Alex Nankivell has previously spoken of his desire to qualify and play for Ireland, and the centre now has two years to make his audition for Andy Farrell.

The New Zealand native has agreed a new two-year deal at Munster, which will keep him at Thomond Park until the summer of 2029 at least.

It's exactly three years to the day since Nankivell made his debut for the province after joining from the Chiefs, and the centre has been a fan favourite ever since, making 58 appearances in his first three-and-a-bit seasons.

With three years in the bank, Nankivell will become Irish-qualified in October 2028.

He turns 30 later this week, and so would be a 32-year-old debutant if he does get to earn his shot at Test rugby when the time arrives.

And while that still seems like a long way away, the knowledge that he is on course to become Irish-qualified is giving him something to chase.

"It's a really exciting prospect, I guess, to try and challenge to play international rugby because it was a dream of mine as a young fella to do so," Nankivell said, after agreeing his new Munster contract.

Prior to joining Munster in 2023, Nankivell (below) made two appearances for the uncapped All Blacks XV team, but fell short of earning a call-up to New Zealand's senior side.

And this latest renewal with Munster has now opened to door to Test rugby once again.

"Like I've said in the past, talking to different guys in the media, international rugby is still the pinnacle for me and the opportunity to represent New Zealand has gone since leaving and coming over here.

"I'd never thought I'd be here this long, and I guess the prospect of becoming Irish qualified is exciting because it gives me, I guess, an opportunity to try and get selected to play international rugby. Now that's a long way away and I don't really get too far ahead of myself.

"But I guess first and foremost, I'm here at Munster and I want to do well for them and contribute as much as I can, both on and off the field.

"So I guess if you do that and that goes well, then the rest takes care of itself," he added.

Even if he doesn't go on to represent Ireland, Nankivell's new contract is an important piece of business, both for himself and Munster Rugby.

Becoming Irish-qualified will make it much easier for him to stay at Thomond Park even beyond 2029, while it will open up another NIQ spot for McMillan and his coaching team to work with.

Nankivell played under head coach Clayton McMillan at the Chiefs prior to the pair joining Munster, and the centre says he's excited about the direction of travel at the province.

"It's always nice to get that security locked in and I'm really, really excited to be staying at Munster. So yeah, I'm over the moon with that.

"Obviously, with the new coaching group coming in, Clayton coming in, I've got a huge faith in him having been coached under him in New Zealand. And I know what he's about.

"From being here at Munster, he suits it to a tee, and I'm really optimistic about the growth that we can have going into the future, but that we've already had just over this past pre-season.

"We've got an awesome group of lads who are extremely passionate about this club and we've got an awesome province behind us. And to me, there's no reason why we can't continue to grow and continue to challenge."

Last week's Investec Champions Cup opener against Racing 92 puts the province in a good place as they return to URC action this week, with Nankivell playing his part in a thrilling 33-25 win at SuperValu Pairc Uí Chaoimh.

Munster will face another step up on Saturday, when they travel to Dublin to take on Leinster at Aviva Stadium.

And Nankivell says the temperature always rises when they prepare to renew rivalries with their neighbours.

"Seeing what it means to the lads here at Munster, and obviously the rivalry's been going on for years, I guess it stays strong.

"We've probably got a bit of a chip on our shoulder that we want to compete, and obviously that rivalry is strong.

"The lads are always excited to face the provinces. Whatever province we face, it's always a big game because you just want to beat them and you want to get bragging rights, but there's something about the Leinster game.

"Going up to Dublin, particularly, we always get great support up there. So yeah, I don't know where it starts, but it's just always intense."