New Munster centre Tom Farrell could prove to be something of a 'moneyball' signing for the province, according to Johne Murphy and Bernard Jackman.
The 30-year-old was one of three Munster debutants in Saturday’s thrilling 35-33 win against Connacht at Thomond Park, and impressed in his first competitive outing, which came against his former side.
Farrell spent seven years at Connacht and played more than 100 games out west, but injury hampered his best years in Galway, particularly in early 2019 when he earned an Ireland call-up ahead of the Six Nations.
The outside centre led his side with seven carries and made 11 tackles, as he teamed up with Alex Nankivell, and the pair looked comfortable in what could be Graham Rowntree’s first-choice midfield partnership this season.
The Dublin native was picked up as a direct replacement for Antoine Frisch, whose contract was bought out by Toulon towards the end of last season. Farrell was one of several experienced players who had been surprisingly let go by Connacht, and Jackman believes he and Nankivell have the makings of an excellent midfield duo.
"I think Nankivell is fairly easy to play outside, because he’s super consistent and he’s so direct," Jackman told the RTÉ Rugby podcast.
"Frisch and him had built a good relationship, but I think Farrell has a lot of ability.
"The only thing that’s held him back has been being injured, and maybe also not having the front-foot ball that he’s going to get more with Munster.
"This could be a big move for him. He had a bit of a fright where he needed to go to the market and it was a tough time to go to market.
"Frisch leaving opened up an opportunity for him to go to Munster, but as a partnership they really looked good.
"I think that was a good recruit. We talk about [Thaakir] Abrahams and Billy Burns, they were the most high profile and got the column inches. I think Farrell could really blossom there. That partnership with Nankivell straight-up looked very comfortable.
"Munster, they played well in patches without being dominant, it’s an ideal start for them in terms of the result."
Former Munster wing Murphy was also impressed with Farrell’s first URC outing with the province, and believes he could prove to be a real bargain as the season progresses.
"He could be a bit of a moneyball signing in terms of where he fits in within that [team]," Murphy said.
"Their back-three, [Mike] Haley is hitting a bit of form and is back to where he was when he got capped, and I think that he can fit into that system really, really well.
"It was an unbelievable game to watch, it ebbed and flowed the whole way through, right up until the end."
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch Zebre v Munster in the URC on Saturday from 2.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
