Please don’t destroy our club culture

TWO WEEKS ago in this column, I referred to a crucial meeting of the representatives of the AIL Division One clubs to present their vision for the future of club rugby in this country.

Appealing for leadership and unity, I was delighted to see that their recommendation to the IRFU was for the retention of an All Ireland premier league. At the subsequent Union committee meeting, after prolonged debate, the final decision on the structure of the leagues was postponed until this Friday.

In summary, the options under consideration by the IRFU committee are three-fold: retain the current three division structure, retain one premier national league and dilute divisions 2 and 3 in favour of provincial leagues with national play-offs.