Walsh: IRFU neglecting club game

A leading Irish coach has accused the IRFU of neglecting the club game and warned of the consequences down the line for provincial and representative teams.

Brian Walsh, a former Munster, Orrell and Ireland A centre, is coach of Cork Constitution and he has serious concerns for the wellbeing of provincial rugby, particularly in Munster, unless contracted players are given quality game time.

“The Union have no strategy for the club game and they react according as things happen,” he said.

“They have been blessed with a golden generation and teams doing well in Heineken Cup, the revenue that brings in and the fact the international side is doing well in the Six Nations.

“But that side is getting old now and all of a sudden there’s a realisation that there isn’t the same quality coming through behind it. The teams we’ve had in the recent past were built out of the clubs and a strong league system.”

The reliance on producing players through provincial academies and by merely playing in A games was not producing results.

“I’m, not blaming provincial coaches for what’s happening, they work with the system that’s in place, but it appears the clubs are like a necessary evil for the union.

“The provincial sides are being augmented with overseas rather than local players to maintain their standing. They’re doing an extremely good job but the lack of resources available to Declan Kidney in relation to bringing quality players through to fill the shoes of say the Brian O’Driscoll’s and Gordon D’Arcy’s of this world is worrying, and the lack of suitably prepared, or at least more battle hardened front row forwards is alarming.

“That has, to my mind, come home to roost because the Union doesn’t impose a strategy in terms of the national game at all levels. They’ve just concentrated on the professional game and cut off probably their most vital feeder link.”

Walsh believes playing A games a few times a year hasn’t adequately worked in terms of preparing players for bigger challenges such as the Heineken Cup.

“Mostly, what you’re ending up with there is guys in the various academies playing against one another. Front row forwards typically learned their trade by going to Limerick, to Youghal and places like that and coming up against battle hardened prop forwards who had been around for 10, 15 or 20 years.

“I don’t subscribe to the theory that academy players, because of their strength and conditioning, might cause injury to club players. I believe it’s more likely that they would be educated in scrummaging techniques by those with more experience and consequently they would become better players which would be to the obvious benefit of the provinces.”

Walsh said it was wrong that all of the Irish clubs throughout four divisions should have been consulted on and played a part in the decision process of how many contracted players should be allowed to play in Division 1A of the Ulster Bank League.

Surely, he argued, that should have been decided by the 10 participants themselves.

“Ultimately the provinces and the union will suffer. In the current environment its putting a huge strain on purse strings, having to go to the southern hemisphere to get a tight head prop and pay him an amount of money that could probably keep up to six local guys on contract.

“However, we’ve arrived to a situation where we have no choice. All the successful provincial sides, Leinster, Munster and Ulster have overseas front row players and that’s something that shouldn’t have happened.

“I know all provincial scrum coaches are doing a good job in trying to bring guys through but if they can’t play in club games they’re only learning their trade against their ilk in other provinces and that’s not good enough when they have to move up a level.”

As Walsh’s Cork Constitution face into the final day of the Ulster Bank League season with a home tie against Old Belvedere at Temple Hill, he has given a vote of confidence to the structure of the league this season, with the top club taking the title rather than having to engage in play offs.

It all comes down to the wire on Saturday when leaders St Mary’s take on Young Munster and second placed Clontarf meet Lansdowne. St Mary’s would have to lose to see the title slip from their grasp.