LEINSTER TOP 10 IMPORTS:BY RIGHTS, this should have been Felipe Contepomi's day. The Puma genius has spent six years toiling through frustrating inactivity and then good and bad days to finally reach today's final only to be sidelined for six months with the knee ligament injury he picked up in the semi-final. If ever an overseas signing deserved a place in the final, it is Contepomi.
Even if the accompanying list was made across the four provinces there would be an argument for putting Contepomi top of the pile. Granted, Munster have bought the best, and their signings have more to show for their time there. Jim Williams, John Langford, Doug Howlett, Lifeimi Mafi, Rua Tipoki and Paul Warwick (initially spotted by Connacht) have all been stellar acquisitions. But Contepomi’s sheer presence and aura, and the way he played rugby – warts and all – was pure box office.
Somehow, he seemed to fit perfectly with Leinster and in analysing their rise to become the best supported team in the Magners League last season and having over 11,000 season ticket holders before a ball was kicked in this campaign would have been as much down to him as any of their Irish marquee names.
No foreign import has played as many games overall or in the Cup, or scored nearly as many points, as Contepomi. Even his sometimes strained relations with Munster/Irish players only added to his intrigue.
Analysing the quality of overseas signings, it’s clear the Irish provinces – initially handicapped by a Union suspicious of imported players and their own amateurish scouting network – have improved in recent years. The good ones from early on, such as Dean Oswald and Kevin Putt, were usually recruited by clubs.
The list does not include the likes of Keith Gleeson, Kurt McQuilkin and Guy Easterby, who were either Irish-qualified on arrival or became Irish qualified. Gleeson, indeed, played 43 Heineken Cup games for Leinster and would arguably have been the number one choice, but even though he kept his Aussie twang and the single-minded professionalism with which he first arrived, he can hardly be called an overseas import. Likewise Trevor Brennan, though imported from Barnhall, doesn’t qualify.
As with any professional sport, there have been a few misguided purchases along the way. Even Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson aren’t immune from such mistakes, nor come to think of it, are Munster without a few wing-and-prayer signings. Remember Clinton Huppert anyone? Hence, there have been a few duds along the way as well, such as the Blackrock openside Tony Goldfinch from Australia and the American secondrow Aaron Freeman. Goldfinch played once in the Heineken Cup and thereafter struggled even to make the Blackrock backrow, while Freeman (not one of Mike Ruddock’s sharpest pieces of business) managed to play four games and earned the squad moniker of Free Ride.
There was also Harry Vermass and Juan Gomez, supposedly a Bull according to informed Argentinian sources, but he can be counted as that rarity – a distinctly unexceptional Argentinian prop. The list of putative solutions to Leinster’s outhalf problems are riddled with failed punts, whether it be Matt Leek, the slightly unfairly pilloried Eddie Hekenui, to Nathan Turner, who played the first game of the 1999-2000, missed all his kicks, returned for one start at inside centre against Ulster three weeks later but apart from a brief appearance as a temporary replacement in November was never seen again.
It helps, of course, when you have more financial clout, and can afford players such as Rocky Elsom, Isa Nacewa and CJ van der Linde. The latter two, unluckily, have been limited by injury but look to have the quality to become major signings, while no one has made the impact of Elsom in one season.
A deep thinking, driven player, Elsom has also been a leadership figure and standard-bearer. Probably the most complete number six in the world game, Leinster almost certainly wouldn’t have been in the final without him.
And then there are punts which turn out to be gold dust. After Contepomi, the overseas player who has made the most Heineken Cup appearances for Leinster is . . . Stanley Wright. Pilloried soon after his arrival, the Cook Islander’s versatility and durability in the modern game is invaluable, as hard-pressed professional outfits throughout the three major leagues in Europe will readily testify.
1 FELIPE CONTEPOMI (Argentina)
Matt Williams’ farewell present to Leinster before moving to Scotland, the Puma legend wasn’t registered for the Heineken Cup in his first season and was largely overlooked by Declan Kidney in his second season.
