LEINSTER SKILLS COACH Richie Murphy today said that Leinster may look overseas for fly half options next season.
The province resumed their regular schedule this week ahead of a weekend Pro12 meeting against Cardiff Blues.
With, Jonathan Sexton away with Ireland, the period will be a valuable time for Ian Madigan to prove his worth as a front-line number 10.
For next season, however, Murphy raised the potential of bringing in an experienced figure from the southern hemisphere push Madigan, who would otherwise have only Noel Reid and any new academy introductions to compete with.
“We have to weigh up our other options and see what else we need.” Murphy said during at Leinster’s UCD training ground today.
“We are losing a pretty influential 10. There is a young 10 there who will step up into his place and we may need to get someone else in as well.”
“It’s possible.” He added when asked if the replacement would come from the southern hemisphere. “We are weighing up a few options at the moment and making a decision on what we actually need.”
“When we get to that stage we have to see what is out there and we couldn’t rule out that it wouldn’t be a southern hemisphere out-half but at the same time it might be someone closer to home.”
This Friday’s trip to Cardiff will see head coach Joe Schmidt pick from a squad shorn of 15 Irish international, though he will have the benefit of adding Dave Kearney and Eoin O’Malley, who had both been on the fringes of Declan Kidney’s side, to the line-up along with promising back row, Dominic Ryan.
The youth will be blended with experience as Leo Cullen, Shane Jennings and Isaac Boss are all available along with Heinke van der Merwe, who will make his 80th appearance for the province from the start in the absence of Cian Healy.
