In confirming that Leinster are in negotiations to bring Joey Carbery home next season, Leo Cullen has reiterated his frustration and annoyance at the manner in which he believes their former outhalf was persuaded to join Munster in 2018.
Cullen evidently believes that pressure was brought to bear on Carbery to leave his native province and join rivals Munster. The Leinster head coach declined to name those in question.
“Yeah, we’ve had some conversations with Joey. That’ll play out over the next little while,” Cullen confirmed, as Leinster move quickly to fill the impending void left by Ciarán Frawley’s move to Connacht next summer by acquiring the 30-year-old Carbery, who is in the second of a two-year deal at European champions Bordeaux-Bègles after six seasons at Munster.
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“Well, he’s a Leinster person first and foremost, came through the pathways. I don’t think it’s a great secret I wasn’t a big fan of how that played out at the time and I wouldn’t have blamed Joey in any sense.
“But some of the people who were involved there, I don’t think covered themselves in glory, did they?” said Cullen with a broad smile, before adding: “But you’ll have to do a bit of digging there yourselves to find out what I mean by that.”
He continued: “It was a long time ago. It’s in the past. Listen, we move forward. A lot of things have happened since then, but if you think of Joey’s last season with us, Leinster won the double, so he was obviously doing something all right that season anyway.
“The experience he has comes into play. We’ll see how it plays out, nothing to be confirmed yet anyway.”
While Carbery’s return to the Irish fold is welcome, not least for Leinster, it is a little surprising that he has opted for his home province given he will be competing against Sam Prendergast and, presuming he signs a new contract, Harry Byrne.
Harry Byrne, Ciarán Frawley and Sam Prendergast with Ireland defence coach Simon Easterby during an Ireland training camp in January 2024. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho
Will Carbery be considered another out-and-out 10, or a like-for-like replacement for Frawley?
“With Ciarán going to Connacht, everyone is asking that same question,” said Cullen. “So when you’re in a squad sometimes, you need to have that flexibility and do what’s right for the team. Ciarán is playing 15 for us this weekend and making the trip west next season. But the here and now is what interests me in terms of that conversation, it is all speculation.”
As for Byrne, whose brother Ross moved to Gloucester last year and who had a successful loan spell with Bristol last season, Cullen said the matter is “to be confirmed”. “We’re in a speculation period and you’re trying to catch me up now,” he laughed. “Hopefully Harry will be here next year. I’m getting tripped up everywhere, landmines all over the place.”
Cullen also confirmed Andrew Porter sustained “a niggle in training with his calf” on Thursday, so will join Rabah Slimani (calf) and Tadhg Furlong (hand) on the sidelines.
Paddy McCarthy will start in the front row, with Jerry Cahir and Andrew Sparrow set to make their Champions Cup debuts off the bench, while Joshua Kenny gets his debut from the off as James Lowe is out with a neck injury.
LEINSTER (v La Rochelle): Ciarán Frawley; Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Robbie Henshaw, Joshua Kenny; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Paddy McCarthy, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jerry Cahir, Andrew Sparrow, Diarmuid Mangan, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne, Andrew Osborne.