Who’s the latest player to fly the Munster coop?

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Lifeimi Mafi, Tomas O’Leary and Coach Tony McGahan, another Munster man is set to bid adieu to the province this summer.

Front row forward Denis Fogarty is on his way to France next season to link up with former Irish international Jeremy Davidson, who is currently coaching French Pro Division 2 side Aurillac.

The 28-year old Tipp native has been with the province since 2004 but turned down a new deal to join the French side, who are based in the Auvergne region, bang smack in the south of France, where the climes will be sunnier than they are in Cork and Limerick.

Fogarty, a younger brother of former Munster, Leinster and Connacht hooker John Fogarty, struggled to establish himself in the Munster first team due to competition from the likes of Frankie Sheahan, Jerry Flannery, Damien Varley and Mike Sherry during his time with the province, but still managed 90 appearances in the red jersey.

Fogarty won two Heineken Cup titles and three Magners League titles and he leaves Munster with the best wishes of his teammates.

Donncha O’Callaghan, with whom Fogarty was often a partner in crime in the pranks department said: "He's Munster to the core. An incredible character who brings so much to the squad both on and off the field.

“He'll be sorely missed, maybe much more than some people might imagine right now. But he goes with the best wish of everyone in the squad."

Fogarty himself said: "You don’t leave a squad like Munster without giving it a great deal of thought. It’s been a huge part of my life and I've really enjoyed my time here. I've learnt a lot and made lifelong friends who I will miss.

“The opportunity was there for me to remain but I feel the time is right for me to look for a new challenge. I'm grateful to Jeremy Davidson for providing me with that challenge and its one I'm looking forward to.”

All the best Denis.