AT THE BEST of times, rugby can be an unsympathetic beast.
Perfect goodbyes for departing or retiring players at the end of the season are few and far between.
There are the lucky ones who get to bid farewell in winning fashion out on the pitch, but there are more of the unfortunate ones whose careers are cut short through injury or whose time in the game peters out in non-selection.
There are, of course, far more important things in the world right now than any possible rugby sign-offs but it’s a fact that lots of professional players will leave clubs and provinces this summer without a final chance to wear the jersey. Some will retire.
One high-profile player facing this strange possibly scenario is Rob Kearney, who has helped Leinster to four Heineken Cup trophies and various other honours but could now leave the province without featuring for a last time.
The 34-year-old’s current IRFU deal expires this summer and, as it looks unlikely that we will have rugby back any time soon, Kearney could well have starred on the pitch for Leinster for the final time.
Speaking to the Irish Times last week, Kearney indicated that it had been and still is his intention to play on next season but any potential move abroad is now up in the air due to the coronavirus crisis.
Whether Kearney plays on remains to be seen but there is a considerable chance that he has worn Leinster’s blue jersey for the final time.
Speaking on a videoconference call yesterday, Leinster’s head of rugby operations, Guy Easterby, opted against discussing specific individuals, but indicated that it will be tricky for outgoing players to get a final game in.
“I wouldn’t like to talk about individual players but the reality is most player contracts run out on 30 June,” said Easterby.
“If [the rugby season] does get up and running, I don’t see it much before that time.
“But I think for individuals, they will be dealt with on an individual basis. If we have players out of contract, then we’ll work on that with those players.”
Easterby did indicate that the province are keen to see players who have had distinguished careers in blue getting some sort of fond farewell.
“The last thing we’d want is for people who have been unbelievable servants to Leinster Rugby to finish on a note like this,” said Easterby.
“We’ll with working with those individuals, so hopefully this plays out and befits the service they have given to the club.
“We will do our very best to make sure people have the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to Leinster Rugby because it is no more than they deserve.”
Former Ireland scrum-half Easterby – who shared the province’s gratitude to all frontline and essential workers – indicated that Leinster had already completed the vast majority of their business in the contracting market before the Covid-19 outbreak struck.
That means Leinster can happily avoid much of the uncertainty currently affecting other teams.
“We’re pretty much done with our panel for next season,” said Easterby. “That’s a positive, in terms of not jumping into the unknown or freezing recruitment during this period, so fortunately it’s one of the challenges we don’t have, we’re reasonably settled on what our squad is for next year.”
While Easterby wasn’t willing to discuss figures, the current suspension of rugby and the possibility of the cancellation of domestic games will have a financial impact on Leinster.
The province had been due to host Saracens in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals at the Aviva Stadium earlier this month, while their clash against Munster at the same venue in the Pro14 had been scheduled to take place this coming weekend.
“It would be a lot of money,” said Easterby of missing out on those fixtures. “In our model, we don’t budget for a home quarter-final but it is very important to us to try and achieve that.
“Then we have the Munster game which is that annual game in the Aviva which is an important part of our financial model.
“But there is still hope among a lot of us that there might be some conclusion to the season, whether those games can go ahead… it’s probably looking less likely but we’re not prepared to give up on it, it’s about how Covid-19 plays out the next few weeks.
“Suffice to say, it’s not a very positive thing that we can’t play those games.
“As a business, we’ve had some success over a period of time that allows us to have a sound financial footing that allows us to ride out a period of time to hopefully come through the other side of this.”
Leinster’s players have launched the #ShaveGrowOrMo initiative to raise funds for Feed the Heroes and the province’s charity partners, Down Syndrome Centre and MS Ireland.
