Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

If you can't see the irony in those words you just typed, you're lost.

You've saved yourself a lot of time.

It has been done to death with them - they have been asked again and again but have no credible solution that moves the needle.

None of the other provinces ever had a subsidy from the IRFU that allowed them to have 9 starting players they didn't have to pay for in fairness

Yeah the other provinces spent a few quid on NIQs on some of the rare occasions when they had a bit of cash in the bag, they've had to pay for all but 1 of their own players this coming season though so that makes it harder you know?

Munster did when they were winning HC in the noughties

How many more central contracts are there now? 3

How many more central contract were there then? Way more than 3.

Right?

But Munster did have at least 9 if not more back then, yes there was more CC but they did have the bigger share of them

Cheers, kid.

Think tonight was a new low point for ulster rugby. Hard to see any of those players who played tonight making the international side.

I didn't hear a peep back from @theVersatile despite them posting further on the topic

I actually didn't post any further on the topic (aside from welcoming back FTD). Felt I needed to take some time to exercise muscles other than my thumbs :P

I suppose now that you have my attention...

Munster have developed Centres of Excellence in Cork and Fethard IIRC (with additional planned I believe), and I'm not sure what the craic is with the HPC whether that was UL or Munster themselves, although I imagine its similar to the UCD situation.

Munster also used private investment (as far as I'm aware) to sign a special skills coach for the Academy and sub-Academy, Mike Pettman. His influence can easily be seen in Munsters current set of young players (especially forwards).

It's almost as if there are exterior circumstances which affect player development.

You also point out that Leinster's investment area has been from external investors, rather than income generated by the province, which is kind of the original point I wanted to emphasise. The money that goes into schools rugby as a whole is basically it's own economy separate to Leinster (but that's not to say that Leinster haven't done good investment in their pathways also).

That's not to say that Munster have been perfect. Peter Malone was academy manager for about five years too long and the unity in playstyle/coaching emphasis from the Senior side down through to the sub academy and underage sides was a very recent (I believe Larkham era) development.

But I don't think it's fair to say that they have been completely neglecting pathway development to the extent you seem to be indicating

You said nobody had 9 players off the books before, but munster did for abt 8-10 years

Horan, hayes, Sheahan, Flannery, POC, DOC, Foley, Leamy, Wallace, Quinlan, Stringer, ROG

Fairly sure most of these players had CC during the noughties and mostly at the same time

Seemed to be about 25 dished out and Leinster would have had D'Arcy, BoD, Horgan, Dempsey, Hickie and OKelly on one, cannot think of anyone else who had one, Ulster had Best x 3, Trimble, Bowe, Humphreys, Young

The disparity wasnt there percentage wise but the actual number was

You said nobody had 9 players off the books before, but munster did for abt 8-10 years

I literally didn't say this. It was another poster. The amount of times I've been misquoted at this point is beyond double-figures.

Your final point…

The disparity wasnt there percentage wise but the actual number was

…is the exact point I've been making all along.

just for context.

The first season of Leo Cullen being in charge was 2015-16 and Lancaster arrived the following season.

The Ireland team for the 6N opener in 2016 featured five Leinster players, five Munster, three Ulster and two Connacht.

That’s under the same system we have now, with all the financial and population advantages that Leinster have today. The only thing that has changed is Leinster got their sh1t together and the others went backwards.

The current dominance didn’t happen by accident but it is neither inevitable nor unchangeable under the current system.

Whether the other provinces can manage it, that’s a bigger question.

Paywalled. Curious what the crux of it was?