But in the last four years he became the focal point of many of Leinster’s good days (and, okay, one or two of their bad ones). In just 30 Heineken Cup games he became the province’s record points scorer (342) and fifth highest try scorer, with a phenomenal strike rate for an outhalf-cum-inside centre of 14 tries.
Dr Phil completed a medical degree in a foreign tongue, began a young family and often captained Leinster, while taking the kicks, being chief playmaker and probably driving the bus and making the sambos. Glamorised Leinster, adored by the faithful and put bums on seats. Leinster, assuredly, will never see his like again.
2 ROCKY ELSOM (Australia)
Only been here a season, not even a full one at that, but already has assumed legendary status and for the sheer seismic scale of his impact has to be rated fairly highly. Rarely has a player been so aptly named. Seemingly carved out of granite, Elsom has started 20 of 22 games since his arrival in late September, only being replaced once and binned once, scoring six tries to boot, but that, too, scarcely tells the tale.
Aside from his dynamic ball-carrying and lines of running, his physicality in the collisions, counter-rucking, tackling and lineout work – in the air and organising on the ground – are all of the highest order, and he tends to influence games with big plays such as the try-saving early tackle on Ian Dowling in the semi-final. If he stays another year Rocky may even overtake Dr Phil. Go on Rocky, stay another year.
3 DAVID HOLWELL (New Zealand)
The softly spoken, slightly built, ultra-professional Northland outhalf was recruited by Declan Kidney and only stayed a year, but made an indelible impact, leaving players and fans alike pining for him after seemingly solving a problem position. His farm beckoned.
Leinster had gone through a dozen outhalves in the previous five years when Holwell arrived in October 2004, and after a difficult second night in the face of the Ospreys’ blitz defence, he adapted pretty seamlessly, unerringly landing his kicks, managing games, bringing in those outside him and generally making it all look pretty effortless.
In just 15 games, he scored exactly 200 points for Leinster, 104 of them in just seven Heineken Cup games, before making a brief cameo this season as a sub in the Magners League games at home to the Dragons and Castres in Europe. Michael Cheika probably regrets not bringing him as a replacement for the away game a week later as well.
4 STANLEY WRIGHT (New Zealand)
Pound for pound, and there’s over 19st of him, Wright has probably been the best value of them all. He arrived from Northland in New Zealand provincial in the middle of the 2005-06 campaign, while out of season himself, as an emergency signing in the light of Leinster’s propping crisis at the time and has gone on to play 60 times for the province already, all but seven of them from the start.
The Cook Islander has started 43 of his 46 appearances for Leinster over the last two years (missing only four games), in which he has packed down at tighthead 31 times and loosehead a dozen times.
Aside from his scrummaging, which has come on a ton, there is his carrying and work-rate around the pitch. In the Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster he was sensational and seemed to be everywhere. Cheika says this is in a desire to shed some pounds for his summer nuptials back in Auckland, at the behest of his fiance.
5 DEAN OSWALD (New Zealand)
Strictly speaking, the hard-nosed Kiwi was a Blackrock signing whom Leinster happily picked up in the early days of professionalism and the Heineken Cup, and he only made three appearances in that competition. Oswald was also past his best, but he left an indelible impression and had he been a benchmark for all future overseas Leinster would have had the best recruitment policy in the Northern Hemisphere. Former Leinster team-mates speak admiringly of Oswald’s professionalism and standards. “He was a hard-hitting, tough, uncompromising player who brought us a harder edge,” says one. Famously came off injured to have several stitches inserted in a gaping facial wound, and no sooner was the running surgery completed than he demanded to return to the pitch. As hard as old boots, and by the end with a face to match. Old school, they don’t breed ’em like Oswald no more.
