RUGBY: Munster have confirmed the signing of former New Zealand full back Christian Cullen on a three-year deal, a significant coup for the Celtic League champions, reports John O'Sullivan.
The 27-year-old has agreed terms with the province after falling out of favour with All Blacks coach John Mitchell.
His arrival in Ireland will depend on his championship commitments with Wellington, for whom he played last weekend.
Despite being overlooked for the national side Cullen is New Zealand's most capped full back, having played 58 Tests for his country, including 51 in succession. His last appearance for New Zealand, for whom he has scored a record 48 tries, (236 points in total) was against France in November.
Cullen is a try-scoring phenomenon, grabbing four on his Test debut against Samoa in 1996 and earlier this year, he broke the Super 12 try scoring record - he nudged past the half century - playing for the (Wellington) Hurricanes against the Stormers.
Munster still have two contracts to fill.
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WINTER OLYMPICS: Vancouver yesterday won the contest to stage the 2010 Winter Olympics but the Canadians' jubilation was almost matched by that of the British contingent in Prague for the vote.
Victory for Vancouver is good news for London's bid to land the 2012 summer games as strong contenders Toronto will now not enter the race.
Some members of the International Olympic Committee may also feel that having awarded the winter games to North America, they should send the next summer Olympics to Europe.
The vote for 2010 was a close-run thing, far closer than had been anticipated, with South Korean city Pyeongchang coming within three votes of claiming a surprise victory.
The Koreans actually won the first round with 51 votes compared to 40 for Vancouver and 16 for Salzburg. After the Austrian city had been eliminated, Vancouver scraped home in the decisive second round by 56 votes to 53.
British Olympic Association chairman Craig Reedie said Toronto's absence from the 2012 race could only help London's chances. "The fact is Toronto will no longer be a candidate for 2012 and they were a very strong candidate for 2008, so it means the field is not as crowded as it might have been," he said.
The Koreans had mounted a major campaign in the last few weeks, targeting Olympic committees and dangling the carrot of possible sponsorship by electronic giants Samsung.
The Winter Olympics returns to Canada for the third time following Montreal in 1976 and Calgary in 1988.
