Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

My point was that the systems are actually very similar, it's just the kiwi players are willing to move.

The attendances for the SR franchises are probably similar to those of the Irish provinces but the kiwi teams all play in stadiums that are too big so they all look half empty (apart from the Crusaders). The big problem in NZ is the attendance of the level below SR. Attendance of NPC matches has fallen off a cliff in the last 20 to 25 years. Part of that is due to the ABs rarely playing for their province but also having league, soccer and basketball teams competing in the Aussie comps. And doing well. And those sports are doing a great job with their marketing.

Sorry for going off topic there.

To be fair, those guys that move abroad are generally the exception rather than the rule. You get a few everyone once in a while (Whelan, Martin, and Berti Newman are the ones that spring to mind) but most guys are more than happy to move to Galway if it means furthering their career. Just look at the last two or three years worth of Connacht academy intakes.

I think it's vastly overblown the "young players want to stay with their province" factor - if there's a professional opportunity elsewhere, then they'll probably go if there isn't one at home.

From what I heard, it was more of a fitness (in an injury sense) issue on his part than a quality/talent issue

How is that any different from the status quo?

Healy left to get a shot at International game time which wasn't coming in Ireland. Yes, people were disappointed to lose him but established players make those decisions all the time. It's not the same as the IRFU recognising there is a surplus of good players coming out of Leinster schools and asking a question about how best tot use them to bring success to Ireland. Warming the bench for years at Leinster is not the answer to that question.

No-one is forcing anyone to do anything. No-one has the right to an IRFU sponsored multi year training program to become a professional rugby player. That s a major investment on the part of the union and by extension every rugby player and fan in Ireland. Being offered an academy spot or a squad place in one of the IRFU owned teams is not some sort of punishment. People are quick to regard young rugby players as children who need to be near their mammies, no-one feels like that about nurses or students.

I agree with some of this with regards Penny, but the following isn’t accurate at all:

Van der Flier misses a lot of games with Ireland

I think it's correct that, prior to the summer games - when he couldn’t play for Ireland, as he was with the Lions - he missed only 2 of the previous 43 Tests (He started 39 of them) over the last 4 seasons.

The only games he missed were a RWC warm-up game vs Italy and an AI game versus Fiji.

Healy left to get a shot at International game time which wasn't coming in Ireland. Yes, people were disappointed to lose him but established players make those decisions all the time. It's not the same as the IRFU recognising there is a surplus of good players coming out of Leinster schools and asking a question about how best tot use them to bring success to Ireland. Warming the bench for years at Leinster is not the answer to that question.

I know people are greedy but no matter how some would like it. It cant be just a bad thing with young players not getting game time at Leinster so it would mad to create a new system where only Leinster have to share good school players. Leinster school players going to other provinces would regularly lead to surplus when their own crops come through. A new system would need to share good school players across all provinces - in my earlier example you ignored Penny and Deegan go to Munster then they end up losing Kendellen and Gleeson.

No-one is forcing anyone to do anything. No-one has the right to an IRFU sponsored multi year training program to become a professional rugby player. That s a major investment on the part of the union and by extension every rugby player and fan in Ireland. Being offered an academy spot or a squad place in one of the IRFU owned teams is not some sort of punishment. People are quick to regard young rugby players as children who need to be near their mammies, no-one feels like that about nurses or students.

If you're not forcing them to go to a certain province if they want to join an academy then what the hell are you talking about?

Forcing players to move provinces is a valid opinion to have, I just thoroughly disagree with it. It is impossible to have a discussion when people wont call a spade a spade.