Munster Rugby's Billy Holland mulls over his future

MUNSTER'S vastly experienced second-row Billy Holland is mulling over whether to continue his playing career beyond the end of this season.

Thirty five-year-old Holland is out of contract this summer. The talismanic second-row, who has made 238 appearances for Munster, made his debut for the province in 2007.

Holland said he will be considering his future after this weekend's rearranged Guinness PRO14 fixture with Benetton Rugby in Italy is played.

Holland is one of several big name players at Munster who are out of contract at the end of this season.

Speaking about his future plans on Tuesday, Holland said: “I haven’t made a decision yet. I suppose we’ve a break after this match and I’m constantly thinking about it. ‘What do I want to do?’ I’m not getting any younger but I’m enjoying my rugby, I’m playing well, I want to be involved in the big games on the big days and when that’s no longer happening I’ll have to think long and hard about it.”

 “But certainly over the next month or so I’ll be sitting down and speaking to the bosses here and speaking with my family at home and seeing what’s best for me and what’s best for Munster. But yeah there’s a lot of crazy contract stuff at the moment.”

“It’s a tough time for guys. There’s guys who don’t know what their futures hold in a couple of months time so it is a difficult time for a lot of players.

"They’re under a lot of stress and strain, particularly for younger guys. I’m 35, it’s a little bit different, but for young guys with their whole career ahead of them and there’s so much uncertainty and not many places to go to, it’s a very difficult place to be.”       

Holland said the situation around contracts is a 'tough' one for players.

“We do talk about it and we are very open about it in terms of the stresses and strains. There’s guys playing at the weekend and they’ve been told ‘we don’t know if there’s something there for you’. That’s a difficult place to be.”

 “You can just be there to listen to fellas and help them but my situation is so different. I’m 35, my career certainly isn’t behind me but I’m at the far end of my career, so there’s no point in me saying to a 25-year-old ‘ah, you’ll be grand’, because that may not be true.”

 “But I know that Munster want to keep the squad we have but financially it might be a different situation. It’s just tough on guys, it really is.”