JAMES LOWE IS set to leave Leinster at the end of the season.

It means 33-year-old wing Lowe is also set to be ruled out of contention for Ireland at the 2027 World Cup, having been a key man under Andy Farrell in recent seasons.

Just over two months ago, Farrell stated his expectation that Lowe would sign a new contract to keep him in Irish rugby, but The 42 understands that Lowe will leave at the end of this campaign.

It’s not yet known where Lowe will be playing next season, but he has attracted interest from England, France and Japan.

It’s believed that Lowe is extremely disappointed about the process that has led to his departure, as well as the offer that was put in front of him for a one-year extension.

Last November, Lowe described the 2027 World Cup as “the north star” and “something you really want to get to,” but it looks like a move abroad will rule him out of the picture.

Lowe has always spoken proudly about playing for Leinster, and it is thought that he and his young family have planned to stay in Ireland after his retirement.

Despite being a pivotal figure for Ireland for several years, Lowe has never been on an IRFU national contract, commonly referred to as a ‘central contract.’ He has always remained on a Leinster provincial contract.

And although the IRFU may have been willing to contribute something to the latest contract offer for Lowe via a PONI [player of national interest] top-up, that contribution was lower than had previously been the case.

That left the ball in Leinster’s court. The province would have had to foot nearly all of the bill if Lowe had been extended on similar terms to his last deal. That’s despite the probability that Lowe would be carefully managed leading into the World Cup, therefore bringing into question the value for Leinster.

In the end, he was offered significantly reduced terms by Leinster.

It’s understood that Lowe did not feel that the terms were reflective of his quality.

And so, contract talks seemingly broke down without an agreement.

Lowe’s exit will likely come as a big disappointment for Farrell, even if other players have performed well on the wing this year.

Lowe’s achievements at the top level are essentially unmatched by the other options available to Farrell, and he likely believed that would be reflected in the extension offer.

As for Leinster, they have had to weigh up whether to foot the bill for Lowe, who has been limited to seven appearances for the province this season. And despite not being on a national contract, Lowe has had his minutes managed in previous seasons too.

There had been some hope that further discussions could yield a late agreement, but it now appears that Lowe’s time in Irish rugby is at an end.

The IRFU has been involved when other senior Ireland internationals were in tricky contract negotiations in recent years, most notably Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray in Munster, but they were coming off IRFU national deals.  

New Zealand native Lowe joined Leinster in 2017 and soon became an integral part of the team, although he missed out on the 2018 Champions Cup final due to a rule meaning only two of him, Jamison Gibson-Park, and Scott Fardy could play.

Lowe featured in that Champions Cup campaign, however, and has helped Leinster towards five other finals, as well as winning five URC/Pro12 titles with the province.

He will make his 100th appearance for Leinster in tomorrow’s URC quarter-final against the Lions at the Aviva Stadium, and a try would see him surpass Shane Horgan’s record of 69 tries for the province.

Having qualified under the old three-year residency rule, Lowe made his Ireland debut under Farrell in 2020. Though he had some teething issues in Test rugby, the powerful wing went on to become a key figure and helped Ireland to their 2023 Grand Slam, 2024 Six Nations title, and Triple Crowns in 2022 and 2025.

Lowe was also part of the 2025 Lions tour to Australia under Farrell, starting two of the three Tests against the Wallabies.

Lowe has won 45 Ireland caps, but his international career now appears to be at an unhappy end, despite Farrell having so recently stressed that Lowe remained in his plans ahead of the World Cup.

Lowe wasn’t picked by Farrell for Ireland’s opening Six Nations game against France this year, but he returned to the starting XV with an impressive performance against Italy the following weekend.

Lowe kept his spot for the visit to England but suffered a groin injury early in the game at Twickenham. That kept him sidelined until two weekends ago, when he made his return for Leinster off the bench against the Ospreys in the URC. Yet Lowe missed out on making the matchday 23 for Leinster’s Champions Cup final loss to Bordeaux last weekend, with Rieko Ioane starting on the left wing.

It appears that Lowe’s spell on the sidelines couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Lowe turns 34 this July. Jacob Stockdale (30) started two games in the Six Nations on the left wing for Ireland this year, while Tommy O’Brien (28) impressed in a replacement appearance and one start there during the championship.

Like O’Brien, Mack Hansen (28) has played far more of his rugby on the right wing, but he has also featured on the left for Ireland.

The game-breaking Robert Baloucoune (28) had a superb Six Nations campaign on the right wing for Ireland and is now the incumbent there, while younger wings like Shayne Bolton (25), Zac Ward (27), and JJ Kenny (22) have been developing with their provinces.

Yet Farrell was open in saying that he was keen to keep Lowe in the mix until 2027.