Munster Rugby - We DID start the fire (Part 1)

Dont disagree at all. But I think it took up until 2009/2010 before Jp threatened to pull the plug and decided he wasn’t going to throw good money after bad

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Imho the clubs should tell the provisional teams to go fuck themselves. Give out pro contracts etc. Pay 10% development fee to players club and the players stay with provisional teams. Its upto the provinces to get them game time.

Leave AIL teams fight it out with steady squad’s. Pro player cause more hassle as your fighting to get the players, they don’t take part in a full training, can only play x amount of minutes, are to be played in x positions and another player has to lose out in the team to facilitate that. That’s before you get to the players attitude.

Con really pushed this model since 2013, not really having academy players. Look at how successful they have been. Arguably replying on academy players cost YM the semi vs clontarf in 2017 as they weren’t made available.

Stand alone AIL with no affiliation to pro teams, maybe with tg4 showing a few games and a better support for amateur rugby and structure in place. You won’t see crowds like the 90s but you still have old school heads knocking around only focused on the club game

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The only thing is that Munster won’t get the top stars from the Leinster academy, they’ll get the lads on the fringes of the first team. Still very good players but not the absolute top quality. Munster need to recapture their local heart. The likes of Gavin Coombes are a step towards achieving that.

Grand at top level… Waste of time in the lower leagues. It breaks clubs.

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Nucifora tried to implement this last year by locking down an 8 team top division with 2 ulster, 2 Dublin, 2 connacht 1 limerick and 1 cork team. Clubs rejected straight away. Parachuting teams in considering buccs are the highest team fro. Connacht in div 2A and hinch the only ulster club in 1A in the last 10 years.

The irfu didn’t even consult the clubs to find a workable suggestion. It was a real shitting down on the rugby tradition in this country. The inter pros were only trials for international selection or play international touring teams.

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Course they did

Must be somewhat merit based. But the idea is right

How we fixed for the Rainbow Cup?

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100% have 2 divisions nationally and regionalise below. It’s not worth it financially for lower diving clubs travelling around the country every week. Have a national play off system for the winners to go to the national league, like the current promotion round Robin series for junior clubs to ail.

More local derby’s too and chance to get a big crowd into the bar on a Friday. Imagine Cashel vs clonmel on a Friday night.

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5/6 big clubs in Dublin alone, imagine trying to get 1 of YM, garryowen and Shannon or the bitterness from Highfield, UCC and Dolphin (a fallen giant) when Con get the pick.

It was a ridiculous notion.

It’s the flaw with it alright, but that’s why it’s so important to keep the sugar daddy funding the South African deals on board.
Watching Ulster hammering a terrible Quins side here, even the replacement forwards coming on are Leinster men. They are talented and committed, but its surely better to fail with lads from the province than succeed with a team of imports. Regardless of all that, sad to see the young lad from the Offaly Dooley dynasty go off again with a bad looking injury.

He’s not directly related to them is he? He had Michael Bent in his way at Leinster, that says enough about the IRFU recruitment policy.

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I was under the impression his mother is from the wider Dooley clan but could be wrong there. Irish international Bent plays in a different position entirely, not nice to see a man who served his country so well be blamed there.
Ulster have replaced their Dublin scrumhalf and English outhalf with a NZ scrumhalf and Dublin outhalf. A great night for Ulster rugby.

Has he left Leinster? Thought I saw him in the line up of props celebrating with the pro 14 trophy last weekend. Is he related to the hurling Dooley’s? Shane Dooley kept Offaly afloat for a few years there with some excellent scoring. A great dynasty.

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Ah ye fellas are thinking of Peter Dooley I presume? The lad I’m talking about is Conor Izuchukwu. Conor is a young fella from Tullamore and has Dooley pedigree, came on for Ulster this evening but went off again with a knee injury.

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Ahhhh. Sorry, it was indeed Peter I was thinking of. I did wonder how the mother had the Dooley name alright :joy:

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Easy to say, and true, but the people running Limerick hurling didn’t have their mortgages on the line and require instant success to stay in a job.**

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Absolutely true. It would be better though to have a Connacht/Munster competition, and a Leinster/Ulster one. Most games would be within 90mins drive for players (any further, and it should be neutral venue half way between).

Will Paddy Jackson ever come back and play in/for Ireland again lads?

He’s playing very well.
I doubt it. He would be hounded wherever he went.

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Its professional sport, if your not up to it you should be there. They all have fall back qualifications or side gigs waiting