Munster set to lose Ian Keatley and Jaco Taute in the summer

Both men have been peripheral figures for Munster this season.

Ian Keatley is on his way out of Munster in the summer and South African centre Jaco Taute looks set to follow him. SportsJOE understands that the Munster and Ireland will join Benetton Treviso at the end of the season after settling that his future lies away from the Irish province. Keatley has been at Munster since 2011 and contributed 1247 points in 180 appearances. He played 24 games last season, under Rassie Erasmus then Johann van Graan, but his appearances have been limited by the arrival of Joey Carbery and return from injury of Tyler Bleyendaal. He has made just four sub appearances in the current campaign, totalling just 74 minutes. 18 months ago, Keatley was considering approaches from English and Top 14 sides but he opted to sign a contract extension with Munster. Soon after that deal was penned, he told us:

"I thought about moving away but then I had to think about what was best for myself and my family - what would be easier for my partner and the new arrival. It would be easy, if we moved away, for me to make friends as I would have the rugby community and I'd see them every day. But Lisa (my partner) may be at home with the baby every day, on her own. "So that was a big consideration in staying or moving."

Last season was Keatley's best in a Munster jersey but van Graan was never going to turn down the chance of bringing Carbery down from Leinster, especially when Ireland coach Joe Schmidt pushed for him to get more game-time at No.10. The Keatley move was first reported in the Limerick Leader. It was a harsh return for the Dubliner but he turns 32 in April and professional rugby is often a ruthless enterprise. Scrumhalf Duncan Williams is also expected to move on in the summer while Jaco Taute has been linked by The42.ie with a switch to the English Premiership when his contract expires in the summer. JJ Hanrahan and Bleyendaal are now looked upon as the back-up options to Carbery, who is revelling in his senior outhalf role at his new club.