LAST UPDATE | 7 May 2024
LEINSTER HAVE CONFIRMED that Max Deegan has agreed a new contract with the province.
The 27-year-old will remain at the club where he has spent his entire career since making his debut in 2016.
Deegan’s eight-year association will now be extended after also reaching a century of appearances earlier this season.
𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭!
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) May 7, 2024
After hitting the century of caps earlier this season for #LeinsterRugby, Max Deegan is set to add a lot more, after signing a new deal with the province!#FromTheGroundUp pic.twitter.com/SgrWHJFjPV
Meanwhile, prop Ed Byrne is set to leave the province after more than decade to join Cardiff next season.
The centurion, who has also won six Ireland caps, will move to Arms Park ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
The 30-year-old won five league titles and a Champions Cup at Leinster but has been a fringe player in recent years, and has made just two starts and three substitute appearances this season.
“It’s great to be able to bring someone of Ed’s quality and experience into our squad as we continue to build,” Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt said.
“I have a very clear picture of our game model and Ed matches that, whilst also being able to add experience and help mentor our younger lads.
“With a young squad and a number of experienced players retiring or moving on, Ed will bring all of his knowledge and experience from a top-level winning environment.
“He is a member of Leinster’s leadership group and I have spoken to a number of his coaches from over the years and they could not speak highly enough of his qualities as a player and person.
“To play at Leinster for a decade and gain six Ireland caps shows Ed is a top-quality player.”
– Additional reporting by Niall Kelly
From a Leinster fan POV I’m pleased, he’s a strong bench option if Doris or Conan are injured and we still want a 6-2 split, but surely from his career POV (maybe not personal/family etc) a move to Ulster made loads of sense, he could get ahead of McCann and even Timoney and would thus probably get into an Ireland squad. Instead he’s looking at maybe 5-10 appearances for Leinster next season
@Andrew Slazenger: Like Jordi Murphy?
@Andrew Martin Farrell: Yes exactly or Andrew Conway moving to Munster
@Andrew Slazenger: Andrew Conway is a terrible example and honestly highlights your lack of understanding. Conway was 21 yo when he left Leinster and had just started back to back finals in his final season. Isa Nacewa was retiring. Dave Kearney sat on the bench as Conway started those finals. 18 months later, DK was starting winger in a RWC QF. How many caps did Conway win soon after leaving? Deegan is 27 and is behind a Lions 3 test starter and Ireland incumbent #8. Lol. That’s your example?
@Andrew Martin Farrell: Jordi Murphy played 2 tests in 2 years before moving to Ulster, where in the next 2 years he then won 10 caps and made his way back into the RWC squad.
@Andrew Martin Farrell: You’re nice haha. He signed for Munster in Jan 2013 at the time he was behind Rob Kearney, Fitzgerald and Nacewa (was it known he’d “retire” in the summer of 2013 in Jan?). He started those finals because RK and LF were injured. Conway went on to establish himself at Munster and then locked down a wing spot for Ireland for a few seasons. DK never did that for Ireland. If you asked Conway was moving to Munster good for his national selection prospects I think he’d say absolutely yes.
@Andrew Slazenger: Great new for Leinster, but disappointing from Irish POV. (National team and other provinces)
Deegan was a super prospect coming out of the 20s… good career, but it’s hard not to see the unfulfilled potential.
Would he have displaced Doris from Ulster, probably not. But we would have seen him in meaningful games where he could have pushed his claim to displace Conan.
Similar to Penny and Soroka behind him you have wonder what these lads could have been if not stuck down the pecking order for most their careers.
Similarly how will having 3 internationals ahead of Culhane stunt his development
@John Fitz: I also think players can become better by playing big games regularly for say Ulster or Munster, as opposed to playing against Zebre or Dragons for Leinster, granted Leinster training would be epic for young players development but once you hit 23/24 you’re much better playing big games to improve
@John Fitz: maybe he likes living in Dublin.
@Oran Burns: absolutely, and he is entitled to stay if he wants. But in a purely sporting context, I just think their is a layer of rugby talent at Leinster (below the strongest 23) that are going underutilised. Max Deegan had more potential that trips to SA with the B team and Dragons/ Zebre away etc
@Andrew Slazenger: ya, I tend to agree. It’s probably the best coaching environment, but if still a backup player at 24/25, time to make a move.
Also, with Leinsters conveyor belt, you have start looking over your shoulder at that stage.
Looking at McKee and Lee Barron as an example. 2 young International hookers ahead of you, with a promising U20 hooker in the academy behind you. Barring serious injury, what are your prospects of high level gametime?
@John Fitz: the 3 internationals will be gone for over half the season with international duties.
@anthony davoren: how many games are played during international windows now? 3? 4?
@anthony davoren: I understand why Leinster want that quality of depth. I’m just not sure it’s the best use of promising players entering their peak years to be full-time trainers and occasional backup when the first and second choice are away
Ha! Looks like Leinster got the cheque book out. Easily done when they don’t pay 2/3 of their first team. Enjoy eating chips in the stand during the important games Max!
@Les Whinin: just fyi the provinces can’t outbid each other so if Ulster offered him a contract it would have been the same money as Leinster were offering (or so we are told). Makes sense for the IRFU because it would cost them more for the same player. But it does not help other provinces trying to draw talent away from Leinster.
@Brian Gorey: people don’t want to hear that Brian. They prefer to believe that Leinster are treated special and but success. The amount of English complaining that Leinster pay “twice as much” to their players than Northampton only to get very quiet when it was shown that Northampton Saints actually pay on average 10% per player than Leinster as do all the big teams in the Premiership and Top 14.
@Brian Gorey: While you are right that’s not the situation that actually happens often. What happens is Leinster can offer a 2nd or 3rd choice player more than other provinces can as a starter. The other provinces are usually offering less and dangling the carrot of a more professionally professional career, i.e. more game time, which leads to likely more opportunity with Ireland, etc.
@Les Whinin: centrally contracted has nothing yo do with Leinster, apart from developing them as players. Stop living up to your whining name
Fair play to him backing himself to do it, have to respect that from a player. Very surprised though, strong rumours saying Ulster was a done deal
@PJ Smith: yeah I heard the same. Glad he’s staying though
For him personally I think he should have moved….
Like Leinster are so blessed with talent….
Young lad culhane is now blocked and he should move for game time…
The irfu need to make a call on the backlog of potential in Leinster….
I say that without taking talent away from Leinster as they have developed the players, again I guess it’s ultimately up to each player to decide their path….
Can’t help but think we are losing talent due to a phenomenal system in Leinster….
As odd as that sounds…..
@Tom: I think we need another Province. Perhaps Leinster B? Or just unconnected to any other province, but either way we’re producing so much young talent now we need to make room for them. The likes of Sam Prendergast and Brian Gleason should be playing week in week out getting experience so they can be brought into the senior International squad earlier like they would if they were French or from New Zealand.
@Gearoid MacEachaidh: And where would the money come from to fund a 5th ‘province’ without any natural support?
@Kevin Ryan: well my preference would be for a Leinster B. It’s where the population centre is, 82,000 supporters last week shows there is the interest, and currently most young telent is coming out of Leinster. The concern is that some of our young talent may go abroad and be lost to the international set-up. Look at the Tadgh Beirne. Hugely important player to Ireland and Munster but he had to go to Wales to get game time. What if he stayed there. Ireland and France are currently producing the best young talent in the world. France have 14 teams in the Top 14 and 16 I think in Pro D2. That’s 30 teams to keep their players in the French system. We have 4.
@Kevin Ryan: “Ireland has historically been divided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The Irish word for this territorial division, cúige, literally meaning “fifth part”, indicates that there were once five; the fifth province, Meath, was incorporated into Leinster, with parts going to Ulster.”
@Gearoid MacEachaidh: I suspect the current financial climate would make a 5th pro club difficult, but over time I agree that it seems like a sensible aim. For now, though, it seems like Munster, Ulster, and Connacht could all do with more funding from the IRFU.
For a 5th club, the two most logical places for it would be either Dublin (north or west), or Cork. Dublin has the population to support two pro clubs, and seems like the most obvious place where this might succeed.
Would a Cork team – competing against “Limerick’s” Munster – work?
@Brian Corcoran: Personally would love to see a Limerick team, move Munster to Cork entirely.
@Gearoid MacEachaidh: Doesn’t matter how many players we produce, or how good they are. We don’t have the revenue base to support a 5th team. That is the reality of a professional sport. Filling Croke for a 1 off game does not change this. Even the Leinster/Munster URC semi got nowhere near filling the Aviva. How many would regularly watch Leinster B or North Dublin (or Meath?). If there were a 5th team in Ireland the least unviable place is Cork, ie splitting Munster between its 2 main cities. Is that what people want?
Happy to continue as is being a squad player. By the time the new contact is up, Leinster won’t want him, he’ll go to Premiership for two years and that will be that.
Lack of ambition.
@daniel flaherty: Lack of ambition? Trying to break into the best team in Ireland, maybe Europe?
It could be argued players leaving Leinster lack ambition and have decided to settle for mediocrity
@james murphy:
Absolute rubbish. He has no ambition. He accepts he won’t play in the big games and is happy with kiss me ass urc games. Why not go to ulster and try to become a better player with loads of game time? I really think he could flourish up there
@Joe O’Donnell: Haters gonna hate
@Joe O’Donnell: More likely he backs himself to get back to the level that saw him about to break into the international team but for injury at the worst possible time. People like you see these lads as commodities for your entertainment and judge them on that basis instead of recognising them as human beings.
@PJ Smith: please, how is he going to do that as a reserve Leinster player? Surely playing big European games for another side would be more helpful for him in this regard?
Wonder if not getting 40% of taxes earned at Ulster back when retires shape his decision. Does make it more difficult to attract players in prime of their career than to Ulster than other provinces.
@Kingshu:
Rarely raises its head when inter pro moves mentioned by media. A 2/3yr stint at UR could cost a player 100k in rebate come end of career. Which ultimately means UR really do need to get their own house in order. Hopefully UR can get a very good coaching tkt together, and there’s quality young forwards coming through.
Fair play to Max, he’s made his decision and it’s his life/career. Shame in last 2 seasons he’s featured in CC once, or so, and not this season?
Day to day training against some of the best
Players in Europe, and coaches mean more than gametime these days I’d suggest.
Still maybe an injury crisis, or a top performance away at Rodney Parade will get him back in the international fold.
@Kingshu: Just thinking on this as the provinces can’t outbid each other, it would in effect mean if Ulster and another province offer a player the same contract in their prime earning years, that the Ulster one is in fact lower. Which explains why very few players move north, esp in their prime.
@Kingshu: I would say a player could get around that easy enough. It would only be an issue if the player moves to the UK. I would move to Dundalk and commute. How did Jordi and Jack McGrath get around it?
@Paul Ennis: Ulsters headquarters are in Belfast. There no way round it or else all Ulster players would be Cavan based. They earn their income in the UK and have to pay UK taxes on it and the UK doesnt have a tax rebate for rugby players. It doesn’t matter where they live, could comute from Timbuktu but as paid though Ulster rugby they pay UK taxes. Jack McGrath was on a central contract at first and had already earned his best 10 years when he signed the Ulster contract, so wouldn’t make a difference to the rebate if was in the north or south. Jordi it appears had earned most of the years and decided to take a small financial hit or gamble to play for Ireland again as prob made it back in match fees.
Delighted. He’s a very important player for Leinster.
I thought he would join another province to get more gametime and get a chance on getting picked for Ireland
@sean o’farrell: He has almost 900 minutes this season. He gets plenty of game time. The same problem exists for him at Leinster or elsewhere. Doris and Conan are better so he’s not getting Irish recognition.
@Andrew Martin Farrell: It’s not general gametime that matters, it’s gametime in CC cup big group/knock out games that matter and what Ireland coaches focus on – with Doris and Conan he struggles to get many of those minutes per season
@Andrew Slazenger: The OP didn’t specify that. Deegan gets game time. He’ll reach nearly 1000 minutes this season.
@Andrew Martin Farrell: Ara, c’mon, its the weight of the minutes. He hasn’t started a European game in 4 or 5 years Andrew. I don’t think he’s even been named in a matchday squad for any of the Leinster finals since then either.
Cop out
@Gary Galligan: Why? He’s a Leinsterman. Maybe he just wants to play for Leinster and 900 or so minutes per season in that shirt means way more to him than representing another team.
@Andrew Martin Farrell: I wouldn’t move to Cork or Belfast for a job so I kinda understand his decision. But rugby players should be ready, willing and able to move for their careers. The problem is that in Ireland, these boys are made feel at home from schools, through the academy and into their mid 20s. Psychologically most of them are programmed to remain with home comforts within 10km. This will only change if the IRFU change the culture around schools and academies and encourage the travel bug early… the flip side is that many will also fly further afield, but it is a delicately managed system no matter what.
@Paul Ennis: I know what you mean, no amount of money would see me move to Dublin and the standard of living there
Rugbypass in the mud
Also Ed Byrne to Cardiff?? Would have been a good option for Munster or Connacht
@Owen ODonoghue: 14th and 15th November
@Kingshu: ?
I understand the calls for him to move north for the sake of his Ireland prospects to a degree. But the truth is Ulster are a mess. They have no outhalf and their top players have under performed for the last few years. No guarantee he’d get many more games either and highly unlikely he’d knock Doris or Conan of their perch either. He showed lots of promise when he was younger but like Coombes he doesn’t impose himself in games enough. I think Gleason will be the next number 8 after Conan and Doris. At least by staying at Leinster he will win trophies, even if most of those games come in the URC.
@Gearoid MacEachaidh: I don’t understand why he would want to stay in a third world country, when he had the opportunity to move to a first world country.
@Kingshu: trolllllll
@Gearoid MacEachaidh: You started tje trolling by disparaging Ulster so much, truth is Ulster have been 2nd best province for last few years, finished 3rd and 2nd in league last 2 seasons. Sure have replaced coach and CEO after a dip this season but they are positive moves and things look like they are going to be alot more positive at Ulster next season, new CEO and what looks like it will be an exciting coaching team would all be in place in summer when Deegan would have been joining.
@Kingshu: I think you’re missing the biggest point, why would someone want to live in Belfast when they could live in Dublin, Galway or even Cork ?
As a Munster fan I have to say I’d disagree about Deegan staying in Leinster being detrimental to his career. It’s not just about the player it’s about the system. Leinster have a great system and setup – Deegan going to a team undergoing a significant rebuild (Ulster) would be far more detrimental to him at his age. Conan is 31 and doubtful he will be in the next RWC squad unless he keeps form and injury free. Deegan has a good chance to operate in a system and setup similar to Ireland and push for a place in Ireland if he improves. In fact I would say he has a better chance at Ireland spot being number 2 in Leinster if he can push past Jack Conan than he would playing in Munster, Ulster or Connacht (let’s be real about it here). Moving province doesn’t mean you can break into Ireland, very few have done it. People seem to forget that Conan has rarely been a starter for Ireland even before Doris so Deegan staying is possibly good long term for him to be a like-for-like replacement for Conan in both Leinster and Ireland setup
@B: You can’t honestly believe that being a squad rotation 2nd/3rd choice player playing against Zebre, Scarlets, and Dragons with academy lads is better for development than starting all the interpros and playing against Bath, Racing, Clermont, Montpelier, Harlequins, Toulouse. Whom he would have played if he was at Ulster this year. Deegan hasn’t even been in a match day squad for Europe this season, and hasn’t started one in over 4 or 5 years.
Ulster have had one mediocre season and people are talking about it like its a crisis. It’s so over the top. 2nd or 3rd in the league the past few years and significant European runs. It’s no worse shape than when Jordi Murphy joined (3 head coaches in 18 months). A like for like example, a back row international whose caps dried up and went down the ladder at the province. 2 Irish caps in 2 years at Leinster, went to Ulster and worked his way back in made the World cup squad.
I glad Max, is staying with Leinster, we need all the experienced players, if any injuries crop up.
Hopefully Will Connor stick with Leinster as well.
@Peter Murray: sure we have no one of his standard to play at 8 when doris and conan are on international duty,and in all fairness why would he want to play for a team in disarray like ulster.
Clearly he is backing himself to get ahead of Conan and Doris. I remember in 2016 he was the most highly rated U20 in that group, he’s still only 27 so may have hit his prime yet. He did a great job during Covid of bulking up and his game improved, i have a feeling he’ll continue to push hard
Deegan doesn’t seem to rate culhane that highly then, seeing as he isn’t that concerned at losing his position as back up to the back up no8
Playing in a struggling team / environment is not good for your international prospects or your rugby performance. Max looked at his options, and Ulster’s recent performances and couldn’t see the logic of such a move.
@Des Lamont: 10 weekends this year Deegan has been fit and not picked, even for the bench. And those 10 games were literally Leinster’s biggest games this season. Had he been in Ulster he would have played them.
Playing is always better than not playing. There is literally no other way to look at that.