This summer has been the one of shock arrivals at Leinster. With the URC season beginning on Friday night Leinster come into the season looking as strong as ever.
They've seen the like Ross Molony, Rhys Ruddock and Jason Jenkins leave but they've brought in two blockbuster names in the form of RG Snyman and Jordie Barrett.
The additions of Snyman and Barrett has been widely covered as Leinster's squad is starting to look like a super team but one move that might have gone under the radar was the arrival of tighthead prop Rabah Slimani.
The former Clermont man has become Leinster's first ever French player in a move that surprised many, including Slimani himself.
Speaking in his first interview with Leinster, the 57-time French International spoke about how there was confusion with his agent when he got the call that Leinster were interested in bringing him in.
It was a big surprise Leinster were interested in me. I didn't believe it at all. In fact, there was a misunderstanding with my agent when he first told me about Leinster, so I thought it was Leicester, in England.
Yeah, yeah, mispronunciation. So I hesitated for 10 seconds. He confirmed it was in Ireland, so I was quite surprised and quite proud too.
The deal was done quickly with Slimani mentioning that his first meeting with Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen came in the week leading up to the Champions Cup Final against Toulouse.
And it was just before the final against Toulouse. I was even embarrassed to have to talk to Leo before the final when I know he's planning something big.
It certainly was a move that came out of nowhere and there was good reason for the speed of it.
David Humphreys came in as the new Performance Director of the IRFU, replacing David Nucifora and soon after the Slimani move became rugby's worst kept secret Humphreys said that when he came in there would be no more non-Irish qualified front rows signed by any of the provinces.
Humphreys has done this in an effort to promote from within and help develop more Irish-qualified props. Ireland's prop options are ageing and young props aren't getting suffice minutes at their respected provinces.
However, this still has the potential to be a beneficial move for Leinster and Ireland. While not a global star, Slimani was one of the best props in the Top 14 for the best part of a decade and he's a wily operator around the park. He also comes in with a big reputation for being a strong scrummager, something Leinster and Ireland has struggled in at times.
All going well, Rabah Slimani should be able to pass down his knowledge to the next generation at Leinster and by the time he leaves, an Irish-qualified prop should be ready.
