After departing Leinster to take the role as Racing 92's head coach, Stuart Lancaster is now looking to entice some of his former players to follow him over to the continent, with a Leinster stalwart at the top his shopping list.
Lancaster has been on the lookout for a forward to replace South Africa's Siya Kolisi after he returned to the Sharks just one year into a three-year contract.
Despite captaining the Springboks to back-to-back World Cups, Kolisi never settled or impressed in the French capital, with the Sharks re-signing the star for 726,000 pounds for the 2024/25 season.
Since then, Lancaster's Racing 92 have won just one of their opening four games and currently sit 12th in the Top 14 standings.
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Top-14 giants eyeing move for Leinster stalwart
While Lancaster had opted not to spend money replacing Kolisi in the immediate term, it's now expected the former Leinster coach will try replace the departed South African at the end of this season. With Neil Fissler of Rugbypass reporting that Leinster star Jack Conan is at the top of his wish list.
7 January 2019; Jack Conan and Senior coach Stuart Lancaster during Leinster Rugby squad training at Energia Park in Donnybrook, Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
32-year-old Conan played under Lancaster during the coaches tenure at Leinster between 2016 and 2023, with the pair wining a Champions Cup and four league titles together during that time.
However, over the last number of years, a combination of injury and growing competition in both the Leinster and Ireland backrow has seen Jack Conan's game-time grow more scarce.
Having made his debut for Leinster in 2014, Conan is currently in his tenth year with the presence having made 133 appearances for the club, as well as earning 46 Irish caps and 3 British and Irish Lions caps.
While the financial benefits of a move to France can often present a lucrative opportunity, any hopes the Bray native had of playing in the 2027 Rugby World Cup would likely be lost.
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