The long haul.

Joey Carbery is settling into life at Munster pretty well. The 22-year-old Ireland international is yet to make a start for the southern province, but has looked hugely impressive in his two cameos off the bench.

His decision to leave Leinster was a huge one, having just won the PRO14 and Champions Cup with the eastern province. But for Carbery it was all about getting out of Johnny Sexton’s shadow, and proving he can do it at the highest level.

Carbery says he was given a few options before he left, but it appears a few chats with Munster head coach Johann van Graan convinced him a move south was the best option for his career.

“It was a tricky enough time. I suppose there were a few options given to me. I met with Johann after we played them in the RDS and I met with him again then,” said Carbery.

“We kinda just chatted. I felt it was the best option for me. Obviously I wanted to be playing more and kinda get out of the shadow of Johnny (Sexton).”

“I suppose I was learning so much, but I felt then that there is only so much you can learn from watching someone. The best way to learn is going out and doing it yourself and learning from your mistakes. ”

“I feel like I took in a huge amount of knowledge from the people around me in Leinster, now I just need to implement it into my game. The only way I can do that is out of the pitch.”

Carbery is believed to have signed an initial two-year deal with Munster, leading many to speculate he will return to Leinster after his stint in Limerick. But Carbery insists he his happy with his decision to move and won’t be returning any time soon.

“Definitely (this is home now), I don’t want to be chopping and changing and having to move and stuff.” Carbery added.

“At this moment in time I’m very happy seeing myself here for a while. Yeah, I’m pretty happy with it.”