Rumour Mill

[Dirk Stickler]

For god’s sake he’s an 8 year old in Australia. Just leave him be.

Did you ever think that maybe he’s playing with his mates? Moving him up 3 years to playing with lads his own size might not actually be that nice for a child.

Yes, he’s smashing lads out of the way but there were always big lads who did that. I imagine Julian Savea didn’t suddenly start knocking people down in his teens.

That may put some kids off playing but as has been pointed out before it’d be up to a parent to figure that out with their own 9 year old.

As for his development, don’t worry about it. He might never play for the Wallabies (or Ireland after 3 years at Munster) but he’s having a great old time.

[waterboy]

I couldn't give a fiddlers if he's playing with his mates. It's dangerous and having parents and coaches on the sideline laughing at the opposition as they get swatted aside is pathetic.

In NZ he'd be playing against lad his own size

[Stuka]

Irish underage Rugby is blighted by lots of things and has been for years. Mostly by the Mummys Darling Brigade. I played underage for Skerries in the late 80's and early 90's. We had a decent team and won more then we lost at the time. Toward the end of my time there we got a few parents in that demanded that their little darlings who were shiiitttt and couldn't tackle or pass be afforded the same amount of playing time as everyone else. This ruined it for me at the time because all i wanted to do was win games. I didnt care if little Butterfingers or Little Turnsytle felt left out. I see the same thing now at games. Lads that obviously dont want to play or worse they just cant play shoehorned into teams just to make them feel part of it. No wonder we never beat the bleeding All Blacks.

[neiliog93]

Irish underage Rugby is blighted by lots of things and has been for years. Mostly by the Mummys Darling Brigade. I played underage for Skerries in the late 80's and early 90's. We had a decent team and won more then we lost at the time. Toward the end of my time there we got a few parents in that demanded that their little darlings who were shiiitttt and couldn't tackle or pass be afforded the same amount of playing time as everyone else. This ruined it for me at the time because all i wanted to do was win games. I didnt care if little Butterfingers or Little Turnsytle felt left out. I see the same thing now at games. Lads that obviously dont want to play or worse they just cant play shoehorned into teams just to make them feel part of it. No wonder we never beat the bleeding All Blacks.

Fine balance at underage level between competing and just having fun/getting some exercise. You can't exclude cr@p kids. I would say big schools are at an advantage in this regard, because they have 4-6 or even more teams per
year at times. Everyone can play at their own level.

[GavinSydney]

I've a young lad here in Sydney and when he gets older he'll be playing Auskick (Aussie Rules) unless weight-over-age rules are brought into rugby. It is likely that they will be brought in soon, there is a big review of underage rugby going on.

Kids of Pacific Island descent are generally a lot bigger. It is not doing them any favours (no need to improve skills if you can outmuscle your opposition) and it is a deterrent to parents of smaller kids. It is killing Rugby League as an underage sport in NSW (every cloud!).

I do sympathise with kids who will be put in with an older age group though. No real easy answer.

[molloyjh]

Irish underage Rugby is blighted by lots of things and has been for years. Mostly by the Mummys Darling Brigade. I played underage for Skerries in the late 80's and early 90's. We had a decent team and won more then we lost at the time. Toward the end of my time there we got a few parents in that demanded that their little darlings who were shiiitttt and couldn't tackle or pass be afforded the same amount of playing time as everyone else. This ruined it for me at the time because all i wanted to do was win games. I didnt care if little Butterfingers or Little Turnsytle felt left out. I see the same thing now at games. Lads that obviously dont want to play or worse they just cant play shoehorned into teams just to make them feel part of it. No wonder we never beat the bleeding All Blacks.

And attitudes like that are why a lot of kids give up on sports far earlier than they ever should.

[sunshiner1]

And attitudes like that are why a lot of kids give up on sports far earlier than they ever should

+1

[Dirk Stickler]

I couldn't give a fiddlers if he's playing with his mates. It's dangerous and having parents and coaches on the sideline laughing at the opposition as they get swatted aside is pathetic.

In NZ he'd be playing against lad his own size

The fact that you couldn't give a "fiddlers" about an 8 year getting to play with his friends is quite telling, to be honest.

You’d lose kids who are forced to play with older kids, just like you’d lose those who are too small for their own age group and end up playing with younger kids. I assume you wouldn’t care about that either.

