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.

The third option is to disband the All-Ireland League in its current format i.e., all three divisions, and revert to provincial leagues from September to December with a three- tier AIL play-off structure in the second half of the season.

To my horror, it appears the weight of opinion in the IRFU is for a return to provincial leagues (option 3).

If this happens the door will be closed on club rugby in this country. At a time when the gap is widening between club and provincial rugby, one premier national league competition would provide the ideal halfway house between the amateur and professional game.

The apparent logic to option 3 is that the onus would no longer be on clubs to produce players for the professional game. This doesn’t make sense. Schools rugby will only produce a certain amount of players on a continuous basis and with so many demands placed on schools players, an alarming number give up totally within 12 months of leaving school.

At a time when the game is spreading to all areas of the country, foundations are now in place to attract players from a wide variety of non-traditional areas. The clubs have a huge role to play in this respect.

Since the introduction of the AIL in 1991, some high profile clubs have encountered great difficulties. One thinks in particular of great clubs like Instonians, Wanderers and Old Wesley. Conversely, others have risen to the challenge and progressed through the ranks and deserve great credit, among them Midleton, Barnhall and Co Carlow. Some weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting Carlow for the first time when they played Cork Con in the AIL. In front of a good crowd, we were treated to a game of drama in a beautiful setting.

Afterwards, people who I had never met approached me and thanked me for my contribution to the game.

In many ways, those people have contributed as much as I have, at their own level. The Carlow club is living proof of that.

The advent of professionalism has created difficulties for many clubs in this country. Some clubs dived headlong in, spending crazy money in their quest for honours, in most cases, without success. My fear is without the carrot of one national league, many of those involved in the running of the game in this country on an amateur basis will walk away.

There are a number of clubs in this country who are driven by the aspiration to be the best. When one examines the current scene in Munster, both Cork Con and Shannon supply two-thirds of Alan Gaffney’s Munster team. At the same time, they occupy first and second position in the AIL’s Division One. There is an acceptance within these clubs that their professional players will no longer be available to them. The emphasis is placed on youth and some of the players lining out in the AIL will progress to the professional game in the not-too-distant future.

ONE OF the core elements that has kept Cork Con at the top over the years is the recognition that the club has always been bigger than any individual. The traditions handed down to my generation from the Murphys, the Kiernans and the Murrays still holds good even in the professional era.

This was something I became acutely aware of when I joined the club from UCC 21 years ago. I was selected for the Barbarians to play against the touring Australians in 1984. The Wallabies had completed the Grand Slam and were one of the greatest Australian sides of all time.

In those days, selection for the Barbarians at the end of a long tour was the ultimate honour. That week, Noel Murphy visited my office to congratulate me on my selection, but reckoned I wouldn’t be available because Con had a vital Munster Senior League game against Old Crescent.

With the co-operation of the Limerick club, the game was shifted to the Sunday. I played the Barbarians on the Saturday, travelled home early Sunday morning and played for my club.

It is no different in Shannon. They were the first to recognise that change was required in the absence of their representative players. Yet, they continue to flourish. The club ethic laid down by the likes of Brian O’Brien, Brendan Foley, Colm Tucker, Niall O’Donovan and Mick Galwey through the years is central to all they do. They are driven by success. Without the carrot of a national league, will that desire be sustained?

If the IRFU vote for option 3, everyone reverts to the same starting point at the beginning of each season.

From September to December there will be a series of complete mismatches in the provincial leagues, leading to a total lack of interest from the general public. As for the game itself, the standards will fall even further and mediocrity will become the norm.

This decision will also have serious consequences for the professional game in this country.

The clubs have made a massive contribution to the development of players, even in the professional era. It is too simplistic to suggest that schools and academies alone would be responsible for producing the next generation of provincial and international players. Who will these young professionals play for?

Notwithstanding that, it is vital that players appreciate and understand the team ethic and also the sense of belonging that one associates with a club. While I accept that these values have been compromised in recent times, with the advent of players changing clubs on a regular basis, it is still a vital ingredient in the make up of any professional player.

Finally, without serious competition at club level, how will the next generation of coaches cut their teeth?

At present, Con are well-organised and coached by two distinguished former players, David Corkery and Brian Walsh. They succeed others of similar ilk.

Without serious competition on a weekly basis, what will attract club coaches to dedicate so much time to the preparation of their teams?

The decision of the IRFU committee on Friday will have major implications for the future of the game in this country, both amateur and professional.

A national division one competition must remain as the pinnacle of club rugby. Don’t underestimate its value.