LEINSTER’S DEPARTING CENTRE Ben Te’o admits he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to increase his salary in England at this stage of his career.
The 29-year-old, a rugby league convert, will leave the province at the end of the current campaign to join Premiership outfit Worcester Warriors.
Te’o has previously expressed his desire to play international rugby and although he was born in Auckland and represented Samoa at league, he is also eligible to play for England on his mother’s side.
Speaking at Leinster’s weekly media briefing this afternoon, Te’o said he will leave Ireland with fond memories after joining the province from South Sydney Rabitohs at the end of the 2013-14 season.
“It’s been fun, it’s been challenging,” he said of his time with Leinster, although he still has three months left on his contract and a job to do in helping Leo Cullen’s charges chase Pro12 silverware.
“When I was changing codes this was the best place for me to come. As an organisation they’ve supported me in making the transition and the players have given me all types of tips and have been really understanding to what I bring to the game.
“It’s been perfect for me, I’m happy with how it went so I just have good memories.”
Although his impending departure was confirmed last December, Te’o insists he’s remained focused on performing for Leinster and is determined to end his two-year stay with a trophy.
“I’ve got three months left now, you just want to make sure you have fun, enjoy this group of guys because you’ll never play with them again.
“You want to enjoy each session, every away trip, every game and then you really want to focus on getting something out of the season and we have the Pro12 to really strive for and that’s the main focus.
“I want to leave with something. Very, very disappointed that the Champions Cup didn’t go the way we thought or wanted but now you just need to switch your focus to something else and that’s what we’ve done.”
Leinster were keen to retain the back’s services but were unable to compete with the financial muscle of the English clubs. In the end, Worcester convinced Te’o to sign on the dotted line and move to Sixways.
A number of clubs were interesting in his signature but he admits Dean Ryan and Worcester offered him a deal too good to turn down.
“It was just the right decision for me at this time of my career,” he explained. “I wanted to head over, I know the Premiership is a very tough comp and I saw that as a great opportunity to go there and it was also a great deal.
“At this time of my career I’ve got to go with what’s best for me in that sense.”
When asked was it a case of Worcester persuading him to leave Leinster rather than him pushing for a move away from the province, he replied: “Yeah, yeah.”
For now, however, the focus is on the immediate future and the visit of Ospreys to the RDS on Saturday.
Victory for Cullen’s charges would consolidate their position in the playoff berths and potentially move them to the summit of the table.
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