Chunya Munga becomes first London Irish player to find a new club
England prospect Chunya Munga has become the first London Irish player to secure a new club following the Exiles’ June 6 suspension by the RFU from playing next season. Irish became the third Gallagher Premiership club to fall by the wayside since last September due to financial troubles, leaving their players having to seek alternative employment.
Munga has become the first to get sorted, agreeing terms to join Northampton for the 2023/24 season. A statement read: “Northampton Saints can confirm the signing of lock Chunya Munga ahead of the 2023/24 season.
“The athletic, 120kg second row stands at 6ft 7in, made 53 appearances in total for Irish (scoring two tries) while also representing England at U18s and U20s level – playing at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens against Ireland for the latter.
“Munga, 22, arrives at Northampton from London Irish, following the Exiles filing for administration and suspension from the Gallagher Premiership last week.
“Munga joined the London Irish Academy as a 14-year-old, progressing through the ranks with the Exiles and making his club debut against Bristol Bears in the 2019/20 Premiership Rugby Cup, before starting on his Gallagher Premiership debut against Saracens later that season.
“He was called into the England training squad ahead of the autumn internationals in 2021, but is yet to be capped in Test rugby.”
Munya said: “It’s been a challenging few weeks, but I’m very grateful and excited to be able to focus on playing rugby again and being within a team environment,” said Munga. “Saints have a great collection of young players who have grown up together at the club, with a few senior boys in there to steer the way, which was really attractive to me.
“Speaking to Northampton’s coaching group also made me really excited to join the Saints. Phil Dowson and James Craig have been fantastic to talk to, and I didn’t feel like there had been the same passionate interest from any other team to see me improve as a player as there was from them.
“The coaches did a full analysis on me before we met, which really took me aback because I felt their passion to see me get better, and that really is invaluable as a player.
“So, I’m very confident coming into Saints that I can put in all my energy into the team, and I will get the same back from the coaches and the playing group. It’s great to be part of a collective that are really pushing for the top end of the Premiership and to achieve something now. The journey ahead is really exciting.
“I want to take this opportunity to say that I cannot thank the coaches, players, on and off-field staff, and all the supporters at London Irish enough for everything they have given me. I couldn’t have got to this position without all of them, and while I am one of the lucky ones who has been able to find a new home straight away, to play 50 games for my boyhood club was a dream come true so I’m grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.”
Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson added: “The thing that impressed us most about Chunya is that he’s an intelligent player who knows exactly what he needs to do to get better, and he knows that is a long-term process.
“He’s been well coached at London Irish by a couple of former Saints in Jon Fisher and Ross McMillan, and he’s certainly got the ability to be a standout second row in the years ahead. He’s very athletic and aggressive in the way that he plays, as well as a sharp line-out operator.
“Chunya has got a lot of potential to improve, and he’s an ambitious guy who wants to win trophies and play international rugby – as all players do. Hopefully, we can help him to realise those goals in a Saints shirt.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Brett, from my distant perspective, I hope you get to keep the Rebels. Any ideas of teams from Japan or Argentina are just crazy. Won’t happen. If you look at logistics, it is much easier to get to LA from Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney than to Buenos Aires. All with direct non-stop daily flights. You may even get some “gringos” to watch the games, with some younger players compared to Giteau and Nonu who still “play” in the area. I think it is virtually impossible to get a competitive Argie team for SR. All Pumas are in Europe, almost all second tier players are also in Europe. Fringe players are in South American pro rugby tournament (and many still in the MLR!) but these players who might be most interested in joining a new Jaguares do not have the skills to compete. As I have been saying since the Jaguares joined, they should have had TWO teams to make logistics for visiting teams better and Argie player development improved as well. Jaguares/Pumas was not ideal. But this is where Pichot and his cronies did not think long enough. Further the country with he new president “No hay Plata” Milei is in a very difficult situation. Galperin, the richest man in Argentina owns the Miami franchise of MLR. I don’t think you can get him to invest in Argentina. Actually, he played rugby himself. He was a fly half. He is worth around $6 billion!
1 Go to commentsWell done Baby Boks we will take the Draw. No 9 senseless long passes in those conditions. let’s move on and hope for some good weather
4 Go to commentsHow did it end a draw. South Africa didn’t score any points as far as I can see
4 Go to commentsNo doubt this will be a fantastic occasion and I plan to be there, but I think the bean counters have won out over the rugby brains. In my opinion, it is foolhardy to give the Black Ferns the experience of playing in front of 60,000+ at Twickenham a year before they might be playing there in a World Cup Final. Better to play France at Twickenham and Black Ferns at Kingsholm. The difference in takings would be miniscule.
1 Go to commentsDom kant
193 Go to commentsBen is a little incel desperately trying to stir the pot and stay relevant. We used to get mad at his articles. Now we just feel sorry for him
193 Go to commentsPerhaps we may need to put an asterisk on NZ’s ‘87 WC win since the Boks weren’t there. You know, just as a reminder. Poor Ben Smith. Go cry somewhere else.
193 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
3 Go to commentsThanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
3 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
4 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
193 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
193 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
193 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
193 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
193 Go to comments