Munster captain Peter O’Mahony has praised the signings made by head coach Johann van Graan, in particular the acquisition of Tadhg Beirne.
Along with Beirne, Van Graan has signed Leinster back Joey Carbery, loose forward Arno Botha from the Bulls and Sale Sharks full-back Mike Haley as he looks to bolster the squad in a bid to end a trophy drought that stretches back to 2011 for the Limerick outfit.
“You look at the guys that we have signed – the positions, the characters – we’ve done very well,” he told the Irish Mirror. “We’re not that far off but the problem is you’re not automatically back in the semi-final this year – we’ve a huge amount of big games to go before you start talking about that.”
And in Beirne, O’Mahony believes they have the world’s best ‘on the poach’. The 26-year-old Irishman returns home from a stint with the Scarlets last season, where he broke the record for the most turnovers in a PRO14 campaign with 39 – 17 more than anyone else.
“He’s been one of the in-form players in European rugby over the last couple of seasons, he’s come from Leinster, got his opportunity with Scarlets and been one of the best,” said O’Mahony.
“He’s an incredible signing for us, his workrate and ability to get over the ball is second to none in the world. He’s probably the best in the world on the poach.
“His lineout ability, ball-carrying ability, he’s a quality footballer – to get somebody of that calibre is a super signing for us.”