Matt O’Connor hoping Leinster’s winning culture helps keep Seán O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip in the fold

Having already bade adieu, or hopefully au revoir, to Jonny Sexton, Leinster know better than any Irish province of the predatory nature of the Top 14 clubs, and they also have their hands tied. But as the nouveau riche French vultures hover over leading Irish-based players such as Jamie Heaslip, and especially given Racing Metro's very real pursuit of Sean O'Brien, Matt O'Connor has again backed Leinster's winning culture and professional environment to keep them in the fold.

"You can never be too confident until it's signed but I would be very disappointed if they chose to move on. You certainly understand those decisions but we'll back our environment to keep them here and make sure that we are continuing to add value to them and they are continuing to add value to us."

'Happy in the environment'
"That's our challenge, to create an environment where winning is inevitable and they want to be a part of it, they feel a part of it and the whole thing feeds off itself. I think those guys are pretty happy in the environment, like I said, they still have things they want to achieve with Ireland and Leinster. I think if you asked them, they would say this is the best place for them to be.

“That doesn’t change the fact that there’s a decision to be made off the back of the rewards elsewhere but we’re pretty confident those guys will want to stay and be a part of what is happening currently.”

Whether that proves sufficient to persuade the players is another matter, particularly if – as in Sexton’s case and is again likely – Racing Metro’s offer to O’Brien exceeds the IRFU’s.

In any event, O’Connor readily concedes Leinster can ill-afford to lose O’Brien or Heaslip in addition to Sexton. “One hundred per cent. You cannot replace world-class players overnight; that’s the reality of it. You can’t go to the market and replace Brian O’Driscoll, Jamie Heaslip or Sean O’Brien, because those players don’t exist in the market, so we need to keep those guys here. They understand that and, by and large, they want to stay in the environment. They’ve got things they still want to achieve.

Given O’Driscoll, Leo Cullen and Shane Jennings cannot last forever, O’Brien and Heaslip are future leaders, although they are current leaders as well.

“They are at the top of the peer group and are driving the standards every day. They are already significant figures and with other significant bodies moving on in the next 12/24 months, they will certainly move into that space and be the drivers of the organisation moving forward.”

"We've said all along, and it was no different with Johnny, that we want to keep them in our environment because they are Leinster guys and they love playing for Leinster. Now, we certainly pass on these messages to them, their agents and their spheres of influence so that everyone has clarity on them wanting to be here and us wanting them to be here.

'Up to the player'
"From that end we do everything we can and the union does their part and then it is up to the player. They need to make the choice at the end of the day, if they want to stay in this environment . . ."

Those potential rewards ought also be weighed against the kind of careful husbandry and man management centrally contracted players enjoy in the Irish system – witness how all bar O'Brien (following a summer operation on a broken bone in his arm) of their Lions quintet have yet to start a game, whereas the departed Sexton has already played seven games in six weeks with Racing. Witness also the ankle injury Jamie Roberts suffered for Racing a fortnight ago which has sidelined him until late November.

Such a toll could be potentially more unforgiving for a backrower, although O’Connor is not of a mind to point this out to O’Brien and Heaslip.

“They know that, they see the benefits of being fresh, managing their game time. the work that goes on behind the scenes here with the backroom team in relation to their physical preparation to make sure the environment ticks all the boxes in relation to what being a professional is. I think they are comfortable and understand to play the best rugby this is the place for them . . .

The benefits of the Irish player welfare system can be felt by the provinces more toward the end of the season than the beginning, although while welcoming back four of his five Lions this Friday, Leinster’s preparations were hindered by having 20 players in the two-day Irish get-together on Sunday and Monday.

O’Connor agreed his new charges possibly saw an angrier side to him since the defeat to Glasgow. “I didn’t have to drive the message too hard because they were pretty unhappy with the performance themselves, and they’re a pretty experienced group who understand what it means to wear the shirt and the responsibility that goes with that. So to be fair there didn’t have to be a lot of screaming and shouting from the coaches’ end.”