As a rugby man, do you agree with purposely buying in lads from the Southern Hemisphere to play for Ireland?
No
Yes. Considering he was on an academy contract least season his development is amazing. He was also consistently performing in a very poor side last year out playing far more experienced colleagues.
He hits hard and he carries very well for his size. Good goal kicker too. I think heâs not far off as good as Ringrose.
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I donât but itâs an inevitability of the 3 year rule. Even if it wasnât an IRFU policy you would have some younger players looking North for a better living, particularly South Africans. Arguably the IRFUâs controls on imports stops it happening more as the provinces would look for quality where they can get it.
The residency rule should be changed to 4 years.
IRFU dangle it like a carrot for most as an additional recruiting tool when we cant compete for the already well established interbational players.
Long term from the projects in the provinces currently only Stander will be nailed on starter. Payne is injury prone and law of diminishing returns with him from here on in IMO.
Aki is v good but maintaining his form and his fitness is not a given and Iâm also not convinced he will be a better player than Ringrose over a long spell. Bleyendal might get few caps but PJ and Carbery are both solid options with large ceiling for improvement yet.
Nobody else scratching around good enough to make a case for themselves really.
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Should be at least 5 years in my opinion
There isnât too many rugby players with 5 year careers before international rugby.
Iâd have no issue if were 5 yearsâŚyou will just see French and English pluck them earlier a d earlier into secondary school system though. France already have some kind of academy system with FijiâŚSH countries think 5 years will sort it but potentially just lot more young players move younger for less money and countries take their pick.
Irish would work away just fine without them anyways as it is. Some of them are good additions like Stander but we could do without him if we had to.
I donât see why. Rugby is an attritional sport. 3 years is at the high end of contracts given to players, most get 1 or 2 years. With 4 years you are looking at least 2 pro contracts signed somewhere. For both sides this is a big risk not taken lightly, itâs a real commitment to a country.
lolz
they are here for money and nothing else
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Is there enough money in the world to make any man move to Cork or Limerick? There must be something else at play here.
Exactly. Players should only get to change nationality if they are in it for the long haul
They donât have to be good enough. They only have to be barely there or thereabouts, theyâll be thrown a cap then to keep them tied to Ireland at international level so that theyâre more likely to stay with their province.
Thatâs exactly my point pal
I see. Shows how nonsense the system is and gives the lie to âno cheap capsâ cliche thatâs regularly trotted out.
Did you believe them when they told you there was no cheap caps?
No
Yknow, I think he did.
I grudgingly give @gilgamboa credit here for pursuing rugby football chat with renewed vigor. Most of the other pussies were too afraid of getting a smack-down from a hard bastard like @thedancingbaby to post about rugby football for a couple of years (aside from when they were cosying up to him on the anti-rugby football thread).