in midfield that the province have arguably lacked since Trevor Halstead.

Rumours that the former Leinster and Connacht centre might be about to sign for Tony McGahan’s side have been doing the rounds for some time now and it was confirmed by the province this morning.

Commenting on the signing, Munster coach Tony McGahan said: "James is a quality player who has been on our radar for some time now. We've seen at first hand, on several occasion in recent times in the Heineken Cup exactly what he has to offer and believe that his style and his attitude can only enhance our squad."

It will be Downey’s second spell with the province, having featured briefly during the 2006/07 season, after previous spells with his native Leinster and Connacht. He joined Italian side Calvisano for a short period in 2007 before joining the Saints, where he has made 135 appearances to date, including against Leinster in last season’s Heineken Cup Final.

There are plenty of centres in the Rabo12 and the Heineken Cup next season that can expect to feel like Shontayne Hape did after Downey had finished with him in the video above, and with Tommy Bowe potentially on the way in the summer, things are certainly looking up for Munster at the moment.