Murray Kinsella Reports from Quinta do Lago

LEINSTER ARE IN “ongoing” conversations with the IRFU about the possibility of extending RG Synman and Rabah Slimani’s contracts into next season, while the union is also discussing potential NIQ signings with other Irish provinces.

Springboks lock Snyman has been excellent for Leinster since joining from Munster last summer and veteran French tighthead Slimani has also had an impressive impact to earn a recall to les Bleus’ Six Nations squad.

IRFU performance director David Humphreys confirmed that the union has been in talks with Leinster over their hopes of keeping Snyman and Slimani onboard.

All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett has also been excellent since joining after the November Tests but he will return to New Zealand at the end of this season.

However, Leinster are hopeful of holding onto their two other non-Irish-qualified [NIQ] players.

“Yeah, those are the conversations that are ongoing,” said Humphreys at Ireland’s training camp in Portugal yesterday.

“You’ll have seen the impact that they’ve made. You’ll have seen the fact from a development point of view, certainly with the number of players who are playing in the national squad, the number of nationally contracted players, they have not been in any way a break on player development or young player development.

“So I think they have added a huge amount to Leinster this year and those conversations with Leinster and the other provinces as to who they are recruiting are ongoing.”

If Leinster were to keep Slimani into next season, that would be in contravention of the IRFU stance Humphreys stated last summer when he said that the four Irish provinces would no longer be permitted to make further NIQ front-row signings.

Humphreys said there will be flexibility in what had initially seemed like a hard rule on NIQ front rows.

“There has to be a flexibility,” said Humphreys.

“It started a conversation, we all recognised that front-row succession was something that Andy Farrell was very concerned about.

IRFU performance director David Humphreys. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

“Even in the course of the last six months with someone like Thomas Clarkson coming through, some of the real concerns have eased. But we’re still very conscious that developing front row forwards is a huge priority for us.

“It’s why Seamus Toomey has been appointed as the scrum development coach to do a lot of that work further down at 16 to 18 level and with underage teams from a technical point of view.

“The nature of high performance, yes of course you’re going to set some restrictions and guidelines to give people some parameters in which to work, but as we showed in November when there’s a pressure in a particular province, i.e. with Munster Dian Bleuler was allowed to be signed because from a performance point of view, we had to be flexible and adaptable.

“That’s very much how I see it. We are very much committed to developing our own front row forwards but as the system evolves and players develop there’s definitely ongoing conversations.”

Indeed, Humphreys said that the IRFU no longer works by NIQ rules that are completely set in stone.

While producing Irish players for the national team remains the key priority, the union’s performance director indicated that each possible transfer is considered on a case-by-case basis.

“It’s much more flexible now,” said Humphreys.

“I think if you look back 10 years ago, it was four foreign players and one project player and that was set in stone with no negotiation around that.

“The provinces have moved a little bit, some of that is financial pressure they’re under and from an IRFU point of view it’s about making sure that the NIQ players who come in are adding real value in terms of what they can do on the pitch and also the influence and impact they can have on some of the younger players coming through.

“At this stage, there’s no set restrictions on who they can and can’t sign.”