Munster have confirmed that Gerbrandt Grobler will leave the province this summer, when his contract expires.

Having signed Tadhg Beirne for next season, the writing has long been on the wall for Grobler's future at the club, but recent outstanding performances, including during this evening's 24-24 draw with Ulster, offered some hope that he might have his deal extended.

However, Johann van Graan revealed that the South African will depart, with his next destination set to be Gloucester.

"Yes, Gerbrandt won't be staying at Munster," the Munster head coach said.

"I think it's a massive loss. He's a quality player. I thought that was his best 80 minutes for Munster.

"I thought firstly, his primary work, his lineout defence was exceptional. I thought the way he called the lineouts in the second half, his ball carrying abilities, his fight on the ground, his defence – I thought that was a really good second-row performance from a quality individual."

Grobler has faced plenty of controversy during his time with Munster, after he served a two-year doping ban between 2014 and 2016, having admitted to taking a banned anabolic steroid.

Speaking about how the 26-year old reacted to the criticism, captain for the evening Mike Sherry said: "I think GG just kept his head down and kept working really hard. He's got a good few chances in recent weeks, and I think he's been outstanding.

"I think he's a great fella and we wish him the best of luck next year. We're sad to lose him because he's a top quality player. He's brilliant at the lineout, he's brilliant around the pitch.

"Gloucester are getting a great addition. He's a great fella off the pitch as well so we will be sad to see him go."

Online Editors