David Humphreys: We have to ensure the provinces close the gap to Leinster

It's just short of a year since David Humphreys got his feet settled under the desk at the IRFU.

The former Ireland and Ulster out-half started his role as performance director in March of last year, working alongside outgoing chief David Nucifora for a handover process before taking full control in June.

Among a busy in-tray, one of Humphreys’s biggest and most immediate tasks is to try close the growing gap between Leinster and the rest.

While Munster have won a trophy more recently than Leinster, it’s impossible to ignore the gulf that is there between Leo Cullen’s side and the other three provinces at the moment.

Aided by the arrivals of RG Snyman, Jordie Barrett and Rabah Slimani, Leinster have won 14 games out of 14 this season. By contrast, Munster, Ulster and Connacht have a combined 16 wins between them.

The production line at Leinster is also moving at a different speed, in large part down to the money and resources available to the private schools which contribute so heavily to the playing pool, while at the top level, the central contract system is utterly dominated by Leinster talent.

"We have to ensure the provinces close the gap to where the current difference with Leinster is," Humphreys said this week.

However, the IRFU performance chief insists his job is to help bring the other three provinces closer to Leinster’s level, rather than taking the leading province down a few pegs.

"At this moment in time, Leinster have been unbelievably successful. Everyone around the world of rugby is looking to what Leinster are doing in their system to produce the players and the success they've had. For me, it's about making sure that Leinster remain where they are.

"So it's much more a case of maintaining Leinster where they