A deal worth €750,000 per year would be difficult for anyone to turn down, especially in what is a very short career. But for most of the week it looked like Jonathan Sexton was in limbo as he negotiated with the IRFU.
But the deal is done and all parties will have to move on. The Ireland fly-half has left Leinster and will ply his trade in France - probably for Paris’ Racing Metro - for the next two years at least.
The Parisian’s millionaire owner Jacky Lorenzetti had been adept at dampening speculation over a move, publically claiming that the chances of prising the fly-half away from Leinster were minimal.
Lorenzetti was quoted as saying, “The Irish are the Irish. They're very attached to their homeland.
"They often have a strategy of blowing their own trumpet and using other clubs, notably the French, who are renowned for paying well, to raise the stakes, up the bidding and better negotiate their contracts in Ireland.
"If I have helped Sexton to better negotiate his contract, then why not? The chances of Sexton coming to France are tiny and to Racing even more so."
Sexton’s Leinster contract was reportedly worth between €350,000 and €400,000 per annum. That is about half of what he could earn in France, income tax rates aside. There was just no way that the IRFU could afford to match the French offer.
"Something special"
On-field matters might have also had a bearing on Sexton’s decision.
When he signed his final Leinster contract in February 2011, he said: "There is something special building in Leinster at the moment and as well as the involvement with Ireland in a World Cup year, that was the main influence on my decision.”
Leinster’s early elimination from the 2012-13 Heineken Cup would have thrown up a few questions.
However Racing Metro are a club in transition even if the experience of new surroundings has a positive effect on Sexton’s own development. They currently sit 9th in France’s Top 14, seven points off the final qualification spot for the 2013-14 Heineken Cup, despite having one of the biggest budgets in France.
Metro have already made other high-profile acquisitions ahead of next season including Cardiff Blues centre Jamie Roberts and Newport Gwent Dragons’ Dan Lydiate, but there is no guarantee that big name signings will turn them into bona fide Heineken Cup contenders anytime soon.
And Sexton’s move could have a negative knock-on effect for Ireland. The IRFU national coaching team manage the number of games played by Irish international players, in order to maximise conditioning.
Consequently Sexton has only played in six of Leinster’s RaboDirect Pro 12 games this season, while the season before he only made eight appearances.
However the Top 14’s schedule is far more demanding which could see Sexton miss Ireland training camps.
There is also the danger that it could be the start of an exodus to France for the top Irish players due to the riches on offer in the Top 14.
