The games have already begun.
All one has to do is
look at the Ireland internationals out of contract next June to recognise the mountain of work facing the IRFU and the provinces in the coming weeks.
Tuesday was dominated with news of Munster captain Peter O'Mahony rejecting the union's initial offer to retain his services. French and English clubs are said to be interested but they would be fools not to. Ronan O'Gara is arriving at the Crusaders next January and, were O'Mahony really keen on a change, the Super Rugby champions would be smart to make an O'Mahony enquiry of their own.
The Cork native certainly left an impression when he faced the Crusaders earlier this year:
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/873471506852040704
O'Mahony will have an improved offer to mull in the coming days but he is not the only player negotiating a new deal. The list of top Ireland stars out of contract in the next seven months is a mighty one - CJ Stander, Rory Best, Tadhg Furlong, Rob Kearney, Iain Henderson, Garry Ringrose, Jared Payne, Kieran Marmion, Tommy Bowe, Andrew Conway and O'Mahony.
Simon Zebo's move to Racing 92 next summer has strengthened the position of players but many will have noted how Jacob Stockdale seamlessly slotted in for winger during the Guinness Series.
There happens to be a World Cup on the horizon so the union will be hoping that ambition and pride will help sway some of their top performers when it comes to making contract calls. Rory Best and Rob Kearney may be easier deals to get over the line as the next World Cup would surely be their last. Payne is purely hoping to get back playing again so all contract talk has been placed, ever so gently, on the back-burner.
The priority for the union is, first and foremost, Tadhg Furlong. The Leinster tighthead is a genuine, consistent world-class operator and is just 25. He is presently on a provincial contract but a central IRFU deal has been presented to him, and his agent, David McHugh. That might sound as if the deal is close to being finalised but McHugh will know his clients worth and he will be pushing to make him one of the country's top earners.
The latest Munster star
to find himself splashed across the papers and websites is Stander. Back to his best form and now with 'Ireland captain' on his CV after his appearance off the bench against Fiji, Stander will be another commanding a hefty wage and a move up to a central contract.
Furlong may be the pressing case but Iain Henderson is not far behind. The Ulster lock is finally, and firmly, established in the Ireland second row and is taking his first captaincy steps at provincial level. Athletic, powerful locks that can call lineouts and lead mauls are a rare breed so Henderson is another in a strong negotiating position.
The Ringrose case is an interesting one. Having made his Ireland debut last November, the Leinster centre is looked upon as a key figure in the Ireland backline for years to come. He missed the ovember internationals as he was still re-habbing from shoulder surgery.
Being out of the Test picture and the arrivals of Chris Farrell and Bundee Aki to Joe Schmidt's Ireland will have weakened his position slightly but one hopes the union are thinking long-term when they offer him a package.
