Dowson tips Munga for the top as Saints snap up former London Irish lock

Following Irish's sad demise, Munga was left out of work, and Saints moved quickly to secure his signature.

The 22-year-old will help to fill the void left by Lukhan Salakaia-Loto who has returned to Australia to join the Melbourne Rebels.

Munga is an athletic, 120kg second row who stands at 6ft 7ins tall and made 53 appearances in total for Irish, scoring two tries.

He has represented England at Under-18s and Under-20s level, playing at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens against Ireland for the latter.

And Dowson said: “The thing that impressed us most about Chunya is that he’s an intelligent player who knows exactly what he needs to do to get better, and he knows that is a long-term process.

“He’s been well coached at London Irish by a couple of former Saints in Jon Fisher and Ross McMillan, and he’s certainly got the ability to be a standout second row in the years ahead.

"He’s very athletic and aggressive in the way that he plays, as well as a sharp line-out operator.

“Chunya’s got a lot of potential to improve, and he’s an ambitious guy who wants to win trophies and play international rugby – as all players do.

"Hopefully we can help him to realise those goals in a Saints shirt.”