He had however a broad grin on his face and was obviously pleased with his first impressions. Speaking to reporter Valerie Huck (L'Independant), Mafi spoke of the the similarites he noticed straight between USAP and Munster where he spent six years.

"I'm a bit Irish. My son has an Irish passport. My daughter was born in Cork. The people here (in Perpignan) are much like the Irish and the atmosphere is similar and that makes it easy for me to fit in.

"When I played here for Munster the game was very tough. I saw that the supporters are very loyal. They love their side. Much like Munster supporters. I see lots of similarites between the two clubs and I'm looking forward getting involved."

Meanwhile there'll be plenty of Munster interest in the Barbarians/Wales clash tomorrow (2pm) with Mick O'Driscoll set to play his last game and the opportunity to see Casey Laulala in action against Wales.

Barbarians: M Muliana; I Nacewa, M Tindall, C Laulala, S Williams; S Donald, R Rees; D Jones, B August, J Smit (captain), M O'Driscoll, M Chisholm, F Louw, J Beattie, M Gorgodze. Replacements: A de Malmanche, N Tialata, A Van Zyl, A Qera, R Lawson, S Tagicakibau, C Heymans.