Positive.

Munster centre Jaco Taute says he is positive that CJ Stander and Peter O’Mahony will indeed stay with the southern province and sign new contracts, despite interest from both French and English clubs.

O’Mahony and Stander are believed to have turned down initial contract offers from the IRFU and Munster as they feel the offers do no reflect their current market value, especially when you consider what they can earn abroad.

Munster have already lost Donnacha Ryan and Simon Zebo to France, but Taute is confident his fellow South African and the club captain will stay.

“CJ loves Munster and he shows it the way he plays. Peter grew up in Munster and he’s the club captain,” said Taute.

“At the end of the day it comes down to their individual choices. Where they are individually in their careers, family choices, and future choices.

“I am positive they will stay. They love Munster and Munster love them.”

While he is confident they will stay, Taute is no fool, and reckons negotiations with the IRFU will be tough.

“I have got a degree in Business Management and I know it’s not that easy to say pay them what they want, and comparing it to the English and French leagues where there is a lot more money. There are a lot of pros and cons that need to be looked at,” Taute added.

“It’s impossible to compete with the money that’s in the French league, even in the Aviva Premiership, they had the salary cap but there is still a lot of money.

“I know for a fact that the IRFU and Munster will do their best to keep those two players now. It’s just trying to negotiate the money that’s the hard part in this professional environment.”

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