The Rugby Thread (Part 2)

Sure cork can’t even raise funds for theirngaa teams what hope have rugby teams?

Lol that’s some change of tune from this morning.

Reason that one out for me.

A lot of them play for Naomh Barrog, hence the recent spurt of Dublin senior hurlers from Barrogs. The catchment would include Raheny and a few from Clontarf as well.

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Culture is one thing. Throwing money and resources another. Bandon grammar a good example of where the tide can turn relatively quickly if you can get the structure right…

Not same level of private funding likely to land into the schools in Munster is a bigger issue really

Luck as well - you need a Dan Sheehan or a Conor Murray to walk in the door. Thats what it will take for Munster. 2 or 3 like that to come along together.

Zebo, Mahony, Murray all came through together and even that wasnt enough.

Its never going to be a production line with Munster- it’ll be an O’Connell type dragging along lesser players.

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Even at that they’ll need a couple world class signings to elevate them to competing at quarter and semi final stages. Saw this article about players Munster are targeting. Hardly going to elevate the team. I wonder if they will be able to sign anyone near the caliber of Deallende or Snyman again in the near term.

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They should, but it’s really a culture built up over generations where the schools rugby lads are cock of the walk in Leinster, and get the first choice of the socodu ladies. Hard to replicate. It’s just a feature of the landscape.

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This is exaggerated.

Thornley backing up @BruidheanChaorthainn’s Leinster bias theory.

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It isn’t a theory it’s a fact.

No doubt Leinster have their house in order and are very slickly run but it doesn’t change the fact. Nobody can compete with the money invested in the senior cup teams in Leinster.

They are prepared as well as professional sides.

The average Leinster under 20 sides is obviously going to be streets ahead of a Munster side as an example.

When this difference plays out over ten years or maybe fifteen years and the Irish under 20 sides are continually made up of the Leinster players who again get the best coaching and development tools it’s no wonder Munster can’t compete with Leinster.

Then you’ve 11 of 13 central contracts being taken up by the Leinster players.

It’s no wonder Munster can’t compete and in time no club team anywhere will compete.

It’s the same in soccer, horse racing, gaa and basically any sport which allows money take over. You get incredibly lopsided results which takes the fun out of sport and people lose interest.

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Leinster are now basically a defacto international team

It’s like the na piarisgh under 13 being picked on masse For ten years in a row to go into the Limerick hurling academy from the age of 13 to 18?

What do you think would happen after ten years?

Na piarsigh would have a very good senior hurling team and make up the bulk of the Limerick team.

You don’t have to be a genius to figure it out lads.

It’s going to ruin the European league. Imagine the outcry if France or England had one superclub with ten or more frontline international players centrally contracted for them before they start paying wages on any other player. The English and French leagues won’t be long complaining about it.

I don’t think a draft system would work for academy or entry levels but it could work at the central contract level. No club could have more than a certain number of central contracts say, and beyond that level a central contract would be offered with a requirement to move.

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What are you waffling about Under 20s for? There isn’t an official interpro at that level anymore.

Part of that is for the players to get AIL action and partly because (Leinster in particular) have been using more of them for Senior games.

It seems like you don’t know much what is going on at underage. Munster Schools, for example, beat Leinster Schools last summer (Leinster won the other fixture).

There are also regular fixtures between Leinster and Munster schools. Whilst Leinster are certainly stronger, the likes of Pres Cork beat St Michaels this year. You would honestly swear this was like specific super sport high schools in the U.S. like Bishop Gorman or IAG. It isn’t.

If you go to the specifics at Senior squad level, isn’t it telling that Munster don’t have anyone to replace Murray and O’Mahoney. Whatever about O’Mahoney, why are the IRFU part funding a sub (at best) scrum half in the form of Murray?

You talk about equity but as the piece notes, Gibson Park is only getting a central contract now. Meanwhile Murray has been on one when he has been dropping in and out of the 23 for several seasons now.

Leinster may have the bulk of the central contracts, but this covers a portion of the players.

Leinster regularly have 18-19 players in the Ireland squad, meaning they are directly funding the salaries of more players. This also means they need to stretch their senior squad and fund more players.

This has meant Leinster (far more than other provinces), regularly dip into the Academy stocks.

It also seems to be forgotten that whilst there is a meme on players choosing not to leave Leinster, Leinster have consistently been losing 2 to 3 players a season to other places. There is a replacement cost to this that is never factored in like it would be in football, for example.

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The Irish under 20s Tim.

If you don’t make the Irish under 20s you essentially have no chance of making it as a pro.

Who do you think as the best chance of making the Irish under 20s? The elite level trained Leinster fee paying kids or lads from the club games?

32 year old James Gibson park moved onto a central contract.

33s year old Irish captain Peter o Mahoney moved off a central contract.

Do you actually believe this :smiley::smiley::smiley:

Leinster can rest all their central contracted players for the next few weeks and send a development side to South Africa.

Meanwhile the English and French sides knock lumps out of each other before the semi finals.

The game is rigged.

The Ireland Under 20s Six Nations squad;

11 Leinster
8 Munster
7 Ulster
3 Connacht
2 O/S

Wtf are you moaning about?