Times are changing.

Irish Rugby up until very recently has been very lucky in terms of being able to retain their top players within the four provinces. Johnny Sexton’s two-year stint with Racing 92 being a rare exception.

The news however, that Simon Zebo is set to leave Munster at the end of the season, at just 27, despite being a prominent member of the national set-up, has got a lot of current top stars thinking about their futures.

Conor Murray has refused to rule out leaving after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and it seems Leinster back-row Sean O’Brien has similar thoughts. Speaking about Zebo’s move, O’Brien says he’s often thought about playing abroad himself.

 “I’ve often said that I wouldn’t mind experiencing something like that.” RTÉ Radio 1’s Today with Sean O’Rourke.

“I’ll see how the next few years go. I’m contracted until the end of the 2019 World Cup so we’ll see where I am then.” 

We’ve seen Wales lose a number of top players in recent months, forcing them to reassess their selection policy. Ireland might have to do the same at some stage.