Irish club dismisses Ben Smith talk

Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has denied reports that his club are trying to sign All Blacks fullback Ben Smith.

"We are constantly looking for Irish-qualified players," Erasmus told the Irish Independent.

"One of my briefs is to get Irish-qualified players well coached and available for Joe (Schmidt). All four provinces are the same and Ben Smith is obviously not Irish-qualified, so that's not true."

World Cup-winning Smith's contract with New Zealand Rugby is up in 2017 and he is drawing interest from Europe where he would command a yearly salary upwards of $1.13 million.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has previously stated that he doesn't think the All Blacks are likely to retain the trio of Smith, Aaron Cruden and Israel Dagg, all of whom are reportedly being chased by overseas clubs.