Stay or go? The choice facing Leinster’s back-ups

Max Deegan and Jimmy O'Brien arrive for Leinster rugby squad training

It’s that time of year again when Leinster roll out news of their contract extensions, the drip-drip effect of it all over a course of days or weeks both maximising the publicity value of it and numbing the fan to its full effects.

It started with extensions announced for Will Connors, Thomas Clarkson and James Culhane last weekend and hadn’t stopped since, the main news of interest being that Max Deegan won't be moving north to Ulster, as had been reported, but is instead staying in Dublin.

Deegan’s case attracted particular interest in the weeks beforehand, his continuing absence from Leinster’s matchday squad on the biggest of days leading to the argument that maybe the 27-year could enjoy greater exposure and better Test prospects at another province.

He has yet to play in the Champions Cup this season but 16 of his 110 appearances in blue have been made in that competition. Consider Connors, then, who is a year older but has managed just three, two of them against La Rochelle this term.

Injuries have played their part with him. Connors missed great big chunks of the 20/21 and 21/22 campaigns with knee injuries and he is lightly-raced. Remarkably so, in fact, with just 47 games for the province, amounting to an average of eight a year so far.

So how does a player like this balance his future prospects when it comes to signing on again or moving on? It took a while for the latest offer to be made by the club. He didn’t pick up the pen out of blind loyalty when it finally happened, but sign on he did.

“When these decisions come around you do have to kind of see what else is around but when Leinster came and eventually offered me something, it was something that I jumped at, to be honest. It’s great to be staying on in the club.

“With the future here, it’s very exciting, especially with new recruits coming in and it would be a shame to miss it. And hopefully by the end of this season, with what’s to come we can put a bit of silverware to it.” Connors spoke of how he grew up watching and then playing for Leinster, of identity, of training and playing with his mates every day, and about how high a bar that sets for any club looking to lure him away to a new life.

That’s a fair point and one worth remembering in any debate as to whether players like Deegan or others struggling to get the nod for big games should stay or go. There is so much more to rugby, and to life, than what he see every weekend.

Connors finds himself in a strange limbo in this sense. Leo Cullen gave him the nod to start both of those games against La Rochelle and yet he has had to look on from afar for the other five Champions Cup games to date.

He watched the Saints win from the Croke Park stands.

“Yeah, it’s difficult. I kind of fitted that La Rochelle game. Then to shift out for the last game was tough but it’s tight margins. It’s more about me trying to push my carrying game and make that a point of difference. Hopefully that will open up more opportunities.

“The idea of being a very strong defensive player is obviously something I’m very proud of but to really push hard in how I play going forward, and suiting an attacking team, is definitely something I want to keep working on and pushing.” Connors’ reputation for the defensive side of the game is well-founded given his trademark chop tackling and his pursuit of a PhD in tackle technique Trinity College but the paperwork will take on a secondary role as the season approaches its end.

Leo Cullen has served notice of his intention to field strong sides for these last two URC regular-season games against Ospreys and Connacht as they look to push for success on both fronts and battle-harden troops for that date with Toulouse.

It may be that Leinster return to a 6/2 bench split for the game in London but, whatever the breakdown on the team sheet, Connors isn’t giving up hope of being involved again for the seasonal summit at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Definitely not. Nobody’s place on the team is ever cemented down and that’s the beauty of this squad. We have within each position so much strength in depth, everyone is pushing each other and there are no guarantees any week.

“That’s why in the next two weeks of the URC it’s important that you take every chance you get and put your best foot forward because everyone wants to be on that plane to London.”