Following yesterday's confirmation that Felipe Contepomi has joined Brian O'Driscoll in committing his future to Leinster, the province are also set to bring the prodigal Shane Jennings home at the end of his two-year sojourn at Leicester next summer.

Although there was no confirmation officially of the move for Jennings, it is believed the former Ireland under-21 and Leinster flanker has held very positive discussions with his native province and will return there when his contract at Welford Road expires in June. Leinster are also hopeful of bringing Leo Cullen home from Leicester when his two-year contract also expires in June, although these discussions are not as advanced.

Successfully reaching a new two-year deal with Contepomi is a huge boon for the province, and also for the game here in general. The 29-year-old was the leading points scorer in Europe last season, topping both the Heineken European Cup and Magners Celtic League rankings, and has now scored 664 points in 65 appearances for the province.

"We're obviously delighted," said Leinster CEO Mick Dawson yesterday. "We stated at the start of the year we want to keep our high-profile players. Felipe obviously falls into that category and he's been a wonderful player for us and a great role model, and we're delighted that he's still here."

In thrillingly solving a problem position for Leinster over the last couple of seasons, the prolific and likeable Puma has become a darling of the supporters and his team-mates, and while admitting he had offers from France and England, Contepomi made it clear yesterday his sense of enjoyment from playing with Leinster, and living in Dublin with his wife Paula and 10-month-old daughter Catalina, was paramount. Contepomi readily conceded he has enjoyed his rugby more in the last couple of seasons.

"With Michael and Knoxie the rugby style suits me and is obviously the rugby style I enjoy, so when you enjoy everything you can play at your best. But also the team has grown a lot, so it's not only myself, it's the team that are enjoying their rugby."

Contepomi will be completing his medical degree next summer. He will become a full-time rugby player for a couple of years, before returning to Argentina and becoming a surgeon. "It's a long time. You have your whole life to be a doctor," he explained.

This was a source of some good-natured concern for Michael Cheika "because I'm going to have to deal with him all the time. He's hard enough to deal with when he is in the office."

On a more serious note, Cheika expressed the belief Contepomi's more intensive focus on his rugby should enable him to improve the parts of his game the Puma admits still need improving, "ie his kicking game and some of his game management, and the ability just to do the little extra things that the other players are able to do. But never in my time here have his medical studies impeded his commitment to the team. I can only see it being a massive bonus to us, him being here all the time.

"As a player what he does is present a threat to the opposition as a ball carrier, as a passer, as a kicker and also as another backrower as a defender," said Cheika. "So he's got threats all across the park . . . He makes the game accelerate around him while he's in the middle of it all."

All in all, as Cheika added, Contepomi is a good fit with Leinster. "He really believes in the type of football we want to play, sometimes too much," he added with a laugh, "but that's what's great about him. He's very passionate about the way we want to play."

More immediately, player and coach played down the apparent signs of distress and pain in the left knee that had sidelined him for a month when returning to action late on in Thomond Park, and Cheika expressed relief that scans on the ankle injury Girvan Dempsey picked up in Thomond Park revealed no structural damage, merely that it was badly twisted and "there is some hope that he might make it back in time for the Heineken Cup match" at home to Edinburgh a fortnight hence.

Wales lock Ian Evans looks certain to be out for the rest of the season, ruling him out of the Six Nations Championship and possibly next October's Rugby World Cup. The 22-year-old Ospreys forward, who won his fifth cap against New Zealand last month, is set to require reconstructive shoulder surgery after suffering a partial dislocation against the Cardiff Blues on December 23rd.

Bath lock Danny Grewcock has been cited for allegedly stamping on Sale Sharks' Nathan Bonner-Evans in the English Premiership match at the Recreation Ground on December 22nd. He will appear before an English RFU disciplinary panel on Thursday.