John O'Sullivan asks the Leinster openside flanker why he's decided the time is right to leave the club

Shane Jennings disregarded the kerfuffle that has enveloped Leinster rugby in recent times, singular of purpose as he appraised the two-year deal that Leicester Tigers proffered.

The new coaching team at Welford Road - Pat Howard (backs) and Richard Cockerill (forwards) - whisked their young charge on a whistle-stop tour of the facilities on Tuesday afternoon.

That same day the 23-year-old openside flanker put pen to paper. The timeframe suggests a straightforward decision - it wasn't. Four years at Leinster and the friendships struck during that period meant walking away from the Irish province would be difficult and a course of action not taken lightly.

Jennings had known for some time that Leicester were monitoring his progress, but, while flattered, studiously ignored any overtures.

There wasn't any distraction as far as the St Mary's College player was concerned when the two sides were pitted against each other in the Heineken European Cup quarter-final.

"I was very happy with Leinster and my only concern was helping the team to win that match. It wasn't a distraction as I had nothing to do with anything that happened off the pitch. Moving wasn't an issue at that point. My agent John Baker handled (inquiries and negotiation) that and did a great job."

Once the match was over then Jennings was free to consider his position and resolved to travel to Leicester and look at what they had to offer. "They had fantastic facilities, were a big club and had so many excellent players. It was difficult not to be impressed. At no stage did they put any pressure on me."

This wasn't the first occasion that Jennings considered an offer from an English club. Bath came calling when he was just out of school, recognition of a burgeoning talent. "I was too young at that stage and definitely made the right decision to stay in Leinster. I needed to experience the professional game in a controlled way and be given the scope to learn.

"When the opportunity arose this time I was that little bit more mature and knew that I would be in a better position to handle a move if that's what I decided to do. I felt that the time is right for me to take this chance and test myself in a new environment.

"The fact that Neil Back, one of the best number sevens in world rugby, will be a technical adviser to the Leicester team is something that helped me make up my mind. Hopefully, I can learn a great deal from him and he can help take my game to another level. I was fortunate in that my family and friends have been very supportive.

"Making that decision to leave Leinster wasn't easy because I enjoyed my time, but I felt that it was the right thing to do. Opportunities like this (going to Leicester) don't come along very often and I couldn't ignore it."

Jennings finishes with Leinster on May 27th and his priority now is to try to end this chapter of his career on a positive note, tangibly with a Celtic Cup success.

"I don't set too many goals, although having said that I know what I want to try and achieve when I go there (Leicester) in July. It's up to me how I fare. I have to learn and improve and if I put in the hard work then you usually get the rewards."

When asked about Ireland's upcoming tour to Japan, Jennings is guarded, as if trying not to tempt fate. "I'd love to go, but that's for others to decide. All I can do is my best on the pitch."

His excellent underage career, the leadership and maturity he's shown since, all suggest he'll handle whatever demands are imposed on him with equal facility.