London Irish star confirms move to Northampton Saints

The athletic, 120kg second row stands at 6’7" tall, and made 53 appearances in total for Irish (scoring two tries) while also representing England at Under-18s and Under-20s level – playing at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens against Ireland for the latter.

Munga, 22, arrives at Northampton from London Irish, following the Exiles filing for administration and suspension from the Gallagher Premiership last week.

"It’s been a challenging few weeks, but I’m very grateful and excited to be able to focus on playing rugby again and being within a team environment," said Munga. "Saints have a great collective of young players who have grown up together at the Club, with a few senior boys in there to steer the way, which was really attractive to me.

"Speaking to Northampton’s coaching group also made me really excited to join Saints. Phil Dowson and James Craig have been fantastic to talk to, and I didn’t feel like there had been the same passionate interest from any other team to see me improve as a player as there was from them.

"The coaches did a full analysis on me before we met, which really took me aback because I felt their passion to see me get better, and that really is invaluable as a player.

"So, I’m very confident coming into Saints that I can put in all my energy into the team, and I will get the same back from the coaches and the playing group. It’s great to be part of a collective that are really pushing for the top end of the Premiership and to achieve something now. The journey ahead is really exciting.

"I want to take this opportunity to say that I cannot thank the coaches, players, on and off-field staff, and all the supporters at London Irish enough for everything they have given me. I couldn’t have got to this position without all of them, and while I am one of the lucky ones who has been able to find a new home straight away, to play 50 games for my boyhood club was a dream come true so I’m grateful to everyone who helped make it happen."

Munga joined the London Irish Academy as a 14-year-old, progressing through the ranks with the Exiles and making his club debut against Bristol Bears in the 2019/20 Premiership Rugby Cup, before starting on his Gallagher Premiership debut against Saracens later that season.

He was called into the England training squad ahead of the Autumn Internationals in 2021, but is yet to be capped in Test rugby.

Saints’ Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson, added: "The thing that impressed us most about Chunya is that he’s an intelligent player who knows exactly what he needs to do to get better, and he knows that is a long-term process.

"He’s been well coached at London Irish by a couple of former Saints in Jon Fisher and Ross McMillan, and he’s certainly got the ability to be a standout second row in the years ahead. He’s very athletic and aggressive in the way that he plays, as well as a sharp line-out operator.

"Chunya’s got a lot of potential to improve, and he’s an ambitious guy who wants to win trophies and play international rugby – as all players do. Hopefully we can help him to realise those goals in a Saints shirt."

The Wallabies lock, who initially joined the club in 2019, has reached an agreement to join Bordeaux, a Top 14 club.

Sources have indicated that the winger will join the Stormers in South Africa on a two-year deal after impressing against the Cape Town franchise in the Champions Cup

who initially joined the club in 2019, has reached an agreement to join Bordeaux, a Top 14 club.

Australian prop Ollie Hoskins joined London Irish from Western Force in the build up to the 2016/17 season.

Hoskins played 24 times for Irish during the 2016/17 season, including an outing in the Championship Play-off Final.

Following a string of great performances in the 2017/18 Aviva Premiership campaign, Hoskins has continued to show his importance to the Irish squad.

His consistently high standard of performances in a London Irish shirt led to Ollie becoming a London Irish centurion, passing the 100-appearance mark for the Club in the 2020/21 season.

In the 2021/22 season, Hoskins played in 25 of Irish's games across three competitions, opening the season with a brace away to Worcester Warriors and then scoring in an important win over Edinburgh Rugby in the EPCR Challenge Cup pool stages.

He had the 18th most attacking ruck arrivals in the 2021/22 Gallagher Premiership (351) and joint 25th most carries (159), ranking him in the top five and top three amongst props in the division respectively.

The proud Australian earned his first cap for his country in the 2021 autumn internationals when the Wallabies visited Twickenham Stadium.

Hoskins signed a contract extension with the club in the offseason preceding the 2022/23 season and is on course to surpass 150 appearances in the following campaign. 

The 23-year-old was a key cog in the Exiles wheel throughout 2022/23, with his performances helping Irish to a fifth-placed finish, their highest since 2008/09.

Pearson made 235 tackles in 2022/23 – only Northampton Saints’ Alex Moon made more across the league – and was also in the top three for turnovers won (21).

Pearson’s performances have put him firmly in the World Cup conversation and he has had conversations with England head coach Steve Borthwick surrounding his ambitions.

Saints have also made contact with lock Munga, an erstwhile Eddie Jones apprentice, as they also aim to bolster the back five of their pack following the departures of David Ribbans, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Karl Wilkins.

