Munster sign Toby Morland

MUNSTER have made the first overseas signing of the closed season by securing the services of Otago and Chiefs scrm-half Toby Morland on a six-month contract.


Twenty six-year-old New Zealander Morland will join Magners League champions Munster on July 1, joining fellow New Zealanders Doug Howlett and Lifeimi Mafi in the squad.
Morland said: “I wanted a short-term contract for a start. I will then carry on or look elsewhere. I’m keen to get experience overseas and live a different lifestyle.”
While Morland’s Chiefs team suffered a heavy defeat to the Bulls in the Super 14 final at the end of last month, he described it as the highlight of his rugby career. Morland believes he has improved significantly as a player during his short time with the Chiefs this season: “It was an awesome experience.”
“I’ve had a bit of everything this year. It’s been an exciting new life for me. Being in a winning team helped. I enjoyed the attitude of the coaching staff, who gave me positive reinforcement. My tackle rate improved and I learned to run off on the inside of my other backs in support play.”
Morland has first hand experience of playing against a number of his new Munster team-mates. Morland played at scrum-half against both Tomas O’Leary and Denis Fogarty when the New Zealand U-21 side faced Ireland in the IRB World Championship final in Glasgow in 2004.
Morland has played 47 games for Otago between 2002 and 2008 but was not contracted by the Highlanders this year and was picked up by the Chiefs in the draft.
Injury to All Black Brendon Leonard saw him start in the Chiefs Super 14 semi-final win over the Hurricanes and the Super 14 final against the Bulls in Pretoria.
Morland played for the Marlborough Boys High School First XV at halfback or out-half for two years before beginning his study at the Sports Institute of Otago in 2002.
Morland later joined Kaikorai and was an understudy to All Black Byron Kelleher.
He made an immediate impact and was selected for the New Zealand Under-19 team that competed in the world championships in 2002 and for New Zealand Colts the next year. Munster bound Morland made his debut for Otago as a substitute against his old home province of Marlborough in 2002.

Colm Kinsella