David Humphreys

But, and it's a big putt, we also need

At some stage, because of the imbalance in the number of players that are coming through the Leinster system, we do need our best players playing.

And that has been a conversation that we will never, ever move a player that doesn't want to be moved.

So we will never go to a player and say, I don't know, you've got a choice.

Ireland are going to offer you a contract, but the choice is this.

You can't play a Munster anymore.

We're going to move you to Munster, Munster or Connacht.

That will not be the case because I want players to have this brilliant experience when you're a professional sportsman.

Again, to go back to Brendan McCollum's point, he said, it's not until you get to our, I'll not clash you in the same age bracket as I am, but not until you retire, look at your stomach is nearly there, Tommy.

When you get to our stage, you look back and you go, do you know what?

My professional sporting career were the best days of my life.

I loved so much of it with what I enjoyed.

His view was, we've got to give them that experience in the moment.

For the 10 weeks of an Ashes series, it's got to be the best time they've played cricket.

For me, that's the same.

I want our players in our Irish provincial system having a brilliant opportunity, being tested, being pushed, being coached hard, but they can walk away from the Irish system saying, I was given the best opportunity I could to be a professional rugby player.

So we will never move players against their will.

But we do understand that we will be going forward where Andy Farrell has identified certain positions where we lack depth or where there's a backlog of certain positions in provinces.

At the minute, it is in Leinster.

Not long ago, there was a huge backlog in some of the positions in Munster.