Ex-Reds lock O’Shea signs two-year deal with French side Vannes

FORMER Munster lock Darren O’Shea has signed a two-year deal with French side Vannes, the club announced yesterday.

The Pro D2 outfit have snapped up O’Shea to offset the loss of fellow Irish second-row Dan Tuohy, who was forced into early retirement due to injury.

Having been unable to secure a new contract at Munster, O’Shea has been exploring his options, and he will now look to reignite his career with the Brittany-based Vannes.

The 27-year-old Cork native largely found game-time tough to come by at his native province and with the arrival of RG Snyman in Limerick this summer, O’Shea was facing the prospect of falling further down the pecking order.

O’Shea came through the Munster Academy, but enjoyed a two-year spell with Worcester from 2014 to 2016, during which time he helped the English club win promotion to the Premiership.

“Darren is a product of the province of Munster, with the associated standards in forward play,” Vannes’ sporting director Jean-Noël Spitzer said.

“He is a reassuring presence in the lineout after the departures of Dan, Hugh (Chalmers), Nick (Civetta) and Andy (Cramond).

“Without being a first-choice player in Munster, he played regularly and was responsible for calling the lineout.

“Darren is a player who has experienced the PRO14 and knows how to move despite his size. He knows how to do the unseen work in mauls and the scrum.”

Move

Meanwhile, former Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw is also on the move, having joined Japanese side NTT Communications Shining Arcs.

Laidlaw spent the last three seasons with Clermont and while he had offers on the table, the scrum-half has opted for a move to Japan, where he was hugely popular amongst the locals during last year’s World Cup.

The 34-year-old will bring a wealth of experience to the Shining Arcs, who compete in Japan’s Top League, which is due to begin in January.

Elsewhere, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) have announced plans to cut a quarter of its staff as a result of Covid-19.

Like the IRFU, the English union are in dire financial straits on the back of the current pandemic, and this latest development comes as yet another warning of just how much rugby is struggling.

As many as 139 of the 580 members of the RFU’s staff are set to be made redundant in what are drastic new measures.