Munster assistant Denis Leamy has ruled out a move for Malcolm Marx, ending speculation the Springbok could be joining the province after the World Cup.
Rumours about an approach for the hooker had been floating around the province in recent months, with those reports gaining further traction in recent days.
However, defence coach Leamy poured cold water over that speculation this afternoon, saying the World Cup winner won't be a Munster player next season.
"I'd like to work with Malcolm Marx, but there's nothing in it," he said, when asked about the reports.
"There's nothing there for us. No, that's not something that's happening, to be as clear about that as I can.
"Look, obviously we look in different areas of the market but that's not a conversation that's ongoing."
Back-to-back wins for the province have moved them into the play-off spots in the URC, while a victory this weekend against the Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup at Thomond Park would see them take a big step towards a place in the last 16 of the competition.
Diarmuid Barron and Josh Wycherley are both doubts for the visit of the Saints on Saturday (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player), with the pair carrying respective shoulder and rib injuries, although they did train this afternoon at Thomond Park in a non-contact capacity.
And Leamy (below) says a call on their availability will be made later in the week.
"They’re still be monitored and we’ll check them again tomorrow morning and get feedback from the medical staff.
"We’ll see then but look, both guys are still in contention but we’ll be monitoring them going deep into the week."
Tadhg Beirne, Peter O'Mahony, Craig Casey and Joey Carbery are available for selection again having been rested for the wins against Ulster and the Lions.
And with some of the province's fringe players making an impression in the first two games of 2023, Leamy says it's presenting a lot selection debate amongst the coaching team.
"There's some really interesting debates happening in the mornings when we discuss teams. It's very interesting to see the different coaches with different ideas. Like, I want a chop-tackler, the forwards coaches want a lineout option. Everyone's fighting for their different type of player and it's really interesting discussions.
"We have a lot of options, a lot of guys playing really well. The back row is very hotly contested, the centres, the back three, and it's very exciting. We have a really difficult job to pick a team this week.
"We're trying to put out the best team that represents us for this weekend. Because you pick teams differently depending on the opposition you're playing. So picking a team for Northampton is a real challenge."
Watch Munster v Northampton in the Champions Cup on Saturday from 2.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTE Player with live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
Listen to live commentary of La Rochelle v Ulster in the Champions Cup on Saturday from 5.30pm on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
