When in need, turn to Joe Schmidt. Although Munster managed to convince James Cronin to stick around despite offers from the English Premiership it had been looking like Leinster were having no such luck when it came to Marty Moore.
The tighthead prop has an offer on the table from Wasps and, for all intents and purposes, it looked like it was a done deal. Terms were agreed, IRFU performance director David Nucifora was being criticised and Moore was getting ready to wave goodbye to Leinster and possibly his Ireland prospects.
However, ahead of Leinster's Champions Cup clash with Wasps on Saturday, it looks like Moore may not be a guaranteed departure after all. The Irish Independent are reporting that Joe Schmidt's intervention may just have been enough to convince the 24 year old to commit his future to Leinster, and in turn Ireland, should improved terms be forthcoming.
There's no doubt that in terms of monetary reward, the Premiership is where the riches are to be found and a number of clubs are actively flexing their muscles in the direction of Ireland internationals at the moment. Having said that, and amidst all the doom and gloom, it's been a very positive couple of weeks in terms of the reports coming out of the provinces.
While Ian Madigan has been lost to the Top 14, Cronin's decision to stay with Munster and the possibility that Moore could yet choose to stay with Leinster have gone quite some way to halting a trickle that had looked like it may soon develop into a waterfall.
With Dave Kearney the latest Irish international to be linked with a move to 'three clubs' in England, there's no doubt that a lot of work remains if we want to see our best players remain with the provinces but with Schmidt's influence on Moore's decision suggesting that an international future is high on the list of priorities, things are definitely looking more positive than they did a couple of weeks ago.
