The arrival of David Nucifora to Irish Rugby was meant to increase the number of players moving between provinces to 'maximise' Irish rugby's assets across the four provinces.
On the face of it, there have been more players changing teams - and the moves of Rodney Ah You to Ulster, and Sam Arnold to Ulster are two moves that should benefit Irish Rugby for the better.
But there's another player who has decided to switch provincial allegiances for next season. Leinster academy full-back Cian Kelleher has reneged on a development contract with his home province, and will be joining Connacht on a full contract, according to Brendan Fanning.
Kelleher is a tricky winger/full-back who has exceptional ability at beating players who starred for Ireland U-20s in 2014. The St. Michael's graduate (see his involvement in this cracking team try) made his Leinster debut this season - scoring a spectacular try against Zebre running in from 60 metres after beating the defense (1.49 from the clip below).
Naturally, Leinster fans are annoyed at losing such a talent - whilst Connacht fans are pointing to the Henshaw move east as to why they think Leinster fans can't be too upset.
A Leinster spokesman told the Sunday Independent that they aren't happy with how this move came about:
He had already agreed a development contract with us, and all the protocols were broken here. I'm sure that he'll do very well with Connacht - and we wish him well - but we're unhappy at the way this was done.
But is this the right move for Irish Rugby? The reason Kelleher is leaving is because he finds his way blocked by NIQ players 33-year-old Isa Nacewa and 31-year-old Zane Kirchner. Kirchner recently signed a contract extension, taking up a NIQ spot for Leinster even though he isn't in their first XV when the Kearneys, Luke Fitzgerald, and Fergus McFadden are available.
But Kelleher will have similar challenges to break into the Connacht side. Tiernan O'Halloran has made the full-back position his own this season - while Niyi Adelekoun and Matt Healy have been brilliant on the wings. In reserve, Danie Poolman is a big player when fit, and Ciaran Gaffney is as promising as Kelleher. Then there's also former Ireland squad member Darragh Leader who has had an injury disrupted season.
It makes the extension for Kirchner who isn't in Leinster first choice squad all the more baffling, and perhaps this is the wake-up call that some average NIQ players are doing more harm in blocking promising talent than they are in staying in Ireland.
For Kelleher, he has the chance to work on his passing and handling skills with Connacht coaches Andre Bell and Dave Ellis - which would be the biggest flaw in his game. Should he fix that, Kelleher has the type of X-factor and game-breaking skills that could mean he will have a long international career.
See Also: Robbie Henshaw Has Given His Reasons For Moving To Leinster, And We All Need To Back Off
Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE
