Seán O'Brien may have played his last game for Leinster this season and thus, by extension, for seasons to come if his and his agent's negotiations with Toulon result in a move to the European champions.

Already consigned to a lengthy absence due to the dislocated shoulder he suffered on December 28th against Ulster at the RDS, a changed procedure in the resulting operation will probably delay O’Brien’s comeback by a further six to eight weeks.

Given his initial, projected return was around four or five months, this latest development raises a real doubt that even if Leinster were to advance to the knock-out stages of the Heineken Cup, O'Brien is now less likely to return in time for the semi-finals on the last weekend in April, much less quarter-final weekend at the start of that month, or even May's conclusion to the season and then Ireand's two-Test June tour to Argentina.

As to O'Brien's projected return in the light of this, Leinster coach Matt O'Connor admitted yesterday: "It is probably too early to say at the moment. He's going to be in and around the four-five month mark.

Open surgery
"That will have to be worked out with the surgeons and everything else. They were quite optimistic that it would be able to be done by an arthroscope, but it had to be open surgery. And that changes the rehab slightly." O'Connor admitted he is now less hopeful of O'Brien returning for the knock-out stages to the season.

Asked for his reaction to this week’s reports that O’Brien will be visiting Toulon’s training facilities today, O’Connor maintained: “We’re confident. We’re confident in relation to backing an environment which is capable of winning things, of backing an environment that looks after the players very well and gives them the best chance to be as good as they can.

“That being said, him and Jamie (Heaslip) and others have got a decision to make whether they want to be a part of that. There’s a whole range of things that make up that decision, but at this stage I’d be pretty confident that both of them want to be here.”

Heaslip is believed to have three firm and lucrative offers on the table from French clubs, including Montpellier and Toulon, and he recently met with the latter's coach, Bernard Laporte, in France.

Montpellier would appear a less likely destination, now they have apparently signed Wallabies captain Ben Mowen for two years, and as a change in regulations means Top 14 clubs can announce signings at any juncture rather than after the customary April threshold, at least the Heaslip and O’Brien sagas should be resolved sooner than Johnny Sexton’s was.

Rhys Ruddock, also out of contract at the end of the season, is attracting interest from Britain and France, but Leinster will be extra keen to keep him.

Yet as both Heaslip and O’Brien, like Sexton, are under international contracts, Leinster’s hands are effectively tied regarding that marquee pair.

"We're certainly involved in the conversations, and there's been transparency from the rugby union's perspective to get these marquee boys over the line," said O'Connor. "There is absolutely no doubt the Irish rugby union are doing everything they can to get the deal done.

Pretty confident
"Unfortunately, there's a few different balls in the air at different stages but I'm pretty confident they still want to stay and it's about making sure we can deliver on that for them."

In contrast, Gordon D’Arcy, has only once dealt with a French club, “and the union made an offer in the space of about three days and that was it” he revealed yesterday.

He has also never made any secret of his desire to see out his career with his native province, and confirmed a new deal “will be done in the next week. That should be it then, I’m not going anywhere. As long as this man (O’Connor) still wants me.”

O’Connor left little room for doubt on that score. “I think he’s been in great form this year. The experience is important. You can’t replace that, whatever about his beard!

“It’s a huge part of what has made Leinster successful over the last five years, these big name players who have done it over a period of time. There’s a lot of talent in the academy, and in the younger kids in the squad, but you can’t replicate 50, 60, 70 Tests overnight.”

In the twilight of a 15-year career in the representative game, D’Arcy has a new-found sense of calmness in his game. “You get to that stage towards the end where you count on probably one finger how many years you are going to play for and you want to finish with a bang, finish with enjoying it. The stresses are gone in rugby for me, I finally understand the game and I’m nearly finished.”

Nevertheless, he clearly had huge sympathy for his soon to be out of contract team-mates, when giving an insight into what their current plight might be like.

While any player would “have an innate sense of whether you want to stay or whether you want to go” he was fortunate the IRFU and Leinster’s valuation matched his own

While there is more money in France, there is also more of a physical toll than in Ireland, where there is now also an established winning culture amongst the provinces.

Negotiations
"One year it went on longer than I liked," he admitted of one round of negotiations, "and it does wreck your head for six and a half days of the week but that morning you wake up you just go 'Well, I need to play well to argue my case' and that's the only way you can argue your case.

“You can say all you want in the press, you can say all you want behind closed doors but you’re judged on your games. So for that half a day you just have to do that, and if you don’t, you won’t get it, and if you do, you might get it.”