IRFU: English ‘vultures’ threaten to swoop for Ireland’s finest

THE IRFU’S High Performance Manager believes there is ample talent with which to build on last season’s triumphs but has warned that English “vultures” remain a huge threat to the development of young Irish players.

Allen Clarke won a Heineken Cup medal with Ulster in the 1999 Heineken Cup and it is his job to ensure that the provinces and national side are stocked with players equipped to build on last year’s achievements at club and national levels.

“Once you do one Grand Slam, the task is to do it again,” said Clarke, who has experience as a coach with Ulster and various Irish selections. “My job is to bring those players through and the players in the future will have to be even better than those we have now.”

Clarke delivered a media briefing yesterday detailing the pathways which the union are using to identify and develop those men and he is adamant that the country’s top talents should stay here, in country.

A reluctance to discuss players individually was rationalised by the screening of Irish players at schools and provincial underage levels by what he claimed to be “vultures from England”.

“Certainly, when I first came into the job it was something that I aware of, given my background in coaching with Ulster and the academy structure. There was the lure of the sterling, if you like.

“We believe that we will best develop our players in our own environment because we care for them in terms of their long-term. You are not looking at it in terms of two or three years. It is a very real threat.”

The corralling of top young players into regional and national development squads hasn’t always sat well with some of the traditional rugby schools but Clarke believes that progress has been made in that area.

“We have got to recognise that the game is played in the school. It is about the game. There is no point in just working on the skills and then saying he is going to be a professional rugby player.

“We all know some Irish internationals who, if they were judged on current skill ability, wouldn’t be playing for Ireland in a green jersey during the Six Nations. But, put them in a competitive game, and suddenly that competitive edge kicks in.

“They are the ones who give you the go-forward, They are the ones who bust their asses to make the tackle in the corner of the field. Those are the ones who are going to be your internationals of the future.

“I have seen and coached some of the best unopposed number 10s in the world who should be internationals. But, you put them into a game and they go missing on a Saturday. We have got to judge a player on a game environment.”

Meanwhile, the IRFU’s Domestic Game Manager, Scott Walker, has revealed that the union will make a decision on the future structure of the AIB League in 12 months’ time.

Division One has been divided into two sections this year on what the union calls “a meritocracy basis” with three sides from the first section and the top team from the other playing off for the title of AIB League champions. A review will be held with key stakeholders, starting in January. The intention is this will be more inclusive than previous reviews into the domestic game but Walker pointed out that the final decision still rest with the union.

“We will engage with the key stakeholders. We will ask them what the league looks like but, at the end of the day, the union will make a decision based on what is best for Irish rugby, while taking into consideration the perspective of our stakeholders.

“An area we missed out on in the past is the guys who actually play the game. What’s their view on the league? They are the ones who get up and travel to Clonakilty to Derry each week and put in the effort.”