Ian Costello: No scope to extend Bleuler's loan from Sharks

He won't be staying at Munster for a long time, but Dian Bleuler has definitely come to Thomond Park for a good time.

The South African’s name would have been frantically Googled when Munster confirmed his arrival on a short-term loan deal in late November.

Since arriving, the 25-year-old has started five of the province’s six games and given stability to a setpiece that had been decimated injury, playing with the freedom of a man who knows this move is an open shot to kickstart his career.

His latest outing against Saracens on Saturday was his best in red. Rock solid at the scrum, he chopped Sarries’ big ball-carriers low on defence, before popping up with the opening try of the on 59 minutes, which was the breakthrough Munster needed to nudge their heads in front. Had it not been for a Tadhg Beirne masterclass, Bleuler may well have been player of the match.

It’s likely Saturday’s win against Saracens was Bleuler’s final outing at Thomond Park. While he will be involved in next week’s final Pool 3 game away to the Northampton, he’s set to return to South Africa in the coming weeks where he will be needed by the Sharks as they rest some of their Springboks during the Six Nations window.

"He is here for a set period and there isn’t any scope to extend beyond that. That is the agreement that we went in with at the start," said Munster interim head coach Ian Costello, when asked if there was any scope to extend the loosehead’s contract.

Bleuler (above) and Young Munster’s Conor Bartley were both recruited on short term deals in November while the province were in the midst of a loosehead injury crisis, with Jeremy Loughman, Josh Wycherley, Dave Kilcoyne and Mark Donnelly all sidelined.

It’s hoped that injury list will shorten in