foreign players

dc69

The point about foreign players was brought up on the rte hieneken cup highlights show tonight.They were saying that you cant make a comparison with the irish team and english and french becuase of our much smaller pool of player to choose from,they were suggesting a maximum of 3 players.I would agree with this amount!what do you guys think?

we have typically rested on different clubs for different players ie backs from leinster and fowards from munster,this currently looks like it is changing but with arrivals of say le roux at leinster and mafi and tipoki and howlett at munster i think this will have a serious effect on irish rugby.

you can say that leinster bought ok with le roux and he is comparable with say mafi or tipoki in status of being a world class player,but when you see a superstar like howlett coming,no doubt for megabucks ,is this a sgn for things to come that we are not just buying players to assist our teams but to keep out up and coming players

ie leinster buy le roux becuase they have no props and need one but munster must have plenty off fullbacks(i am aware that munster plan on using howlet as a fullback,i may be wrong though) vying for that position and the purchase was unnecisary imo when they obviously have young players that can play in that position and do a competant job


so to cut it short is it a case where a player should be bought if the team doesnt have a player in that position,ie they are too young or whatever,or where a player is bought that the club does not need and will keep out up and coming players

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

DmanDmythDledge

I don't think it's too much of a problem at the moment but I think a limit on the number of foreigners would be a good idea to prevent an influx of foreign players, similar to the English Premiership (football). If the Irish players are good enough they will get a chance to impress.

toomevara

DmanDmythDledge wrote: »

If the Irish players are good enough they will get a chance to impress.

I don't think that always hold true. Parachuting foreign players into key positions in teams, while often a short term fix can have serious long term effects on the development of home grown talent. Its a quick fix to a long term problem and gives teams the easy way out. Instead of developing promising local talent (a long and uncertain process) just pop in a proven foreign star to hold the line.

I think in Ireland of late we've had a knack for buying in rubbish, second rate foreigners looking for a final payday before heading off to the big stadium in the sky. Far better to plough the money into the development of our own game, even if it involves some short term pain...

tHE vAGGABOND

Very interesting piece in the tribune yesterday saying the existing limits on the Irish provinces having non-Irish players would not stand up for 2 seconds if someone challenged them in Europe. They seemed to be saying they will prolly just ditch any limits at the first sign of a challenge, and the flood gates of crap journeymen will be open

...that said, as long as one of them was a scrum half who could actually pass came to leinster I would be happy right now

Crash

We have a native one of those already - he warms the bench.

zAbbo

You get 6 foreign players, 3 of which can be marque players (Contepomi / Howlett etc.) and 3 of lesser wage demands.

Leinster Branch were meeting with the IRFU last week attempting to increase the marque players to 6, using the full allotment of foreigners, of course the Branch would have to foot the wage bill.

Of course, every signing has to go through the PAG...

Regarding a SH, vAGGABOND, I'm sure Leinster and Munster will be beating down Eoin Reddans door come January.

tHE vAGGABOND

Regarding a SH, vAGGABOND, I'm sure Leinster and Munster will be beating down Eoin Reddans door come January.

No chance. Leinster have pinned their hopes on Easterby, who they have signed until the end of the HC

Reddan left munster as hew as not getting his game, I see no reason he would go back tbh

Borzoi

dc69 wrote: »

so to cut it short is it a case where a player should be bought if the team doesnt have a player in that position,ie they are too young or whatever,or where a player is bought that the club does not need and will keep out up and coming players

As importantly - having foreigners in the provinces restricts the feed into the national team. The defacto selection policy has been to select only players from the provinces, and I think that this along with the numbers of johnny foreign types, has really limited player development to the national squad in key areas. Notably: scrum and out half

zAbbo

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

No chance. Leinster have pinned their hopes on Easterby, who they have signed until the end of the HC

Reddan left munster as hew as not getting his game, I see no reason he would go back tbh

Isn't he out of contract in June though? hence them making moves for him come January for next season?

tHE vAGGABOND

I still cant see him coming home tbh, but stranger things have happened I suppose..

King John V

I agree with some of the other posters-a few top level foreigners will be role models for the Irish talent coming through the ranks but ultimately too many would be detrimental to the national game. New Zealand have the complete opposite problem to contend with. How do they prevent players like Haymans, Jack, Carter and McCaw from being lured to europe and weakening their domestic teams? Its an interesting issue.

zAbbo

King John V wrote: »

How do they prevent players like Haymans, Jack, Carter and McCaw from being lured to europe and weakening their domestic teams? Its an interesting issue.

They don't! , although only players who play in NZ get selected for the national team, still the likes of Jack and Hayman have already gone for their 2-3 year stint, and possibly return just in time for RWC2011

King John V

I agree zabbo but I read somewhere that Graham Henry felt this exportation of talent would start a growing trend. Some euro clubs in France and England are offering contracts that could surpass National team payments and even though the majority of kiwis have massive national pride the foreign contracts are going to be tempting. So at the moment its no problem but down the line who knows. Was there a similar selection policy in SA with their captain John Smit abroad?

Sangre

The only reason he'd come home is for a better chance at selection. Lucky for him he is now so far ahead of the other Irish SH in terms of form and success that he can happily stay at Wasps and be the no. 1 SH.

thirdmantackle

i would say all these NZs coing to the Northern Hemis will strengthen the all blacks

they've been playing in a cocoon for too long in Super 14 etc and have not been exposed to all the different styles that teams play in the north hemis

all the things they learn will be brought home to improve the NZ rugby

King John V

I suppose national selection policy is the NZ rugby union's way of trying to get the best of both worlds. If these guys aren't going abroad then the international AND domestic teams stay at full strength.