The Cotton Wool Syndrome

The Nark

Is it just my imagination or does anyone else feel that the IRFU has lost the plot with the limited amount of game time that they are allowing Irish international players??

Last weekend, a host of Irish internationals sat in the stand while Leinster were being whipped by an Ospreys side flush with Grand Slam winners who had a bruising game the week before against France.

Munster played Connaught without their internationals, including O'Gara, who has hardly kicked a rugby football in anger since January.

Most of the Welsh Grand Slam team played last weekend. Most of the English team that annihilated Ireland played last weekend as they do almost every weekend.

The All Blacks regularly play club match the week before Test matches.

These guys are highly paid professional athletes. They want to play rugby. The media conversations regarding the famous "6 day turn around" made me smile.

And before anyone asks... yes, I have played rugby for many years & some of my family have played professionally so I do have a reasonably informed opinion.

We need to know where this policy of "non-playing" rugby players is coming from. I thought it was O'Sullivan but now I'm not so sure.

It appears that we have still not learned the lesson from our 2007 World Cup preparations.

CatFromHue

I think it's recommended that a pro rugby player only plays 26-28 games a year. If you take Gordon D'Arcy for example he's been involved in 11 games for Ireland and 10 games for Leinster. Leinster can play a max of 9 games for the remainder if the season so he will fit comfortable in the 26-28 bracket this season.

Fishooks12

The Nark wrote: »

Is it just my imagination or does anyone else feel that the IRFU has lost the plot with the limited amount of game time that they are allowing Irish international players??

Last weekend, a host of Irish internationals sat in the stand while Leinster were being whipped by an Ospreys side flush with Grand Slam winners who had a bruising game the week before against France.

Munster played Connaught without their internationals, including O'Gara, who has hardly kicked a rugby football in anger since January.

Most of the Welsh Grand Slam team played last weekend. Most of the English team that annihilated Ireland played last weekend as they do almost every weekend.

The All Blacks regularly play club match the week before Test matches.

These guys are highly paid professional athletes. They want to play rugby. The media conversations regarding the famous "6 day turn around" made me smile.

And before anyone asks... yes, I have played rugby for many years & some of my family have played professionally so I do have a reasonably informed opinion.

We need to know where this policy of "non-playing" rugby players is coming from. I thought it was O'Sullivan but now I'm not so sure.

It appears that we have still not learned the lesson from our 2007 World Cup preparations.

15 Richard Fussell, 14 Hanno Dirksen, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Eli Walker, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 George Stowers, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Tom Smith, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Ryan Jones, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James.
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Adam Jones, 19 Ian Evans, 20 James King, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Matthew Morgan, 23 Tom Isaacs

Only one of the team started the week before so that doesn't make sense


Plus Leinster were hardly "whipped"

Tox56

Most of Leinster's internationals had played 4 internationals in a row, and even still there was 1 of them in the team and 1 on the bench.

Zuffer

They haven't lost the plot. IRFU policy is for internationals to play only a certain number of games a year - about 26-28, as has already been said. As far as I can see, they are on target for that plan, where injury hasn't affected a player.

IF you want to argue that they should be playing more games a season (35? 40?), go ahead. I wouldn't agree.

I agree that ROG should have been available for Munster last weekend. I would guess that he was, but a decision was made by the Munster management to give the game against Connacht to Keatley.

There are things I would criticize the IRFU/Ireland team management about. This isn't one of them.

buck65

Leinster rest tired stars in meaningless league game shocker!!

Table topping Leinster who are almost guaranteed top spot in the league last Friday night rested several of their key players. Most had beeen involved in the previous 6 nations Championship and had played 4 weeks in a row.
Playoff chasing Ospreys were lucky to win the game with a controversial try that looked as if it wasn@t grounded properly
Still this obviously isnt good enough

JustinDee

The Nark wrote: »

Is it just my imagination or does anyone else feel that the IRFU has lost the plot with the limited amount of game time that they are allowing Irish international players??

No, not at all.
The structure of a professional's season is carefully and professionally researched and implemented, with priorities taken into careful consideration.

molloyjh

I wouldn't have an issue with the player welfare programme tbh. Between the HEC, the handful of Pro12 games, the 6 Nations, the Summer Tours, the AIs and the Lions Tours plenty of these guys see a lot of rugby in a given 12 months. A lot of it being at a fairly high intensity level.

Look at Heaslip across the 08-09 and 09-10 seasons:

08-09: 19 caps for Leinster & 8 for Ireland

He then goes straight on a Lions Tour where he is capped 6 times.

09-10: 19 caps for Leinster & 9 for Ireland

By the end of the 09-10 season the guys was pretty knackered after playing 61 games in 2 seasons, plenty of which were tough games (Munster alone 6 times in those 2 seasons for example, never mind international caps or Lions tests). Asking the guy to play any more games in that timeframe would be madness IMO.

4PP

A lot of people partial to garlic & strong cheese (whine, what wine ) look at the IRFU system with undisguised envy.
True, the French do have better results but that is down to the immense player pool rather than better preparation/coaches.
In fact I do not think it would be outlandish to say that French results are remarkable considering the chaotic conditions the national XV find themselves in.