This is Leicestershire --Departing Leicester Tigers head coach Matt O'Connor says the chance to take charge of Leinster was 'too good an opportunity to turn down'.
The 42-year-old Aussie will take over at the Dublin-based province on July 1 after being announced as their new head coach yesterday on a three-year deal.
O'Connor said he had never expected to join "any other club in Europe" when he finally left Tigers.
But when the current Heineken Cup champions lost their head coach Joe Schmidt to Ireland and began to show an interest in his services, it was something he had to look at.
"It is a huge compliment and it was one of those opportunities that I couldn't really turn my back on," he said.
"I never envisaged leaving Leicester to join any other club in Europe because I didn't think there would be an opportunity to coach at a club as good as Leicester.
"I thought I would always go home (to Australia). But when this opportunity came about, it was too good not to take.
"Leinster were not looking for a clone of Joe, but someone with a similar philosophy and the ability to grow that. It's a good, positive environment in terms of what I have seen after meeting their senior players and board in Dublin."
O'Connor will take the reins of a club that has enjoyed unparalleled success in recent years winning three of the last four Heineken Cups since beating Leicester in the final in May 2009.
They have also reached the final of the Celtic League in each of the last three season.
O'Connor says he is looking forward to the challenges of maintaining that success but says he will not be daunted by joining such a successful club.
"The demands will be different but it will not be vastly different to the way I have approached the job at Leicester," he said. "The Leicester experience has been invaluable and I have been conscious I needed to take control of a side myself, sooner rather than later.
"Leinster have been brave in the past with their appointments of Michael Chieka and Joe Schmidt and I am further down the (coaching) line in terms of where those boys have been previously.
"I have been coaching a long time and have done nearly 200 games at Leicester in an environment where you have got to win every week.
"That experience will be invaluable at Leinster in relation to tackling Europe and taking the place forward."
Until the summer move, O'Connor will be focused on enjoying his last few weeks at Welford Road and making sure Tigers lift the Aviva Premiership. He admits he will miss the place when he's gone.
"Leicester is a draining occupation in relation to the time it takes in your life and the sacrifices that you make," he said. "But the response you get from the players, how hard they work and how good they want to be, makes all worthwhile.
"I wouldn't have changed it for the world and to do it in such a fantastic environment has been an honour. Me and Cockers have had our fights. But we are more than happy to have those if it is to get to a place that benefits the team. It has been a robust relationship but there has always been that respect that we both only want what is best for Tigers." Reported by This is 4 hours ago.