IRFU treating clubs like eejits, says coach
Garryowen coach Paul Cunningham backed comments made by Cork Constitution’s outgoing President Der O’Riordan in Monday’s Irish Examiner that the domestic game is tumbling down the pecking order.
Former Munster hooker Cunningham blasted: “What needs to be addressed is whether it’s worth our while travelling up and down the country to play in the All-Ireland League.
Someone should ask the IRFU what they see in the club game. What is it there for? We need to know; nobody (in the IRFU) will come out and admit where they stand on the issue, but somebody has to do so and be truthful so that the clubs finally know their position.
“They should stop feeding us with rubbish that club rugby is the third tier; they should admit that provincial A and academy stuff is deemed more important. That puts the club game fifth and some would even argue that U20 rugby is now more important than the clubs. Let them say where they stand, be honest about it and stop treating us like eejits.
“If they want a domestic league, it could be organised like the U21’s with different conferences – Garryowen, for instance only have to travel to either Cork or Galway in the south west conference. You could do that and then go into a quarter-final situation in March so you do end up with an All-Ireland competition eventually.”
Cunningham believes there is no way back for the clubs unless there is a dramatic and immediate change of focus by the IRFU. He said: “It appears they have gone so far down the road now that the whole relevance of the club game is over. But if they say the clubs have a role to play in Irish rugby, then I would like them to say what that exact role is. The death knell for us has been the introduction of A and Academy teams, because once the players are in that you’re not going to see them again for love or money.”
Another contributory factor in the decline of the club game, he said, was ironically down to the success of the Irish national team in the Six Nations and the provinces in the Heineken Cup and the Magners League.
“I have nothing against the professional game and it has been brilliant for Ireland to win Grand Slams and Triple Crowns, for Munster, Leinster and Ulster to win Heineken Cup and Magners Leagues; professionalism was the right way to go, unfortunately the way it has worked out has helped signal the death knell for the clubs and I firmly believe that will rebound on us all down the line.
“The way the IRFU appear to see it is that they (Irish teams) are winning all around them and so everything is fine. The reality is that success doesn’t lend itself to change; instead of looking at the club game, at intense matches between fierce rivals, the coaches are looking at A games that are played in front of 50 people where there is no bite, no timber or anything. But they will continue to look at that because they want to see the structures and patterns that they’re imposing on the senior team being introduced at a level below so that if guys are called up they’re seen as being ready to play.”
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