Danny Brosnan
So much talent yet only so many places. We seem to going through a phase where an abundance of talent is coming through and in various positions for the provinces and international team. Yet we have limited options at loose head, open side, fly half and fullback.
This begs the question of how do we get the main four or five players enough game time to get available for international games when needed.
Do the players at the provinces need better coaching? That’s up for debate as each coach will set his players up for his system. Whether or not it fits the national team coach’s style or not. On one hand if the players good enough, they should get the call.
Would we be better off adapting what New Zealand do and spread our best players around for more balance? On paper that seems like a good idea but you have to bare in mind that combinations in certain areas of the field work better when playing together on a regular basis. The tight 5 of the Irish and Munster from around 09 is a great example. Yet the back row had Ulsters Stephen Ferris, Munsters David Wallace and Leinsters Jamie Heaslip and worked very well. But then again they had a lot of familiarity with each other.
Do we scrap the whole unwritten rule of no province, no call up? This came in around 2015 after Sexton returned from Racing 92. Now it’s proved beneficial to the IRFU to help keep charge of the players. Yet we have a few good players playing outside the provincial teams and are playing well. Yet my biggest issue with this is that if the rule gets retracted is how many players will take the big money move abroad. On one hand, Yes, it might be great for a player to develop and learn. On the other hand you don’t want a 32+ player squad playing across 20 plus teams as the lack of familiarity can cause more problems than it solves.
Do we take a leaf out of South Africa’s playbook and have quota’s? Definitely not. I’m of the firm belief that the national head coach chooses the best players for his system. Now the quota policy of fair representation for provinces might favor the parochial view of certain fans but if that weakens the national team then we go back to best fit. So why try fix something that’s not broken.
Yet our lack of depth in certain areas does need addressing. Sooner than later. Maybe we might be better off giving younger or new guys at the provinces a chance at the jersey at the expense of the six nations or international tests during the Summer and November series.
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