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Stephen Archer one of two new Munster deals but record will escape him

Stephen Archer of Munster after the United Rugby Championship match between Munster and DHL Stormers at Thomond Park in Limerick. (Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Munster tighthead prop Stephen Archer has signed a contract extension with the province alongside centre Alex Nankivell.

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The deal for Archer, 36, will run to the end of the season, which will conclude his 16th campaign with the province. It comes after he signed a six-month deal over the summer.

Nankivell’s deal, meanwhile, will last a little longer, and will take the 28-year-old’s stay to 2027 after arriving from the Chiefs in 2023.

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The former All Blacks XV centre made a return from a hip injury on Saturday’s 17-10 victory over the Lions at Thomond Park in the United Rugby Championship.

Archer featured from the bench in the victory in what was his sixth appearance of the season and 290th overall for the 2022/23 URC winners.

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Only former Connacht flanker John Muldoon has made more provincial appearances than the two-cap Ireland international, 327. Unless he signs another deal taking him into his 17th season at Munster, Archer will fall short of Muldoon’s record.

The win over the Lions arrested a three-match losing streak for Munster and saw them climb to 11th in the URC standings. They will now turn their attention to the Investec Champions Cup, where they host Top 14 strugglers Stade Francais before travelling to take on Castres.

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J
JW 36 minutes ago
'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Well a) poor French results doesn’t seem to effect the situation much. In fact one of the reasons given for this selection policy is that the French don’t tune in for foreign rugby content on the other side of the world, at a time when theyre not having their vino. So who would know the results? And b) this is the crux of the matter, they are legally abided to play them as part of WRs tier 1 reciprocal tours programme. The only real choice for the SH team is to treat it the same, which is fine when teams are happy to do that, but the AB’s have a totally anthesis policy/mentality so would never use the games in the same way.


So alligned with b) the only real option is to complain to those in control. I suspect that’s why weve seen France reneging on the practice, and you can only be left to think that if they hadn’t reneged, WR would have done something more drastic about it. Which of course would mean not just telling them to bugger off when they want to tour, it’s no one playing them (from t1 at least) at all (assuming they have no interest in scheduling match’s outside the windows, like Ireland and NZ are doing).


Then of course that means no involvement of France in the Nations Championship. Which means they are automatically the last ranked team in 6N to qualify, so the actual worst team in 6N gets to compete in it, making a mockery of the promotion and relegation WR wanted to happen between T1 and T2 for qualifying purposes. Yup, b) is just something nobody wants to happen. Well done FFR and LNR for making the tour work instead (how well is yet to be seen).

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