Penney vents grievances at IRFU recruitment policy

Munster head coach Rob Penney has hit out at the IRFU’s stance over recruiting players from overseas as he bids to build his squad for next season while Ireland’s taxation levels have meant the province has already lost out on two key signings for 2013-’14.

The retirements of both Doug Howlett and Ronan O’Gara from his first-choice backline have piled the pressure on Penney, who must plan his squad for the next campaign under the Irish governing body’s new player succession strategy, designed to promote the development of homegrown talent and avoid regular crises at Test level in key positions where the lack of depth has at times been alarming.

The IRFU policy affects Munster, Leinster and Ulster and means that for any given position, only one Non Ireland Eligible (NIE) player will be permitted to be given a contract across the three provinces.

With Leinster signing NIEs at fly-half and full-back for next season in Jimmy Gopperth and Zane Kirchner, while Ulster have scrum-half Ruan Pienaar on their books, Munster would have to apply for a special exemption to the IRFU’s professional game board to sign an NIE in those positions.

Asked by the Irish Examiner how long his wishlist was in terms of areas that needed strengthening, New Zealander Penney replied: “You’d like your key recruitments to be in key positions to make the biggest difference but we can’t get a nine, we can’t get a 10, we can’t get a 12, we can’t get a 15. So there’s some frustrations there.

“In Ireland we need to be careful about the balance of the overseas contingent of players. I understand completely the desire not to have a whole raft of people that are roadblocks to their own players getting provincial experience to progress to international level but when one team’s got a 10, 12, 15 and a now-eligible overseas nine in key positions during a Rabo competition, whereas other teams don’t. That can impact on your ability to have consistent performance.

“So we have that as a side issue and then it’s about getting the quality of player that we want, which is very important, and their durability to make a significant impact on this group at Rabo time. The value of those players, if you just look at the French market, is just going through the roof, so affordability alongside of the durability and value that they’re going impact on this team is a critical decision.”

A further difficulty for all the Irish provinces was also highlighted by Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald.

“The reality is, even if Rob had the wishlist of players, there’s a number of issues to get a player to come to Ireland,” Fitzgerald said.

“The taxation rate in this country doesn’t match up with the taxation in France, even if [we’re offering] around the same money.

“The climate is an issue. Full stop. There’s no question about that. The taxation rate, even if you’re level on what you can offer people, and then the markets out there, it isn’t easy, even if you want to get somebody and have the money, you’re not guaranteed it’s going to happen.

“Some people just need to realise that. So already this year, we’ve had offers for two people that were substantial and both of them have gone elsewhere based on taxation rates, really.

” One of them went to France, on similar money but no comparison in terms of taxation — half what they’d pay here, plus they’d have sun on their backs every morning when they wake up.”