Leinster Youth Set Up

RugbyFanatic

Just something I started wondering following 2 games I saw last week.

The two games were Munster vs Leinster U20s and Munster vs Leinster U19s.

Why is that Leinster can dominate so highly at junior level yet when it comes to senior level Munster are on par? Can't remember the Munster vs Leinster U20 score but Leinster won comfortably. In the Leinster vs Munster U19s game, Leinster won 40-5!

So is it a failure of the Leinster set up that they can't bring this dominace to senior level? What are the factors that cause such a balance when it comes to senior level? Is it a case of Leinster having too much talent and having to let go brilliant players that could of been great for the senior team if they had got more time?

Opinions?

figs86

not a complete answer but surely the fact that players are bought in, bolstering in the necessary places has something to do with it.
i.e. you don't have to keep producing good players in each position just a bedrock and then you can pick and choose who and where you need to add

and also (this being the main factor) - you only need to produce a top class player in each position every ten years or so as players like d'arcy, o'driscoll, o'connell, o callaghan, o'gara, stringer, shane horgan etc etc get on the team when theyve just finished the underage grades and keep it until they retire

so regardless of how good your underage set-up is, you need only a couple of good players at the right times

and leinster ship off their excess players in positions.....and then they buy them back!

[Jackass]

Plus the youth system, in it's "professional" format with the provinces is relatively new in terms of Academies of excellence...there was always youth teams, but there is a proper academy set up now for both. Hopefully we'll see real returns in the next generation of players.

Leinster have always off loaded a large amount of players also after developing them, so hopefully this can be addressed also. We badly need a Magners "A" competition to give fringe players meaningful game time.

Leinster were due to join the Guiness Premiership "A" league this season but the "A" league was discontinued.

ALH-06

Thats very interesting - Leinster due to join the Guinness A League?

So what's the likelihood of a Magners A League being set up? Probably not feasible at all though, judging by the apparent failure of the Guinness one...