Fekitoa out to do Munster proud in final against Stormers

A FORMER Highlanders favourite is set for a very big weekend.

Blockbusting midfield back Malakai Fekitoa is in Cape Town for the United Rugby Championship final.

His Irish club, Munster, will seek to prevent the Stormers from winning a second straight championship in front of a sellout crowd of 55,000 supporters.

Munster, which beat the Stormers in Cape Town during the regular season, reached the playoffs in fifth position with 10 wins from 18 games, beat Glasgow 145 in the quarterfinal, and qualified for the final with a dramatic 1615 win over fellow Irish powerhouse Leinster in the semifinal.

Fekitoa missed the semifinal with a minor injury but has played much of the season at second five.

The United Rugby Championship, formerly the Pro14 league, is a 16team competition that has four former Super Rugby sides (Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions) along with four teams from Ireland, four from Wales, two from Scotland and two from Italy.

Munster’s other star men are classy Irish halfback Conor Murray, workhorse flanker Peter

O’Mahoney and giant Springboks lock RG Snyman, and the club is coached by former England prop Graham Rowntree.

The Stormers, who qualified for the final with a 4325 win over Irish club Connacht in the semifinal, have a powerful front row anchored by Springboks Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, while the backline includes 27test fullback Damian Willemse and talented first five Manie Libbok.

Fekitoa (31) played 65 games for the Highlanders, scoring 20 tries, in 201417 and was part of the team that won the 2015 Super Rugby title.

He also played 24 tests for the

All Blacks before spending two years at French club Toulon and three years at English club Wasps before heading to Ireland.

Fekitoa, who played three tests for Tonga last year after becoming eligible, has signed to play for Italian club Benetton next season.