Irish Rugby's Best Emerging Talents

anonymous_joe wrote: »

They've got fantastic coaches, great facilities and a very visible competition. Hence the club underage game being totally ignored by the general public and producing less players.

A solid chunk of the Irish team has gone through one of the rugby schools. Especially Ulster, Leinster and Corkonian or Limerick players. Though the schools matter less in Munster than the other two.


Fairly safe assumption, heh. A few lads have made it via club rugby though in fairness. Shaggy mar shampla, or Niall Ronan even. They're both from Boyne (or whatever that club's called) aren;t they?

Yep thats right Shaggy was at Boyne. I could be wrong but I think he is still registered there. Not sure. . .

Thats correct, schools do have the best coaches, facilities etc. I think the schools system here is great one of the best in the world, and the majority, if not all, future players will come through that system.

It has to be said though, to create an even bigger player pool, the club system needs to rejuvinated or expanded or at least taken a little more seriously by the Union. There are some excellent players around who get no look at at all because of the club they play at or the fact that the competition they play in is ran Mickey-Mouse style, and when they move up to higher age grades they are left behind even though they may be better players then those on the first team, just because they played no schools.

Also, forgive my rant here, but the IRFU need to step up bringing rugby to non-playing schools. This would create an even bigger pool of players for future squads. (Depth??) I'll give you an example. At my school we used to have an excellent ruggy team. Won a few competitions and was progressing well. Then along came a very GAA minded principle, and board members. Stop the rugby they say, as now we have less players for our Gaelic teams, etc. Rugby stops. Some of the coaches that where there moved on and coached some very high level teams here and are quite famous today. School won't acknowledge this. Despite always boasting to have 'some of the best sport facilities of any school in South Dublin' they tell us that they have 'no space' for a rugby pitch. Excuse me, BULL****!!
We asked them many times to start it up again, petitioned for it, answer was always an angry 'No, now feck off'. Right now, there is a guy in my year that played for Ireland U18s and is on the Leinster youths, 3 chaps on Leinster teams, and another 4 of us that were on Leinster development teams. Another 7-8 that play rugby for very good teams in my year alone, and throughout other years there is at least another 30-40 people that play rugby. And they still won't give us our team. I don't get why, its always the answer that we don't have facilities, that GAA is the only sport they want etc. Even soccer in the school is neglected despite having some gifted players but at least they have a team!! This is one thing that I really regret, its a great school academically great place, but now when my parents laid the choice in front of me I should have picked Marys or Terenure instead of going where most my mates went, ah well thats life. . . :(
So as for the future of international rugby? I really hope 1-2 of us make it and then maybe the school will change its mind and people can enjoy rugby there.

anonymous_joe wrote: »

That's an old story sadly.

All too often the wants of the teaching staff in a school impact on a sport. Gah heads hating other sports is nothing new. (Nor is it endemic, thankfully. Just common enough to be depressing.)

Try be there, you won't say its an old story, its ****ed up.

No-one gives a **** anyway, whats the point in posting this ****e. No-one listens, no one cares. Wish there was somebody that could help us.

But then again this is Ireland.

anonymous_joe wrote: »

I don't mean that I don't believe it. I mean it's happened all too often. Sure didn't Liam Brady always say he was expelled for playing football rather than Gah?

There's f all you can do about school matters other than protest to whomever's in charge of your school. Is there a board of governors? Find out who they are and contact them. They can do something. Assuming they exist.

Apologies. I wasn't saying you didn't.

Tried that. No avail, they are the same bunch of , I'm not going to say. Doing my LC this year so its too late anyway.

If people didn't have such an Irish attitude on this ****e, then a solution would have been found by now. I tried to play GAA last year in the school as an extra fitness thing. I wasn't welcome at all.

When rugby is accepted as a sport and nothing else throughout this island, then you will see true success.

When people change their ****ed up attitude to things you will see success.

But no-one will listen.

FridaysWell wrote: »

Apologies. I wasn't saying you didn't.

Tried that. No avail, they are the same bunch of , I'm not going to say. Doing my LC this year so its too late anyway.

If people didn't have such an Irish attitude on this ****e, then a solution would have been found by now. I tried to play GAA last year in the school as an extra fitness thing. I wasn't welcome at all.

When rugby is accepted as a sport and nothing else throughout this island, then you will see true success.

When people change their ****ed up attitude to things you will see success.

But no-one will listen.

I don't think rugby'll ever be the soul sport of Ireland...

It's a depressing story tbh. Check in with the Shamrock Rovers fans on the soccer forum and you'd see they went through the same thing on an even bigger scale.

PhatPiggins wrote: »

Would you be eligible for the S next year?

S? Not sure what ya mean? Sorry?

anonymous_joe wrote: »

I don't think rugby'll ever be the soul sport of Ireland...

It's a depressing story tbh. Check in with the Shamrock Rovers fans on the soccer forum and you'd see they went through the same thing on an even bigger scale.

Neither do I, but how I mean is it is seen as a sport, much like it is in Aussie or NZ, obviously not as big as soccer or GAA.

I know its very bad what they went through too, but thats Ireland for ya. Thanks bro.

I mean would you be young enough to play in the Leinster Schools Senior comp next year

FridaysWell wrote: »

No I don't think so, I did 4th year so probably not.

