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Ben Te'o ships a tackle as he tries to offload. @nrlphotos via Twitter

Russell Crowe could be about to lose his star player to Leinster

27-year-old Ben Te’o is known more for his huge defensive hits than his try-scoring prowess.

LEINSTER COACH MATT O’CONNOR told reporters, following his side’s Pro12 final triumph, they would be the first to know if the province was moving for a new outside centre.

Following the departure of the retired Brian O’Driscoll, the former Leicester Tigers coach seems to have exhausted internal inquiries [Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne] while top southern hemisphere stars are unlikely to move to Europe until after World Cup 2015. It would not be too much of a stretch, then, to believe reports emanating from Australia that O’Connor is shopping for centres in the NRL [rugby league].

The Telegraph in Australia has run a piece that suggests South Sydney Rabbitohs centre Ben Te’o is being lined up as O’Driscoll’s replacement. It reports: “Te’o confirmed last week that he would be leaving NRL club South Sydney [owned by actor Russell Crowe] at the end of the season, but added he had not made a decision on where he would play next.”

Te’o's mother is English and there have been previous reports of a switch to Top 14 rugby for the 27-year-old but O’Connor could use his Australian connections to coax him to Dublin. O’Connor has a league background, having played for Hunter Mariners and Paris Saint-Germain in the mid 1990s.

Here is a big hit on occasional All Black Sonny Bill Williams back in March.

NZAUTV Rugby League / YouTube

Te’o had this welcome for Ashley Harrison back in 2009 when he was a Brisbane Bronco:

FierceFusion / YouTube

Occasional tries, fierce in defence, big-hit merchant. Right up Matt O’Connor’s street.

What do you make of the latest speculation on the vacant Leinster 13 jersey?

Note to streakers: You run onto a New Zealand rugby pitch, you get smashed in a big way

Leinster out-half Jimmy Gopperth is absolutely shredding the waves on his holidays

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    Mute Del McG
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    Jun 14th 2014, 6:34 PM

    Here’s hoping he learns how to use his arms in the tackle before he arrives

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    Mute Leo Hassett
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    Jun 14th 2014, 6:58 PM

    Leinster need to focus on attack again. The reason the season tickets are slow moving is because we fear a Leicester mind set in the RDS.

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    Mute Chris Mcdonnell
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    Jun 14th 2014, 7:09 PM

    Here’s hoping this is just wind-up

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    Mute Paul O Mahony
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    Jun 14th 2014, 7:55 PM

    Season tickets are probably a bit slow because of lack of success in Europe over fear of Leicester style play. Who care what you play like if you are successful ?

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    Mute Ciaran Harford
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    Jun 14th 2014, 9:38 PM

    Leinster fans do. If we wanted up the jumper defensive rugby, we’d support Munster

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    Mute Rory Fleming
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    Jun 15th 2014, 1:06 AM

    Leo they’ve sold over 12000, I’d hardly call that slow moving!

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    Mute Eoin Kennedy
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    Jun 15th 2014, 1:33 AM

    They had no problem being Lunster fans for years anyway…..

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    Mute Paul O Mahony
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    Jun 15th 2014, 1:37 AM

    Ya, rugby aristocracy are we ? Im sure any of the players and most of the fans would rather extra European Cups. You sound like the rugby equivalent of a Tottenham Hotspur fan.

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    Mute Leo Hassett
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    Jun 15th 2014, 11:16 AM

    Hi Rory- I’m not sure of the exact number and hopefully they will sell them ALL. They have however extended the early bird pricing and there’s always a reason for that. I believe rightly or wrongly that MOC is not a big believer in local and is very conservative in his thought processes. All this chat about need to for foreign imports is worrying particularly in light of the temporary Tuqiri signing at beginning of the season…..anyway I’ve been long time season ticket holder and unlike every other year I haven’t resigned yet…if I knew Madigan was in at 10 I’d sign now but….

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    Mute John Obi Likem
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    Jun 14th 2014, 7:09 PM

    McFadden, Fitzie, Reid, Madigan, Ringrose, Macken

    O’Connor needs to believe in his players

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    Mute Eamonn coughlan
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    Jun 14th 2014, 6:38 PM

    All I’ve seen there was two shoulder charges, hardly good clips too show!

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    Mute David Bridgeman
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    Jun 14th 2014, 6:39 PM

    I would prefer to see a move internally rather than this lad joining…

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    Mute martin donovan
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    Jun 14th 2014, 6:42 PM

    Pass. Why bring in an unproven foreigner? I think both Ian Madigan and Noel Reid have the skill set and athletic ability to play 13. If they could pick up the slightly different running lines, and learn how to defend there (with help from BOD maybe) that could be the answer. Plus, are they big/physical/direct enough to play 12 internationally? There’s probably more scope for skilful, slightly smaller players to play 13. Think Conrad Smith vs Ma’a Nonu. That’s my take on it anyway. It’s possibly unlikely that it would happen though

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    Mute Brendan Redmond
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    Jun 14th 2014, 7:02 PM

    Not that I want to see the Irish provincial teams suffer in any European competition but I would be much happier if we produced our own players for the better of our national team. Ireland all the way!!!

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    Mute Tony Stack
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    Jun 14th 2014, 6:50 PM

    He usually plays in the forwards , 12 is second row in League. I don’t know how he would get on isolated in the centers from my knowledge of the Rabbitos

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    Mute Larry Bird
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    Jun 14th 2014, 7:54 PM

    Want him to do a Sonny Bill, but he’s pretty unique

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    Mute Tony Stack
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    Jun 14th 2014, 9:22 PM

    He is no SBW that’s for sure

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    Mute #COYBIB
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    Jun 14th 2014, 10:05 PM

    Just to clarify as there were a few comments on it, shoulder charge hits are legal in league, they don’t have the “wrap the arm” rule that exists in union. You just can’t barge the neck or head area,

    I don’t know much about this fella, but if he’s on the cheap, I don’t see why not, give him a year or two contract and see how he goes. If nothing else he looks like a pretty serious athlete.

    Very unlikely we’ll uncover the next SBW, but we do need extra depth in the backs and are running out of signing options at this point. If we’re making a signing though, I’d rather see a good project player from super rugby than a punt on a league convert, but even if he doesn’t work it, there are plenty of options to try in the centre to find a combination that works from D’Arcy, Madigan, Reid, Fitzgerald, Kirchner, Macken & McFadden as well as Ringrose coming through, who’s been the star of the show for the U20′s at the world cup.

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    Mute Tony Stack
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    Jun 14th 2014, 11:44 PM

    No, they just banned the shoulder charge this season.

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    Mute #COYBIB
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    Jun 15th 2014, 12:22 AM

    Well, when the highlights are from. Basically, stop giving out about shoulder charges as though those clips are from union..

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    Mute Humphrey Jones
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    Jun 15th 2014, 1:11 AM

    Te’o? Surely to be renamed Tayto?

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Jun 15th 2014, 12:37 AM

    Aren’t all the NIQ centre spots gone??

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    Mute Del McG
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    Jun 16th 2014, 9:27 AM

    He’s uncapped, so if he does arrive, he’ll be a project player. Leinster opened up their project spot by loaning Quinn Roux to Connacht

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