Clubs fear potential player restrictions

THE country’s rugby clubs could be on a collision course with the IRFU and the provinces after details emerged this weekend of plans to potentially restrict the availability of certain representative players for Ulster Bank League action in the future.

Cork Constitution coach Brian Walsh and some of his counterparts in the All-Ireland League fear that Munster, and possibly other provinces, may dispense with development contracts from next season.

Such a move could bring those on development deals — which currently act as the second of a three-tier system, between academy players and those on full contracts — into the senior ranks.

This, Walsh fears, would see less representative players lining out for their club sides, further stretching playing resources and damaging the standing of clubs.

It is understood that a proposal limiting each club to picking just one forward and one back per AIL game from their contracted players is also being considered.

Walsh said: “The way the league is going, I don’t think you’re going to have any contracted players involved fairly soon. That doesn’t suit the provinces, and I don’t know whether the union has thought that through or not.

“But if you’re getting rid of development contracts, and everybody’s fully contracted, and you can (only) play one forward and one back in AIL matches… there’s going to be a lot of fellas looking for rugby.”

The issue of player availability and the club game’s place within the national structure has come to a head in recent days, with Garryowen coach Paul Cunningham accusing Munster of undermining the future of domestic rugby by stripping clubs of their academy and development players.

A number of clubs sought postponements last week as a result of a dictat from Munster to omit academy and development players from the weekend’s Ulster Bank League clashes, arising amid the province’s need to fulfil a Magners League fixture against Edinburgh last Friday night and a British and Irish Cup tie in Bristol tomorrow.

The IRFU turned down these requests, and Walsh expressed frustration at the ensuing situation, which left him unsure of which players he had at his disposal for Saturday’s derby clash with Dolphin until the morning of the game.

“Munster have a heavy schedule over the next three weeks, and they were waiting on the (Edinburgh) game last night to see what injuries they picked up,” he said.

“We’d seven fellas on the bench for Munster, four of them were involved (against Dolphin), and three weren’t. Obviously they’ve to field a side on Tuesday and again the following weekend, so the log-jam of fixtures just caused that concern.

“We were in consultation with Munster, and a few of the clubs appealed to the union to see if we could get (games) put off. At that stage, it was more the principle of the game being fixed for when it was, rather than who would have who.

“I was talking to Paul Cunningham all week, they’re (Garryowen) in a difficult position, they were playing Old Belvedere and he was down his half-backs.

“I suppose we’re used to being down players to a certain extent, but it’s a difficult situation for everybody, it was about trying to handle it as best we can from this (Saturday) morning.”

Walsh subsequently removed centre Ivan Dineen — yesterday named in the Munster A squad to travel to Bristol tomorrow — and scrum-half Duncan Williams from the fray at Musgrave Park well inside the hour due to injury precautions.