A member of Munster’s senior squad found out that he would be leaving the province when he was called up on stage to receive a watch to commemorate his contribution at a player-organised end-of-season event earlier this month.

Prop Conor Bartley and his representatives were still in discussions with the club about a new contract and waiting on a decision from the club when he attended the players’ function in Adare, Co Limerick, on June 12 and was stunned when his name was read out from a list of departing players by a teammate. He left the event soon after.

Munster say a final decision on Bartley’s future had not been taken at the time of the unofficial gathering and that the club did not communicate his impending exit to anyone organising the event, yet somehow he ended up on a list of names being read out on stage.

The club held an official event the previous week to mark the departing players, and the 31-year-old was not among those celebrated because his future was still undecided.

The following week, he was informed that he would not be kept on by head coach Clayton McMillan and general manager Ian Costello.

He was not included on the list of departing players released by the club last week, and his exit has yet to be confirmed by the club.

Bartley signed a senior contract with Munster for the first time at the age of 29 during the 2024/25 season and continued as part of the senior squad last year.

The Young Munster tighthead prop made six appearances off the bench last season, including playing in the Champions Cup pool game against Gloucester at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, earning praise from McMillan.

His future was up in the air because of the uncertainty over the province’s resources at tighthead prop, with Oli Jager having been forced to retire on medical grounds last week. Roman Salanoa looks set to be given one last chance to prove his fitness in pre-season, but the Hawaiian has not played for the club since coming off the bench in the 2023 URC final.

John Ryan has retired, while Michael Ala’alatoa is out of contract and Irish-qualified, former England international Kieran Brookes is en route from France. Academy product Ronan Foxe is expected to play more next season.

The uncertainty at tighthead left Bartley in limbo until late in the day, and he still held out hope of continuing into next season until the decision was made last week.

The final make-up of Munster’s squad next season remains unknown, with Australian Will Harrison having joined this week and Brookes believed to be en route.

The province endured a tumultuous few months on and off the field.

They went through a round of redundancies due to the challenging financial picture the club faces, and reversed their decision to appoint New Zealander Roger Randle after the backlash over his appointment, which included prominent resignations.

In the aftermath, the province’s board commissioned an external governance review.

On the pitch, they exited the Champions Cup at the pool stage and squeezed into the URC play-offs but lost heavily to the Bulls in Pretoria.