Following Jonny Sexton confirming he is to leave Leinster at the end of the season for Racing Metro and wingers Andrew Conway and Fionn Carr also leaving for Munster and Connacht respectively, it would appear that more bad news is on the horizon for Leinster fans.
South African forward pair Heinke van der Merwe and Quinn Roux are believed to be on the verge of also signing with French clubs for next season.
Loose head prop van der Merwe is believed to be on the verge of signing with Parisian club Stade Francais. The 27 year old South African international joined Leinster from the Golden Lions in 2010 making 72 appearances sharing the number one jersey with Cian Healy. He came off the bench in the 2012 Heineken cup final and scored the penultimate try in the 42-14 win over Ulster.
The South African would be a major loss to Leinster who have to do without Cian Healy for large parts of the season due to international duty.
A number of French clubs are thought to be ‘studying’ Quinn Roux. Roux only joined Leinster last summer from the Stormers on a one year deal. The 22 year old lock forward is currently sidelined with a dislocated shoulder which was sustained in the 6-0 Rabo Pro12 win over Glasgow in November and is expected to be unavailable until April.
It had been hoped that the 6ft 5in, 117 kilogram Pretoria native would prove to be the long term replacement for Nathan Hines. Leinster have struggled to replace Hines since the Scottish international departed for Clermont Auvergne in 2011.
Others players yet to sign for next season.
Healy
Kearney
Fitzgerald
Ross
Strauss
O’Malley
Toner
Cronin
McGrath
