From what season did the provinces have full-time professional squads ?

wexfordia · 19-10-2010 6:01pm #1

Just wondering from what season did all 4 of the provinces have full-time professional squads.

CatFromHue · 19-10-2010 7:47pm

wow thats a good question!!

and a hard one too!

if you take it that they had semi pros playing until maybe 2000 or so. eddie halvey rings a bell in that he wasnt a full time pro but still played a few games for munster possibly until 2002?

profitius · 19-10-2010 8:03pm

Maybe only the centrally contracted players were fully professional back then?

The provinces were not getting the crowds, selling merchandise, getting big sponsorship deals back then. So I'd say there was alot of semi pro players playing.

wexfordia · 19-10-2010 9:14pm

Certainly by 2005 the squads would have been full-pro.Rugby had become very popular by then so the attendances at games,particularly those of the big 3,would have been healthy with sponsorship money coming in also.

thomond2006 · 19-10-2010 9:50pm

I assume by the time the Celtic League was introduced the provinces were fully professional?

phog · 19-10-2010 10:03pm

Well Declan Kidney took over Munster around 1998 and he got the job because the guy that was supposed to get it didnt take up the offer of the job when he realised that there was only a handful of players with contracts, I think the way they worked then was if you ahd a national contract or none.

wexfordia · 19-10-2010 10:59pm

thomond2006 wrote: »

I assume by the time the Celtic League was introduced the provinces were fully professional?

The inaugural Celtic League season was 2001/02 so there would have been full-professionalism by then if what you say is correct.

From what season did the provinces have full-time professional squads ?

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