Leo Cullen ruled out the possibility of him becoming Leinster's new CEO - but wants an "exciting" new chief for the province after paying tribute to the departing Mick Dawson.
The Blues revealed yesterday that the hugely influential Dawson, who presided over a set-up that won four Champions Cup, is leaving at the end of the season after more than two decades in charge.
"I'm fully committed to the tracksuit for now," laughed Cullen, when asked if he was interested in the role.
"It's a hugely important role and hopefully we get an exciting person taking it on now because as Mick will say himself, it's time to pass the baton on to the next person now.
"He's left the place in good shape and hopefully he won't be a million miles away either, he's going to be around in some form in terms of support to whoever that next person is.
"It's such an important piece for us not to lose, so much of the good stuff from the amateur era, lots of us would come through playing in club systems and celebrate all that's good in club rugby as well.
"I've certainly learned a lot from Mick, the way he goes about his business, the way he interacts with the different stakeholders, because there are so many.
"I’ve been through it all really with him. Starting as a player from school, going to England and then coming back.
"And then you think of Michael Cheika coaching at that stage, I’m probably a lot easier to deal with! He’s had to manage relationships with different coaches.
"But he’s a very supportive figure, understanding and he wants to help in any way he can without being in the way or difficult I guess. He has been an amazing support for me and I’ll miss him greatly."
Meanwhile, Cullen hopes that Andrew Porter can return earlier than expected after ankle surgery, but the Ireland prop is expected to miss Leinster's Champions Cup last 16 tie with Connacht.
Ulster skipper Iain Henderson has returned to the Ireland squad ahead of Saturday's Six Nations clash with England, having recovered from Covid-19 and played the full 80 minutes for the province against Cardiff last Friday.
Winger Jordan Larmour is out of the last two weeks of the championship due to a hip injury.
Uncapped Munster loosehead Jeremy Loughman has been added to Andy Farrell's squad for the first time after Porter underwent ankle surgery and has a timetable of eight weeks before he can return.
"Yeah, Andrew had been going well so it's a loss," Leinster boss Cullen said.
"I'd rather celebrate what we do have than worry about what we don't. I'll see obviously what Ireland do, it's a good opportunity hopefully for Cian (Healy) that he gets some decent minutes under his belt now in the next couple of weeks.
"But Andrew has been going well. He’s so diligent at everything he does so we’ll be trying to keep the reins on him I’d imagine during his rehabilitation process because he’s good at pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
"So I’m sure he’ll be back in quickish time so we’ll see how he goes over the next few weeks."
Jack Carty, Dave Heffernan (Connacht), Craig Casey, Gavin Coombes (Munster) and Robert Baloucoune, James Hume and Nick Timoney (Ulster) all return to the Ireland squad having featured for their respective provinces.
Harry Byrne's third start in as many weeks for Leinster ended prematurely in Parma last weekend as the outhalf, who lined out at inside centre in those three fixtures, suffered a rib injury.
He will be further assessed before it is decided if he will be available for Saturday's URC clash at Ulster.
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
