Leinster face battle to keep centre star Ben Te’o

Leinster have not yet accepted defeat in their bid to extend Kiwi centre Ben Te’o’s stay at the province beyond next summer, despite considerable reported interest in the 28-year old from clubs in England, France and Australia.

The player himself was giving little away on the matter yesterday, though he did intimate that a return to rugby league Down Under, where he won an NRL title alongside Sam Burgess at Sydney two years ago, was unlikely for now.

Te’o joined Leinster from South Sydney Rabbitohs late in 2014 and has impressed in the midfield despite early injury problems and the club’s stuttering form. He is “weighing things up” at present and is expecting to come to a decision sooner rather than later.

With Leinster unable to match the money being flashed before him by clubs abroad, it would be a shock if Te’o was to remain in Dublin beyond the summer and his current employers are constrained further by the international dimension.

Technically a ‘project’ player, he would not be eligible for Ireland until November 2017. Contrast that with the fact he possesses a British passport and the lure of the ever-wealthier Aviva Premiership becomes even more apparent.

“I want to test myself at this point and I love to play in the biggest games, so that’s certainly something that will factor into my decision,” he admitted. “I’d love to play international rugby, I’d love to be a part of that. I’m not sure for who, but I’d love to play it.”

Te’o and Leinster travel to the south of France this weekend to renew acquaintances with Champions Cup holders Toulon. Lose and their continental journey will be over come the end of the pool stages and yet it is player contracts that are dominating the media agenda right now.

With a plethora of players in all four provinces seeking new deals, and the provinces struggling to keep pace with English and French opponents, talk is steering towards the possibility of more players moving between Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht.

Mike Ross is one of those mentioned in terms of a switch in-country, with Galway being a suggested destination in his case, though the tighthead prop yesterday declared himself to be “settled” and “happy” where he is.

More important than contracts is fitness, of course, and the news surrounding Sean O’Brien continues to give cause for concern almost four weeks after he was removed from the field of play against Wasps with a concussion.

O’Brien’s situation has been compounded by an inner ear problem. He visited a specialist yesterday to seek a prognosis on that, though the fact he has yet to pass his return-to-play protocols for the concussion is just as worrying. He is, needless to say, a major doubt for Sunday’s outing.

Centre Noel Reid and scrum-half Luke McGrath are definitely unavailable for France this week, though Richardt Strauss and Rob Kearney are in the frame after recent injuries and a number of front-liners including Jonathan Sexton and Jamie Heaslip are good to go having been rested recently.

The task facing them could hardly be greater. Star-studded Toulon have pummelled Clermont in their own back yard and Agen at Stade Felix Mayol this past two weeks