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Toulon statement: The signing of Antoine Frisch from Munster
By Liam Heagney
Toulon have confirmed the signing of Antoine Frisch on a three-year deal from Munster. The 28-year-old was contracted with the Irish province until the summer of 2025 but an agreement has been struck to end his stay in Limerick 12 months earlier than planned.
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He will now link up with Toulon ahead of the 2024/25 season and will hope to get another call-up to the France national team after spending a few days earlier this year training with Fabien Galthie’s squad during the Guinness Six Nations.
A statement read: “Toulon are pleased to announce the arrival of the French centre Antoine Frisch on the shores of the harbour.
“Trained in Fontainebleau and then passed through many amateur clubs, Antoine began his professional career in Rouen before joining England (Bristol Bears) and Ireland (Munster).
“Already a starter with the English club, it was at Munster that Antoine Frisch revealed himself to the general public. He won the URC last year with the Irish province.
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Le centre du @Munsterrugby, Antoine Frisch débarque sur la Rade et s'engage avec le RCT jusqu'en 2027 ?
— RCT – RC Toulon (@RCTofficiel) May 24, 2024
“Called up by Fabien Galthie to prepare for the last Six Nations tournament, Antoine Frisch wanted to return to France and he chose Toulon project to continue and enrich his career.”
RCT sporting director Laurent Emmanuelli said: “Antoine is a player who has had an atypical career. Trained in the Paris region, he built his career patiently by competing in the Federale championships, the Pro D2, and then the English and Celtic championships.
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“His progress has been constant and we are convinced that he is now a player of international level. A fly-half by training and now positioned in the centre, Antoine is a balanced player who is as comfortable in attack as in defence.
“With a state of mind and human values that stick to RCT, Antoine has great technical qualities, makes people play around him, and enhances the collective of a team. He is also a very good defender. For all these reasons, we are delighted that Antoine will join our project for the next three seasons.”
Frisch added: “First of all, I would like to thank Bernard Lemaitre, Laurent Emmanuelli, Pierre Mignoni, and Munster for making this opportunity possible. It is a great pride and an honour for me to come and play at RCT.
“I can’t wait to wear this iconic jersey and experience the fervour of the fans. I wish the best to the team for their final sprint in the TOP 14. See you soon!”
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Munster, who confirmed the signing of midfielder Tom Farrell from Connacht in midweek to replace Frisch, said in their statement: “Antoine has been a fantastic addition since joining from Bristol in 2022 and there are a huge few weeks to come before he departs with our best wishes.
“The 28-year-old has scored nine tries in 39 Munster appearances to date, including two against Edinburgh last weekend.
“Antoine announced himself to Munster supporters on his first start with an excellent performance against South Africa A at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in November 2022.
“He went on to play a key role in Munster’s URC title win last season and scored three tries in 19 appearances that included starts in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final.
“He has already scored six tries in 21 appearances so far this campaign with his good form earning a call-up to France’s Six Nations squad in March.”