Why?

If I was you, I'd repeat the leaving next year in a good rugby playing school. If it was feasible with your parents.

But if you're over age it doesn't matter

FridaysWell wrote: »

That was the plan for the end of 4th year, I was going to move to such a school. But over that summer I decided to give seeing if they would make a team a shot and stick with it. Didn't come through and it was too late. Just another regret, something I should have done.

I wouldn't sweat too much about it. The youths rugby developement in Leinster is rapidly improving. Ten years ago it didn't matter if you were Geordan Murphy, if you weren't playing for the right school you were out.

Now there are other ways that good young players can work they way up the Leinster system.

PhatPiggins wrote: »

I wouldn't sweat too much about it. The youths rugby developement in Leinster is rapidly improving. Ten years ago it didn't matter if you were Geordan Murphy, if you weren't playing for the right school you were out.

Now there are other ways that good young players can work they way up the Leinster system.

Didn't he play for Newbridge? :pac:

Note the "if you weren't playing for the right school" part of the post:pac:

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Can you lads not play for one of the youth clubs in your area?

Ok, the standard isn't as high as schools, but it's still fairly high. I did a cup under 18 final last year and was fairly impressed with the standard.

Some clubs like Naas, Navan, Barnhall, DLSP are usually fairly strong and would be as good as or wouldn't be far off schools standard.

Which one was it?

Wicklow are excellent, consistently excellent. I'd imagine they'd challenge some of the lesser schools.

Certainly there is an option out there for everyone when it comes to rugby at underage level, there are clubs around the country looking for good young players at underage level.

gcgirl wrote: »

Wicklow U18's are super they will now be U19 since they new age grades changes came in and the have reached the all Ireland twice !

Twice consecutively was it? Or in quick succession at least.

eroo wrote: »

I wish it was the case that Club rugby was scouted moreso, and meant a lot more than schools rugby. It would allow a much better method of scouting for players.. rather than focus on the same schools(In Limerick for example: Munchins, Ard Scoil Ris, Castletroy etc). Personally I dont like nor do I pay any attention to schools rugby; I just never liked the attitudes of the players. I'd go as far to say a snobbery exists around schools rugby in places tbh. You dont get that with club rugby.. Club rugby is as close as you get to local GAA clubs i.e. community You don't get that with a schools team imo.

But I could be wrong, having never played schools rugby.. just a spectator.:P

Having played both schools and club rugby I can tell you this, there is a reason why the vast majority of Irish Rugby players have come through the known Rugby schools (especially the Leinster players).

There is so much more passion and pride in playing for your school than there is for your local club. It's an honour to wear that SCT jersey which only 22 people will be given, club rugby....anyone can show up and throw on a crested club jersey. The vast majority of Rugby schools are private and so have money for proper facilities, proper coaches, anything they'll need. Club Rugby, you'll be lucky if you get to play on a floodlit pitch, if are lucky enough that's about the top of the facilities you will train on.

I've played S for schools and I've played on the A team for club rugby all my life at my age group. I had no problem pulling making it to schools training 4 times a week, sometimes 5 yet when it came to making it 1-2 trainings a week for club rugby, I wasn't arsed. There's no reward or fame for doing well in club rugby, there's no special jersey, there's no scout on the sideline to impress, there's no hundreds of supporters in your school colors shouting you on, it's just missing the passion and pride involved.

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Can you lads not play for one of the youth clubs in your area?

Ok, the standard isn't as high as schools, but it's still fairly high. I did a cup under 18 final last year and was fairly impressed with the standard.

Some clubs like Naas, Navan, Barnhall, DLSP are usually fairly strong and would be as good as or wouldn't be far off schools standard.

We do play for some clubs! Sure how else did some of us make Leinster and Ireland squads?? DLSP v.good I know many people that play there.

And as for what RMD said, yep thats the truth. There is hardly any incentive to play club rugby other then the love of the game, and not alot of people have that. One of my biggest regrets ever was not picking Terenure or Marys, I really really wish I could name my school and shame the ****ing place. . . So much potential.

anonymous_joe wrote: »

Ask a mod?

I've noticed a large drop off in the hardcore rugby players I knew in school who really weren't arsed playing in front of nobody for little glory.

S's rugby spoils you tbh. From the age of 7 or 8 you're heading to the matches, and crowds in their thousands are watching you. Hell it's even on TV sometimes. Finals used to be in Lansdowne! Compare that to playing in front of a couple dozen heads in some small pitch somewhere...

Also, in my immediate area, as in within a mile or two of my house, are Wesley, Bective, Wanderers, Lansdowne and Old Belvedere. Monkstown, Railyway, etc too might count.

That means there's little chance of one individual club representing you in any meaningful way. Ergo, schools have a monopoly in glory.

There is also the small matter of college and training on on Wedensday during pre drinking or on a sulky Sunday morning isn't very appetising! You read a lot particularly from the likes of Thornley that schools rugby is wrong because amongst everything else it is too big a deal and that people quit because clubs aren't. I don't get this argument, it is great if people can be so interested in rugby whilst in school and not drinking to the ridiculous excess from 15 onwards, it is upto the clubs and the IRFU to make the club game more appealing and play it at better times imo.