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If you had one player you could take off an inter-provincial rival, who would it be?
As happy (or merely content) as you are with the make-up of your team’s current squad, that does not stop you looking at the team up the road and thinking, ‘What we could do with that lad playing for us… ‘
David Nucifora, the IRFU’s Director of High Performance, told reporters, earlier this season, the union was hopeful of more player movement between the provinces.
Former Leinster back-row Dominic Ryan was once thwarted when he sought to move from Leinster to Munster and there were similar alarm bells a few years back when news leaked that Luke Fitzgerald was considering a similar move.
That does not mean moves between the provinces are rare. Connacht and Leinster have often traded players while, a few seasons back, Munster could have fielded an entire backline of Leinster players. John Cooney, meanwhile, is doing well up at Ulster having helped Connacht to a league title in 2016 and Leinster to the Heineken Cup in 2012.
We had a look at each of provinces, assessed their pressing needs, and selected an ideal signing from an inter-pro rival.
Leinster – Iain Henderson
Leinster could do with some real physicality in the second row and someone that can not only get over the gainline but charge 10 yards past it and drag a few men with him. Henderson is becoming a real leader at Ulster – captaining them on a few occasions this season – and showing form for Ireland.
He has started to call lineouts too and has learned well alongside current Leinster and Ireland lock Devin Toner. Looking to the future, though, the prospect of teaming ‘Llama’ up with 6-foot-8 James Ryan is scary. And exciting.
Munster – Ultan Dillane
At present, Munster are relying on Jean Kleyn and Billy Holland. Gerbrandt Grobler missed the start of the season with injury and the province fell back on academy players and, for two months, had Mark Flanagan on loan from Saracens.
Tadhg Beirne arrives in Limerick next season but the capture of Dillane would really get the fans excited and bring a genuine athlete, physical edge to the Munster pack. Dillane grew up in Tralee, too, so this would be a homecoming of sorts.
"Every day here is like a dream"
The Aviva Stadium, via Paris, Tralee & Galway for @connachtrugby and Ireland star @Ultan_Dillane pic.twitter.com/KjG8vn0zfD— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 17, 2017
Connacht – Johnny Sexton
Ever since Connacht were forced to part ways with A.J MacGinty, they have not had anyone to truly own the No.10 jersey. Jack Carty has his moments but someone of Sexton’s stature, skill and leadership would give confidence to the entire team and add another dimension in attack.
It would take one hell of an offer to get the outhalf out West but he moved once from Leinster, to Racing 92, and may enjoy the more relaxed pace of life.
Ulster – CJ Stander
It looked like Ulster, in Jean Deysel and Marcell Coetzee, had some real grunt and bullying force in the back row at the start of Ulster’s season. Unfortunately that all seems like a mirage now. Deysel’s form has been up and down while Coetzee is back in South Africa after picking up a serious knee injury.
Ulster could do with a back row star who is a mix of Stephen Ferris and Nick Williams. Stander fits that bill extremely well but Ulster would need to pull off the biggest coup of recent years to get Stander up and doing damage at Kingspan Stadium.
One man who is not sold on the whole notion is former Munster and Ireland outhalf Ronan O’Gara. He recently told The Hard Yards:
“I can understand the absolute cases of desperation about a guy but I think it’s like, for example, me going and joining Leinster when I was playing. It cannot be done, for everything you stand for in life. There’s far more too it than just a rugby transfer.”
When the prospect of Munster ever moving for Connacht lock Ultan Dillane was raised, however, O’Gara remarked, “Ultan Dillane is from Tralee, isn’t he?”
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
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