Penney Pays Tribute To Departing Cavanagh : Irish Rugby

Munster's head of fitness Bryce Cavanagh will return to his native Australia at the end of October to take up a new position with Super Rugby side Melbourne Rebels.

Once Munster have completed round 2 of the Heineken Cup, Bryce Cavanagh, his wife Brooke and daughter Hudson will make the move back to Australia with Cavanagh assuming the head of athletic performance role with the Melbourne Rebels.

On making the move Bryce will join recently-appointed Rebels head coach Tony McGahan whm he reported to during his first season with Munster in 2011.

Disappointed to be leaving the province after two seasons, Bryce indicated the move was the best opportunity for his family and based his decision around same, and although contracted to the province until the summer 2014 the management supported the decision.

Munster head coach Rob Penney commented: "We are sorry to see Bryce go, he is a great guy with a fantastic work ethic and has always been excellent for us.

"Obviously the timing isn't ideal from our point of view, to lose a guy of his calibre during the season, but he leaves a strength & conditioning department that are in great shape to continue on the work, and we understand this is an opportunity for him and his family and we wish him all the best."

Cavanagh himself added: "I've really enjoyed my time with Munster Rugby and leave privileged to have experienced the unbelievable culture here.

"It is hard to walk away from such a group of dedicated players and staff, but I know returning to Australia is the best thing for me and my family at this time."

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt and captain Paul O'Connell give their reaction following the reigning RBS 6 Nations champions' 19-9 victory over England at the Aviva Stadium.

Looking forward to facing England on Sunday, Ireland winger Tommy Bowe said: "We've trained very well this week, we're really excited about the game. It's about going out there and doing whatever we can to get ourselves that win."