Graham Rowntree: Short-term prop signing an 'urgent' matter for Munster

Munster head coach Graham Rowntree says the province are looking into the possibility of an emergency signing at loosehead prop, as they deal with a number of injuries in that position.

Jeremy Loughman is the latest loosehead to join the Munster injury list, with the Ireland international suffering a knee injury in last Saturday's defeat to the Stormers.

The province’s stocks were already running low when it came to filling the number one shirt. Josh Wycherley and Mark Donnelly are both long-term absentees due to neck and ankle injuries respectively, while veteran Dave Kilcoyne is yet to feature this season after picking up an ankle issue while he was on the comeback from shoulder surgery.

It leaves academy pair Kieran Ryan and George Hadden as the only two fit looseheads for Rowntree to pick from, with Hadden joining the squad in Cape Town ahead of this Saturday’s meeting with the Sharks in Durban.

John Ryan (below) will likely switch across from tighthead to loosehead if needed this weekend, but it still leaves the province with a thin set of options at prop.

"Of course, I have," the Munster coach said when asked if he was looking into a short-term signing.

"That's an urgent, an urgent thing to be getting on with. We'll see how that unfolds."

It’s unclear whether or not the province will be restricted to Irish-qualified options for a medical joker. Last summer Irish Rugby performance chief David Humphreys announced that the provinces would not be allowed sign any more foreign props, with the position being prioritised by the IRFU for developing young telent.

However, that policy may need to be relaxed for a short-term period if there are no options available from within the Irish system.

While Munster do still have a huge