In spite of the NZ system (those kiwis, wow they’re so great), there clearly isn’t a simple solution.

[Logorrhea]

The fact that you couldn't give a "fiddlers" about an 8 year getting to play with his friends is quite telling, to be honest.

BECAUSE ITS DANGEROUS.

[Dirk Stickler]

The fact that you couldn't give a "fiddlers" about an 8 year getting to play with his friends is quite telling, to be honest.

BECAUSE ITS DANGEROUS.

It's a fundamentally dangerous sport.

[Stuka]

Irish underage Rugby is blighted by lots of things and has been for years. Mostly by the Mummys Darling Brigade. I played underage for Skerries in the late 80's and early 90's. We had a decent team and won more then we lost at the time. Toward the end of my time there we got a few parents in that demanded that their little darlings who were shiiitttt and couldn't tackle or pass be afforded the same amount of playing time as everyone else. This ruined it for me at the time because all i wanted to do was win games. I didnt care if little Butterfingers or Little Turnsytle felt left out. I see the same thing now at games. Lads that obviously dont want to play or worse they just cant play shoehorned into teams just to make them feel part of it. No wonder we never beat the bleeding All Blacks.

And attitudes like that are why a lot of kids give up on sports far earlier than they ever should.

Everyone should get a chance to play but not in mixed ability. Its not fair on kids that are decent players.

[Dirk Stickler]

Irish underage Rugby is blighted by lots of things and has been for years. Mostly by the Mummys Darling Brigade. I played underage for Skerries in the late 80's and early 90's. We had a decent team and won more then we lost at the time. Toward the end of my time there we got a few parents in that demanded that their little darlings who were shiiitttt and couldn't tackle or pass be afforded the same amount of playing time as everyone else. This ruined it for me at the time because all i wanted to do was win games. I didnt care if little Butterfingers or Little Turnsytle felt left out. I see the same thing now at games. Lads that obviously dont want to play or worse they just cant play shoehorned into teams just to make them feel part of it. No wonder we never beat the bleeding All Blacks.

And attitudes like that are why a lot of kids give up on sports far earlier than they ever should.

Everyone should get a chance to play but not in mixed ability. Its not fair on kids that are decent players.

Is this a wind up? Everyone should get to play but not the sh!t kids?

[Logorrhea]

It's a fundamentally dangerous sport.

you're right. you win.

[Stuka]

Its not a wind up. Whats the point in playing people that are totally out of their depth? The coaches should have been allowed to not select them but were forced by the Mummies and Daddies who thought their hams for hands kid deserved to play regardless. There was no earning of a place in the teams anymore. I found it massively frustrating as a kid and i stopped playing for Skerries at U12.

It wasnt fair on the poor b$&%@#ds that got picked event though they were sh!t either. They knew they were sh!t, they knew they would make mistakes and we let them know about it. I played sports not just to take part but to win. Winning was everything. It was the reward for effort. I didnt get a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart watching some lad fall off tackles and drop balls.

[Oldschoolsocks]

I didnt get a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart watching some lad fall off tackles and drop balls.

that sentiment you would expect from a pre-pubescent, but it's good to see that after a couple of decades of life experience that you're over it now.

[Fred Funk]

Back on subject, with another Leinster back sadly retiring to injury, could a Leinster sign somebody?

[simonokeeffe]

Back on subject, with another Leinster back sadly retiring to injury, could a Leinster sign somebody?

Theyd have to be IQ. I'd theyll make do unless theres more serious injuries

In opposite direction Dippy has to be off now (of his own volition)

[Dave Cahill]

Theyd have to be IQ. I'd theyll make do unless theres more serious injuries

Connacht and Munster were allowed sign NIQ injury replacements - what, or more accurately who, is stopping us doing similar?

[neiliog93]

Well we already have two NIQ outside backs so that's probably why we'd be blocked from signing another? We do look light on cover out wide though. Might allow some of the younger guys some of us feel have been underplayed to get some game time (at least in comparison to young outside backs, at, say, Ulster). O'Loughlin, Dardis, A.Byrne etc.

[simonokeeffe]

Theyd have to be IQ. I'd theyll make do unless theres more serious injuries

Connacht and Munster were allowed sign NIQ injury replacements - what, or more accurately who, is stopping us doing similar?

If we make a planned signing theyll have to be IQ

Medical joker time and its iffy/depends on circumstance