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Leinster have agreed a deal to keep veteran former French international tighthead Rabah Slimani with the province for another season after an impressive first season with the runaway United Rugby Championship leaders.
Midi Olympique are reporting that Slimani, who Fabien Galthié recalled at the start of the Six Nations to ease a front-row injury crisis, has agreed to the extension and is expected to sign the paperwork soon.
Slimani, 35, won the last of his 57 caps in the 2019 World Cup quarter-final defeat to Wales in the Oita Stadium and has made 14 appearances for Leinster this season.
Former Racing 92 boss Stuart Lancaster was even courting him for a return to the Top 14, where he played for 16 seasons with Stade Français and Clermont Auvergne.
Pro D2 high-flyers Provence Rugby, who failed in a bid to keep him in France before his move last summer, were also keeping tabs on his situation in Dublin even before his recall to Les Bleus’ set-up.
Despite some early teething problems, he has settled in Ireland with his partner, Ornella, and four-year-old daughter, Romy. He will extend his career for at least another 12 months.
“We arrived with just a few bits, leaving everything behind us. We found the keys to our house hidden underneath the bin, as the estate agents don’t work on Saturdays.
“It was the same with the keys to our car. The first thing we had to do was drive to Ikea to buy a car seat for Romy,” his partner, Ornella Chambas, told the French media.
According to Leo Cullen, he has also been helping to develop the fabric of Leinster, the next generation of stars who are coming through and will eventually replace him.
“We explained the dual aspect to his job here, how the fabric of the club is about bringing players through while trying to be successful at the top end as well.
“That ‘full circle’ aspect is a thing of beauty for me. And because a foreign player can’t get picked for Ireland, they are not competing with youngsters in quite the same way as the Ireland internationals are.
“Some of those internationals are good at passing on insights, but they only want to help youngsters up to a point! They’re all competitive animals. It’s great for the younger lads to have his presence here,” Cullen told The Times.
