Irish-qualified 16-cap England star among two incoming Munster signings

Munster head coach Clayton McMillan is closing in on making two more signings ahead of next season with Australian playmaker Will Harrison and former England tighthead Kieran Brookes set to sign for the province.

McMillan has been searching the globe for a new fly-half, and The42 is reporting that they have finally found their man in Harrison, who scored three tries in eight games for Hanazono Kintetsu Liners in Japan’s second division this season.

The former Australia under-20 international, who can also play full-back, made 38 appearances for the New South Wales Waratahs before moving to Japan two years ago but found his chances limited in the last year after the arrival of Springbok Manie Libbok.

Munster had talks with Leinster fly-half Caspar Gabriel, but were sent back to the drawing board when he decided to remain in Dublin with their arch-rivals and have persuaded Harrison to make the move to the United Rugby Championship.

Harrison, 26, who isn’t Irish-qualified, started for Australia U20s as they were narrowly beaten by France 24-23 in the 2019 Junior World Cup Final, having scored a try in a win over Ireland earlier in the tournament.

And he will be the third new arrival of the summer, with Springboks hooker Marnus van der Merwe and Ireland-capped tighthead prop Jack Aungier already confirmed as having signed.

Munster won’t have long to wait for the fourth, with former Ireland U19 and U20 [and England U20] international Brookes, who has been playing in France with Perpignan, set to join the ranks despite having another year left on his contract with the Top 14 outfit.

Brookes, who is 36 in August, played for Newcastle, Leicester Tigers, Northampton Saints, Wasps and Toulon before joining Perpignan two years ago and would be available for an unlikely Ireland call-up given that he won the last of his 16 England caps a decade ago.

The Stoke-on-Trent prop still qualifies under the World Rugby eligibility rules, having played for Perpignan in their 47-24 Top 14 access match against Provence Rugby last weekend, and is expected to sign on for next season at least.