WHILE LEINSTER HAVE a United Rugby Championship clash against Ulster to contend with in the Aviva Stadium this evening (kick-off 7.35pm), the build-up to the game has been dominated by a couple of intriguing news items relating to the province.

On Wednesday, it was revealed New Zealand international Rieko Ioane is set to exercise an option to play abroad and will join Leinster on a seven-month deal following the completion of the All Blacks’ November programme.

Capped 81 times in the international test arena, current Blues star Ioane will essentially serve as a replacement for his international team-mate Jordie Barrett – who is currently part of the Leinster squad under a similar arrangement. Speaking yesterday for the first time since the signing of Ioane was confirmed, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen explained how he feels the Auckland native will (like Barrett before him) add value off the pitch for the province as well as on it.

“That’s what you want. There’s the IP piece, where they get embedded in the group and everyone takes a little bit from it. The clever players are very clever in taking stuff from other players who have been around a long time or someone they’ve just been introduced to,” Cullen said at a pre-match press conference for tonight’s game.

“We want to make sure that we expose the players to as much as we can, to make them a world-class player for Leinster. If they’re a world-class player for Leinster, then they’re probably going to get picked for Ireland as well. So we need to do everything we can to make that happen.

“Caspar Gabriel [Academy player] is out of school and was away in South Africa [for Leinster’s recent games against the Bulls and the Sharks] and having regular conversations with Jordie. That’s outside of coaching. Players will generally listen to players. Coaches are parents or teachers versus that peer-to-peer thing, which can be more powerful. Particularly with someone they respect from the top-end of the game.”

Expanding on the same general theme, Cullen outlined what the presence of players like Barrett and Ioane in the Leinster colours can do for young supporters within the province, and how he doesn’t understand those who view the signing of top-range overseas talent in a negative light.

“When we have Jordie Barrett up in Dundalk or over in St Mary’s, the kids… they’re so drawn to that. So you want that aspirational piece to get to that level, to see someone from the top end. Playing in the World Cup final basically.

“So to get a player who has played at the top end, that’s what you call a marquee player. There is value in that, we all agree? Sometimes people don’t see value. They only want to talk about it in a negative context. I don’t understand the negative context to it.”

In addition to discourse on the signing of Ioane, much has also been made of the IRFU’s announcement on Tuesday that – from August 2026 onwards – provinces will be responsible for 40% of the cost of national player contracts. This represents an increase from the previously set contribution of 30%, which had only been introduced by the union in 2024.

Given 11 of the 14 Ireland players that will be on central contracts from the start of next season are from Leinster, this new deal is set to see the province spending a lot more money on players’ salaries.

Yet despite acknowledging this alteration in the funding model could have an effect in the long run – the IRFU intends to invest funds generated by this change in the player pathways of Connacht, Munster and Ulster – Cullen insisted not a huge amount will change from the perspective of him and his fellow coaches.

“The remit doesn’t change for us as coaches. Again, what do we want to do? We want to expose the players to the best we can get them. That comes under budgetary constraints, whatever. Where there is a will, there is a way. If there is less funds to work with, we’ll just get on with it. That’s the way we look at it,” Cullen added.

“That’s why we’ll always harp on the importance of our support base at Leinster, because we need people to come through the turnstiles. They provide revenue for the team and the club to be able to invest as much as we can. Because there is no wealthy benefactor in Leinster, contrary to what the beliefs are maybe outside. We have what we have.

“Sponsors and fans are producing the majority of the revenue. Then there is the relationship with the union, it’s the way the system works. It’s complex relationships in all the different departments, but we try to make it work as best as we can. Of course there is going to be a disagreement here and there because we have a slightly different agenda, but generally it works well doesn’t it?”

Daire Walsh