The return of Jonathan Sexton to Leinster Rugby from the start of next season is big statement that Ireland is not about to sink under the weight of money that is being spread around among the leading French clubs now, and most likely the leading English ones after next year’s World Cup.
Getting one of the World’s leading players to ‘come home’ at the peak of his powers is a major coup for the IRFU who will be his employer, and also for Leinster in whose shirt he will play.
It is a crucial period for the three time European Champions as they prepare for the new structure of the European Champions’ Rugby Cup and the redevelopment and expansion of the RDS Arena where they play the majority of their home games.
In a sporting world where passions run deep but across many different teams, as is the case in Ireland, success on the pitch is an important element of continued success off it.
Commercial
Leinster, alongside Munster, Ulster and Connacht have been adept in recent years at pulling in strong commercial partners to help expand the reach of the provincial game.
They are still funded by the IRFU which attracts 80% of revenues that flow to Irish Rugby through the national team but are likely in future years to increasingly stand on their own two feet with increased revenues coming in via the club game.
The retirement of Brian O’Driscoll and Leo Cullen last season robbed Leinster of two of their most iconic players. Attracting Sexton back may not be great news for Jimmy Gopperth or Ian Madigan who will see their starts under pressure but in the grandstands and the fan forums it is a big winning move.
Financial
The financial figures being thrown around as having been on the table from Racing Metro and Toulon, ranging from €450,000 to €900,000 a year are not at the level of soccer’s upper echelons but would still put enormous strain on the IRFU to match them or come close.
To put them in perspective the upper amount would be equivalent to 3% of the total set aside for professional game costs across the whole country last year.
It is likely then that the negotiations with Sexton and his team will have included elements of Leinster Rugby and it’s sponsors being involved in promotional deals, as well as a likely up weighted role for Sexton in the transition of the Irish National team sponsorship from O2 to 3.
Pressure
Because of the time lapse between his playing out the final year of his contract in Paris and his returning to the fold, there will be serious pressure on his time and availability for commercial efforts around the Irish team but when 3 and Canterbury launch the new Irish kit ahead of the Guinness Autumn Series of Internationals, it is highly likely that one face will be to the fore.
Such a high profile and high cost signing for Leinster will put extra pressure on the relationship between the provinces, who of course are rivals and competitors in terms of performance, revenue and fan loyalty but who remain bound tightly to the IRFU from a funding perspective.
The business world behind the scenes of Irish Rugby promises to be as fascinating an arena as any in which the teams are playing over the next few years.
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