‘We’ll see. Nothing lasts forever’ – Simon Zebo’s future at Munster in major doubt

Graham Rowntree has dampened Munster supporters’ hopes that Simon Zebo will sign a contract extension to keep him at his home province next season.

Zebo’s current deal expires this summer and, as of yet, there has been no indication that Munster’s all-time leading try-scorer has been offered a new contract.

The 34-year-old Cork native is enjoying a great run of form, and he once again delighted the Thomond Park crowd by rolling back the years in Munster’s 47-12 win over Connacht on Saturday.

However, Zebo’s future is very uncertain, with Munster head coach Rowntree not offering any assurances that the 35-times-capped Ireland international will be playing in red beyond the end of the season.

“We’ll see. Nothing lasts forever,” Rowntree said. “He is in a rich vein of form. We have some healthy competition and young men coming through in that position. We’ll see.”

Meanwhile, Mack Hansen remains a doubt for Connacht’s crucial URC meeting with the Stormers at the Sportsground on Saturday as the Ireland winger continues to recover from a shoulder injury that has kept him out since New Year’s Day.

“Mack has progressed well up to the point of doing his return to contact work,” said Connacht boss Pete Wilkins, who also has injury concerns over Tiernan O’Halloran, Caolin Blade and Matthew Devine following his side’s damaging defeat in Limerick.

“But what he has not had is the movement in the shoulder to be able to do that perfectly yet, and that would put him at risk from a safety point of view, but also it’s just not technically effective.

“So, each week we are testing that and obviously he has been treated in between that to hopefully progress him.

“He could be an option for the Stormers but the way it has tracked so far, it wouldn’t surprise if he wasn’t either.”

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