Racing 92's insistence that Stuart Lancaster was the man they wanted as head coach from next summer convinced him to leave Leinster after seven years with the province.
The ex-England supremo found a home at Leinster after the disaster that was the 2015 World Cup on home soil.
But, having played a huge part in the Blues' Champions Cup success in 2018 and four consecutive URC titles, his head was turned by the Top 14 giants.
Lancaster, 52, has had offers from other clubs while in and out of contract in recent years, but it was Racing's direct approach that impressed him this time when club owner Jacky Lorenzetti made contact in June.
Asked if there was anything Leinster could have done to change his mind, Lancaster replied: "Probably not really.
"I think what was different about what Racing did, as opposed to other clubs, was they said, ‘We want you to come, we’re not scouring the world, we’re not casting the net wide or just gauging interest'.
"They were very, very deliberate in saying, ‘Listen, there’s been coaches linked to us', but what they did, which is probably a good lesson in leadership, to turn my head is they came to me and said, 'We want you to come.’
"And they convinced me that I was their man.
"That’s the first time my head has been turned away from Leinster, because of the way they went about it. You’ve got to give them credit for that.
"Then when I met them, I was impressed with the people - and then it ultimately came down to the coaching challenge piece for me, and the wanting to not finish my career thinking, ‘What if?’
"I’m 52 now, it's a four-year deal. (I’ll be) 56 when it ends, beyond that if I stay there.
"Hopefully I’ll do four years, learn the language, everything that comes with it and then maybe afterwards there are other opportunities, too - who knows, maybe to come back to Ireland at some point.
"There’s still a long way to go in my career hopefully, but I think it will be a good step forward for me to do it, to be honest."
Ronan O'Gara will get a call off Lancaster as the Leinster coach gets his head around being the head coach of a big Top 14 club.
Lancaster revealed he received a text coming off the training pitch yesterday from La Rochelle head coach O'Gara.
“I probably will ring him at some point," he remarked. "We’ll still be good friends, we speak quite often.
"The teams often get in the way of a friendship. We played them in a European Cup final and obviously now I’ll be coaching against him potentially this year in Europe. and definitely next year in the Top 14.
“I admire what he’s done. He did it, not in a safer way, but he went as an assistant and he learned under the coaching team at the time and then he went to New Zealand.
"He had a good basis of the language and then he went to La Rochelle as a number two and became a number one. I’ve just jumped straight in. He’s probably thinking I must be mad but it’s exciting.
"I’m not saying it’s not a big day. It is a big decision for me.
"Telling Leo first up, he was the one I needed to be honest with early enough. He’s known for a while because I was never not going to tell him the truth."
French newspapers reported last Thursday that Lancaster had signed on the dotted line with Racing but Leinster only confirmed the news yesterday.
"What was disappointing was the fact that it broke early and then he had to deal with it whereas I would much rather that I would have been the one to deal with it because it was my decision," admitted Lancaster.
"It put him in a difficult position. I felt bad for Leo, to be honest.
“What he said was what he believes, there is a natural evolution in teams anyway. He’s seen it in his career as a coach, and as a player as well. We all have.
"There is a natural evolution in coaching teams, nothing ever stays the same. So it will be a sad day when I go, for sure.
"It’s very early in the season. We’ve Ulster on Friday. I will be glad when today is done and we can get back to that.
"For me, there will still be little bits in the background but it will just be driving on and driving on to try to get success with Leinster.”
Lancaster insists that his summer departure will have no impact on his final season with Leinster.
There were plenty of Munster fans left scratching their heads as to why Johann van Graan and Stephen Larkham were left to call the shots after their end of season exits were announced less than halfway through the last campaign.
But Lancaster maintains it will be business as usual as he continues to work in tandem with Leo Cullen to put Leinster back on top of the pile after a trophyless season last time out.
The 52-year-old acknowledges that he will have to be involved in decision-making for Racing ahead of his arrival on a four-year deal midway through 2023.
But he stressed: "It will have no bearing because the only thing I want to do is win with Leinster.. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind.
"We obviously came up just short last year in Europe - heartbreakingly in the last play of the final - and with the final being in Dublin as well (next May), plus the URC disappointment we had last season, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind where my loyalty will be.
“I mean, Felipe (Contepomi) left last year and he could easily have been distracted by the Argentinian involvement in the Rugby Championship coming up, but you didn’t notice it all. And you’ll never see it with me either.
“Yes, there’s bits and pieces to do but a lot of it is done, to be honest. A lot of the recruitment happens in France a lot earlier than it does elsewhere, and Racing have got a great academy actually.
"They’ve got some good players coming through. But there would be more of a recruitment focus than there is at Leinster and part of the reason is that they want to get to the point where they are now because they need to put someone’s name as the head coach so that they can then recruit around it.
“That will probably be done outside of me. There’ll be elements of, like, coaching teams and this, that and the other, but again a lot of that is in place. So it won’t be a distraction at all, to be honest.
“Is it the seven year itch? I don’t think it is, but I don’t think it will do Leinster any harm to have a different voice either."
Lancaster explained that he didn't want to have any regrets at the end of his career, which is why he has decided to leave the comfort of an environment he still loves to become a head coach for the first time since his time with England ended in ignominy.
"The opportunity Leinster gave me back in 2016 and what has resulted from that has really made me the coach I am really," he said.
"When Leo rang and I first took that Leeds-Dublin flight, I remember realising it was commutable and I only signed for that season.
"And I was only walking back through the airport last night - well it was actually half-past twelve this morning because the flight was delayed - thinking ‘I wonder how many flight I’ve no done in the last seven years?’
“And I have never once sat the airport in Leeds-Bradford’s and thought, ‘I don’t want to get on this plane’.
"I’ve always wanted to come. I’ve always wanted to coach the players and to be involved. That’s what makes it such a hard place to leave because you have got such good people, good values, great academy, great former players who I have coached.
"Yeah, it was tough telling the players today."
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