Negotiating with two paymasters from the same company is a tricky business. That is how Irish rugby works. And it does work, but it can become fraught, particularly when a player has more than 30 birthdays.
The people negotiating with players and agents tend to have short memories. They have to balance the books.
The worry, as appears to be the case with James Lowe’s leaving Leinster and Ireland entering a World Cup year, is that his vital statistics – age, injury profile and minutes on the pitch – appear to have overshadowed what really matters.
Why is James Lowe leaving Leinster?
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Did you see any left-foot bombs clearing Leinster lines during the Champions Cup final in Bilbao ?
Leinster made the decision to pick Rieko Ioane, their one-year All Black signing, on the left wing instead of the man who was Ireland’s 11 against England at Twickenham last February. Lowey, who is a friend of mine, did not even make the bench against Bordeaux Bègles.
Maybe that selection was influenced by last season’s semi-final defeat to Northampton when Jordie Barrett, another one-year All Black, was benched behind an established Ireland international in Robbie Henshaw.
Not having Lowe in the matchday squad in Bilbao was baffling to me. He is a difference maker in games. Though he is 33, he has not lost a “yard of pace”.
Further evidence of his value was on show during last Saturday’s URC semi-final against the Stormers when he carved out yards from a standing start against Wandisile Simelane.
None of this makes sense.
I hope Lowey signed a similar deal to Cheslin Kolbe, the player he is replacing at Suntory Sungoliath in Tokyo. I say this because he is worth every yen.
Ireland will immediately feel the impact of losing such a key figure. He is central to our exit strategy, attack, defence and continuity play. It takes years to develop the relationship Lowe has with Jamison Gibson-Park down the short side. That’s gone after next Friday’s URC final against the Bulls.
South Africa cannot be accused of putting age, injury or minutes ahead of their aspirations to win a third World Cup in succession. At 32, Kolbe is returning to the Stormers to be under the direct influence of the Springboks.
Now, in fairness, the IRFU just extended Andy Farrell’s contract until 2031. Bundee Aki has agreed a one-year extension, while Josh van der Flier and Gibson-Park are nailed down on central contracts for two more years. Dan Sheehan, rightly, got a three-year deal.
That’s how it should be done. And how it usually is done.
But James was always on a Leinster contract.
James Lowe acknowledges the crowd after his try against the Lions in the URC quarter-final saw him become Leinster's all-time leading try scorer. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Clearly, there is a disconnect between Leinster and the IRFU. The same company, different departments. Interestingly, all four provinces are taking a financial hit next season as the union has increased the amount they must contribute to national contracts from 30 to 40 per cent.
Considering Leinster are the bulk suppliers of the Ireland squad, that is a lot of money. It looks like they decided James is worth sacrificing. Maybe, on paper, they are right. Maybe they missed Leinster’s semi-final against the Stormers. Or the quarter-final against the Lions.
Something has gone wrong here. I can say with absolute certainty that during next year’s World Cup, Ireland will win turnover ball in their own 22 after a sustained period of defending. But the assault on our try-line will continue without one of Lowey’s booming clearances.
It’s at that moment we will remember the breakdown in talks between him and Leinster. By then, it might be too late to avoid another Bordeaux Beglès experience.
I presume the Leinster argument is: “Why should we pay the contract of a player who will be wearing green more than blue next season?”
There was a similar scenario facing Peter O’Mahony and myself after the 2023 World Cup. We were both coming off national deals, leaving Munster to pick up the tab.
We managed to avoid packing up our lives and moving to France or further afield because the IRFU topped up the Munster offer as we were deemed “players of national interest”.
For a few months the talks became, as Pete said, “messy”. You have to argue your case. Prove your worth.
Usually, until my last contract, I’d have an informal chat with the IRFU performance director David Nucifora. I remember the negotiations for my final central deal a year or so before the 2023 World Cup. Nucifora was in camp in Blanchardstown, so we went for a coffee. He established that I wanted to stay before offering what I agreed was my market value. It was smooth enough.
Other times, I left it to my agent, the former Ulster player Ryan Constable, to agree a number that suited everyone. Especially the last deal in 2024.
Contract negotiations cannot be taken personally. It’s business. It was great business by Leinster to bring James Lowe over from t…
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