Irish clubs suffering as French swooping for country’s best emerging talent

French rugby clubs are targeting school leavers as they seek to attract Ireland’s young talent with the lure of a decent living wage and a good lifestyle.

Typically, clubs in France’s lower leagues, Federale 1, 2 and 3 (third, fourth and fifth divisions), are targeting players just out of school, college or university and are paying anything between €1,000 and €2,000 per month, with free accommodation and car.

The development is becoming another problem for struggling provincial clubs, already suffering from movement of young talent either to Dublin for work or out of the country on the emigration trail.