Girvan Dempsey coy on Robbie Henshaw interest
Rumours of a switch between the two provinces have been rife for some time, but the player himself has got the bush telegraph hopping again this week with remarks made at a sponsors event to the effect that he may well have to leave Galway once his contract expires this summer.
“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you,” said backs coach Girvan Dempsey, when asked if Leinster had expressed any interest.
“I haven’t heard. There have just been rumours and stuff like that. It will be between the union and the powers that be. That’s where it is at the moment.”
Leinster look like being without full-back Rob Kearney, who suffered a hamstring injury against Scarlets last Friday, for the their opening Champions Cup encounter, against Wasps on Sunday, although Luke Fitzgerald and Ben Te’o are both expected to be fit in time.
Leinster are well covered at full-back with Isa Nacewa, but they will need as complete a roster as possible in the weeks and months to come as they seek to keep pace in a European pool replete with French and English predators. The three-time European champions face mega-rich Toulon, a Bath side that is bankrolled by the millions of owner Bruce Craig and a Wasps outfit re-energised by the move to Coventry that was engineered by Irish businessman Derek Richardson.
“It certainly is a challenge,” said Dempsey. “You look at the investment that teams in France have put into the depth of squads (but) you look at how the Irish provinces have competed over the last few years though and we got to a semi-final last year. Everyone says we were a foot away from a drop goal winning the game and the other provinces are certainly competitive.
“We are constantly looking at our own players and trying to develop more Irish-grown players.”
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