Ian Madigan’s versatility benefits Leinster, says Cullen

At first glance,

Leo Cullen

himself might not appear to provide the greatest antidote to one of his players heading abroad given his own two-year sabbatical in Leicester in tandem with

Shane Jennings

. Yet the

Leinster

coach would cite his own sojourn as a reason for staying, besides which that was then, and this is now.

When Cullen left at the end of the 2004-05 season, Leinster were looking for their fourth coach in four years after the departure of Declan Kidney, before he and Jennings returned to link up with Michael Cheika two years later and, in their second season back, Cullen lifted the Heineken Cup trophy for the first of three times in a four-year period.

“I’d like to think that Leinster is in a completely different place now than what it was back in 2005. Where we were at that point in time was very chaotic. So I’d like to think the organisation is in a better place to sell itself in terms of what we can deliver for players,” said Cullen.

"I went to England for very different reasons. So is it easy for me to talk from a different viewpoint? Yeah, it is. Because it's completely different. That's 10 years ago."

“And I came back in bits,” he added, laughing. “So I fully understand the physical toll it takes over there. I’d be very balanced in the advice I’d give to any player who comes and asks for my opinion.”

Out of contract

This discussion was to the backdrop of unsurprising interest in

Ian Madigan

from English clubs, with no doubt French clubs to follow, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

Played at fullback against Wasps and an unused replacement last week, Cullen envisages Madigan remaining as an outhalf-cum-inside-centre this season – evidence of the versatility that benefits Leinster.

“He played a lot of 12 for us last year and a bit at 10 and that will be very similar this year. We try to have those two receivers anyway so it works quite well with his skillset and he is really good for us in that regard.”

Furthermore, Cullen doesn’t see Madigan’s versatility hindering his career at Leinster or internationally. “It gets him picked more often, that is the reality,” said Cullen.

"Even though he played as a 12 primarily for Leinster last year, he still stepped in at 10 when Johnny went down at the World Cup so is it holding him back? Probably not, would be my viewpoint on it."

Nor is Cullen concerned that clubs such as Bristol might offer Madigan more of a future as a specialist outhalf as well as more wages. “Not necessarily, no. If we feel he is the best person to play at 10 on a given weekend then he will play 10. We want people fighting for places in the team. Nobody has any guarantee that they are going to be picked.

“That’s what we’re offering. We’re offering a really good environment, regardless of who the player is.”

Echoing Cullen's words, Rob Kearney maintained there are more than just financial issues at stake. One of the primary reasons for indigenous players staying with their provinces is that they "get to play at home" and . "you play with all your friends". ". . . It's all the softer stuff, aside from money, that are important when you need to re-assess about . . . going abroad. There is a lot more to it than just the financial incentive," he said.