The unexpected exit of Salakaia-Loto has freed up space in the salary cap for Saints to monitor the market.

According to The Rugby Paper, Bath will waste no time this week to cherry-pick the best talent by signing up Arundell.

However, this report has since been rubbished by a newspaper in France who believe he will sign with Racing 92.

He was a standout performer for the England u20s, Arundell shot into the limelight after scoring an incredible solo try against Toulon during the 2021/22 Challenge Cup.

He was part of the London Irish U18s squad that won the Under-18 Academy League title. He attended Harrow School and has been a part of the London Irish Academy since he was 14 years old, whilst also playing his club rugby for Bradford-on-Avon RFC. He has also previously been selected as part of the England U18 setup.

The 2021/22 season was a breakout one for Arundell at London Irish with his 11 tries in 17 appearances Exiles and England under-20s earning him the Land Rover Discovery of the Season.

Eligible to represent Scotland and Wales, Arundell earned a test call-up for England ahead of the three-test tour to Australia where he made an instant impact by scoring on his debut.

The Rugby Paper suggests that Bristol may make an offer to sign Lovejoy Chawatama, a 30-year-old tighthead prop from Zimbabwe.

Chawatama, the Zimbabwean athlete who gained renown as the Zimbabwe Sports Personality of the Year in 2017, became a member of the Exiles team after leaving London Welsh in that very year.

Standing at an impressive height of 5 feet 11 inches and weighing 18 stone, this formidable prop forward has accumulated a commendable record of 75 appearances for London Irish. His arrival at Bristol Rugby Club presents an opportunity to bolster their ranks with his wealth of experience in the number three jersey.

This acquisition is particularly valuable as the team will face the absence of their first-choice tighthead, Kyle Sinckler, who is committed to England throughout the upcoming season.

Ben White, who left Leicester Tigers at the end of the 2020/21 season, put pen to paper on a deal with the Exiles to join ahead of the next campaign.

White made history when he became the youngest player in Leicester Tigers’ Premiership history when he came off the bench against Harlequins in September 2016, aged just 17 years and 151 days.

He made nine appearances in all competitions for the Tigers last term, having clocked up over 50 in the previous two campaigns.

White demonstrated his experience in a green shirt from the off, and going on to make 25 appearances for the Exiles just in his first season. 

These detailed starting berths in all of the Gallagher Premiership, Premiership Rugby Cup (including starting in the final) and also in the EPCR Challenge Cup.

He scored five tries in his first year with London Irish and proved his dependability on big occasions, including in a comeback draw at home to Sale Sharks, an away win at Harlequins and the team's only try in the 2022 Premiership Rugby Cup final. 

The scrum-half was selected by Gregor Townsend in the Scotland national team for the first time during the 2022 Guinness Six Nations following on from his impressive adaptation to life in west London. 

In a 30 minute cameo, White had a scoring debut for his nation, replacing Ali Price and aiding his team to record a famous 20-17 win over England at Murrayfield.

Reports across the channel suggested last week that the Ireland international would sign with Top 14 strugglers Pau, who finished 12th last season.

Well regarded for his step and his ability as a broken field runner, Jackson is equally comfortable at inside centre. Jackson has been keenly followed by Irish Rugby fans for years, chiefly due to the fact that he was one The All Ireland League’s top point scorers for Dungannon RFC only a year after finishing school. Such impressive club form made an Ulster contract an inevitability. 

Jackson made his Ulster debut in early 2011 against the Scarlets. He was included in the Ireland Junior World Championship squad in 2011 and also went on to captain the U20s in their 2012 Six Nations campaign. 

He made his senior international debut in the 2013 RBS 6 Nations against Scotland and toured with the senior squad to North America. 

The Ulster man was then dropped for a number of matches form the Irish squad, but re-found his form starring for Ulster in the 2014/15 Pro 12 season. A string of excellent performances at the flyhalf position led to him being selected in Irelands 31-man squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

He started all three tests in South Africa in 2016 - showing he is an able deputy at out half as Ireland claimed an historic first by beating the Springboks in Cape Town.

Paddy has improved his game-management and is a threat in attack with natural pace and sharp distribution and in May 2017, Jackson was named in the Ireland squad to tour USA & Japan.

Jackson has played 123 times for Ulster and represented Ireland on 25 occasions.

In June 2018, Perpignan president François Rivière confirmed that the flyhalf has signed for the club on a two-year deal.

May 2019 saw Jackson sign a deal with London Irish ahead of the 2019/20 season.