6 OLLIE LE ROUX (South Africa)
The signing of the rotund le Roux last season was sniffed at a little at first, and would have been used as a stick to beat Cheika over the head with had it backfired, but far from becoming a joke figure, the articulate Springbok made quite a splash and even became something of a cult figure.
Again, he scarcely played a full season, making his debut in late October in the defeat away to Ulster, but became a virtual ever-present, and a hugely influential one at that, as the Leinster pack assumed command over the star-studded backs. Le Roux was a key figure as they picked and jammed their way through the winter to a Magners League title, signing off with two tries in the title-clinching win at home to the Dragons.
Influential in the signing of CJ van der Linde, and retaining his links with Leinster as a quasi-coach of Wright, Cian Healy and co, his contribution to Leinster’s coming of age has not been insignificant.
7 CHRIS WHITAKER (Australia)
The vastly experienced 34-year-old has been one of Michael Cheika’s first names on the team sheet for the last three seasons, providing a calm decision-making, game-management leadership to the mix. From the Aussie mould of taking the ball on the move, a la George Gregan, his tendency to take a step came in for increasing criticism as the backs malfunctioned in mid-winter but problems were more elsewhere and overlooked the length of his pass – as witnessed by the ball from the front of the line with which Leinster opened up Munster for the Gordon D’Arcy try. Unstintingly brave too, as evidenced by his performance away to Harlequins.
Whitaker was injured 20 minutes into Leinster’s second game away to Toulouse last season, and thereafter was sorely missed. This season he has started 21 of 25 games, and will play his 59th and last match for Leinster today. The hope is that he will remain in a management/coaching capacity.
8 NATHAN SPOONER (Australia)
The popular Australian, who had won his two Wallabies caps against Ireland in 1999, had looked the answer to Leinster’s prayers regarding their problematic outhalf position when signed by Matt Williams early in the 2001-02 season. A very polished player and assured goal-kicker (he scored 166 points in 14 games that season), Spooner was instrumental in a 15-match winning run but was then sidelined for the defeat away to Toulouse and was still troubled by a knee injury for the quarter-final defeat away to Leicester.
After surgery the following summer, his battered shoulder was never right the following season, or so Williams and the Leinster coaching ticket thought, limiting him to a couple of late cameos in the back to back wins over a star-studded Clermont team – when setting up Denis Hickie’s winning try – and the semi-final defeat to Perpignan, and his treatment became a source of angst within the squad.
9 CHRISTIAN WARNER (Australia)
Signed before the 2002-03 season ostensibly as a centre by Matt Williams, the versatile Warner was swiftly moved to outhalf when Andy Dunne joined Spooner on the injured list. He played there throughout Leinster’s unbeaten run through the pool stages, including back-to-back wins over a high-class Montferrand, and to the semi-finals.
When Spooner was released and Contepomi’s registration was not completed in time, Warner again filled in at outhalf the following season, beginning with a 32-6 win over Biarritz after which Reggie Corrigan commented: “I thought Christian was fantastic, he ran the show.” Ultimately, Warner stayed for six seasons as a handy squad player, serving under four different coaches, and he landed seven from seven in his first game at outhalf in two years against Connacht last season. Of the foreign legion, with 17 appearances, only Contepomi has played more Heineken Cup matches for Leinster.
10 WILL GREEN (England)
Like other props recruited by the province when he arrived from Wasps for the ’05-06 season, there were more than a few eyebrows raised that he might have been passed his best. But the popular and likeable Englishman, described by team-mates as a true gentleman, revelled in his new surroundings and was said to have brought some badly-needed experience to the party. He anchored the scrum effectively enough without being destructive in a very efficient first season and was a polished performer in the loose, enjoying the air at the Rec especially in Leinster’s final pool game to take a very clever support line (“a cheat’s line” he would later joke) in scoring one of the team’s five tries in the bonus point win which earned a place in the knock-out stages. Remained a regular for the ’06-07 season as well before retiring.
