IRFU lose the plot completely

[cormac]

from www.irishrugby.ie

The Irish Rugby Football Union today announced some refinements to its professional player contract policy to further support the national succession strategy for the Ireland team to come into effect from the 2013/14 season.

The challenge for the IRFU in an increasingly competitive environment is to strike a long term balance between success for the Ireland team, through exposing Irish players at the highest level of the professional club game in the Heineken Cup and RaboDirect PRO12 and the needs of the provincial teams in terms of the recruitment of quality overseas playing talent to complement Irish qualified players.

The Ireland team remains the financial engine that supports each of the four provincial teams and so it is a critical objective for Irish rugby that the Ireland team remains competitive in the long term by being populated by suitably experienced Irish qualified players.

The opportunity to build this experience is primarily through time on the field in top level competitions.

To support this strategy and following an extended period of consultation which took place with the Professional Game Boards of the provincial teams and the national team management the following principles have now been agreed by the Union.

The following principles are designed to deliver at least two suitably experienced Irish players in all 15 field positions for national team selection:

- One non-Irish eligible (NIE) player only in each of the 15 field positions across the provinces of Leinster, Munster and Ulster e.g. one foreign player allowed across all three teams per position.*

- For the 2013/14 season and onwards, for any given position involving a contracted NIE player, a province will not be permitted to renew that NIE player contract or bring in a new NIE player into that same position in its squad.

- All future provincial injury replacement players must be eligible for selection for Ireland.

- All future provincial non-Irish eligible player contracts will be position specific.

* The Connacht professional side is external to this process as it has recently commenced a new programme of structural and performance development agreed with the IRFU.

The desired outcome of the changes to contract policies is that Irish-qualified players who have progressed through the provincial Academy systems will see greater opportunities for professional game-time experience, allowing both the IRFU and provinces to deliver the maximum amount of value for the €2.5million that is invested annually across the four provincial Academies.

The overall objective of the new policies is that there will be a minimum of two Irish-qualified players per position playing in the Heineken Cup and RaboDirect PRO12 as first choice selections.

The refinement in the contract policies will be operated in such a manner as to enable the professional teams to enjoy continuing success at both national and provincial levels.

IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne said: "The challenges for the IRFU and the provincial teams are to continue to try to be successful at all levels, but balance this by recognising the model under which Irish rugby has produced that success over the last 12 years.

"The provincial teams have contributed hugely to the achievements of the Ireland team, but it is important to remember that the Ireland team is the marquee competitive outlet for the game in Ireland and also the financial mechanism that funds rugby at all levels.

"On this basis, it is essential that the Ireland team is given every opportunity to remain competitive at international level and to do that, it requires Irish-qualified players to gain continuous experience at club and provincial level.

"Equally, non-Irish qualified players have delivered much value and support to the success of the provincial teams and development of Irish players over the last number of years. The intention is that this will continue, but not to the detriment of the progress of Irish-qualified players in key positions.

"The refinements continue to allow the provinces to sign overseas players who will not alone play for the province but critically allow young Irish players to learn from these players and put this knowledge into practice by taking over the position once that player's contract is completed."

He added: "The aspirations for the IRFU are that in any single year, we would want to win the RBS 6 Nations Championship, but also have our provincial teams winning the Heineken Cup and the RaboDirect PRO12.

"The key is finding the balance to allow this to happen, but not disadvantage one over the other and always remembering that a successful Ireland team is the catalyst for success at all levels below that.

"This new strategy is essential to put Irish rugby in the best position to reach that."

[Peg Leg]

Sweet suffering jesus

[cormac]

Adressing the main four points above;

1. So Munster, Leinster and Ulster will essentially have to consult each other on who they're signing. According to the IRFU the 15 players occupy individually separate positions which is true, but fails to acknowledge that players can master more than one. Utterly farcical rubbish that surely can't be applied in real life.

2. So, we cannot re-sign any of our current NIE players or even replace them with another NIE player but what happens when Isa's contract is up? Which of the 4/5 positions in the backline will he be deemed to have represented. Also means that when Isa's contract is up for renewal we have to say "thanks for the five years of sheer brilliance but you're no longer wanted here". Surely this means that any big NIE signing will have to come in on a long-term deal. Great if it's Rocky or Isa, less good if it's CJ vd Toe-Injury.

3. No problem with this, the injury replacements tend to be of a poor quality anyway.

4. Again, would any future Isa Nacewa type signing be allowed to play in one position only?

[Scott]

from http://www.irishrugby.ie

" it is essential that the Ireland team is given every opportunity to remain competitive at international level and to do that, it requires Irish-qualified players to gain continuous experience at club and provincial level.

And a coach who brings more to the table than legendary man managment skills

[sarah_lennon]

Hahahahahahahaha

Right

[Donny B.]

Good Jaysus! Have the boffins at the IRFU been at the Christmas sherry too early?

I suppose winning four HC's in the last six years is giving too much power to the provinces. Let's f**k up their recruitment process and that will break their cough.

Will appease assholes like George Hook and Keith Wood who are always bashing the durty foreigners who "took ur jobs"

[Leinsterman]

"The finances aren't as healthy as they used to be. As a result, we're not subsidizing you guys to sign loads of foreigners anymore. Develop your own players.
Happy Christmas!
Regards, IRFU"

[Peg Leg]

Group therapy sessions will see a lot of this out, no doubt project players will still be allowed.
we would have to lose either Henke or Nathan though!!

[Dave Cahill]

From: Leinster and Munster
To: The IRFU
CC:
Subject: re: Have you gone mad

Actually, our finances are fine and we have loads of players - you might know them, you borrow them from us from time to time. Currently.



On 12 Dec 2011, at 12:36, The IRFU <nutbags@irfu.johnofgods.ie> wrote:

The finances aren't as healthy as they used to be. As a result, we're not subsidizing you guys to sign loads of foreigners anymore. Develop your own players.
Happy Christmas!
Regards, IRFU

[Leinsterman]

Dave, the point is that I see this as a commencement towards a gradual winding down of financial support from the IRFU to the provinces. They've had to reduce their international ticket prices so if they want to continue giving top buck contracts to the international players, they'll have to cut somewhere else.
Maybe they're unwilling to subsidize all the imports at the Big Three.
Was it Franno or Tony Ward who commented the other day that with the academies churning out so many players, space would be at a premium with the number of professional contracts being handed out?
I can't see it hurting us too badly anyway.

[Degz]

Fubar.

[Dave Cahill]

Dave, the point is that I see this as a commencement towards a gradual winding down of financial support from the IRFU to the provinces. They've had to reduce their international ticket prices so if they want to continue giving top buck contracts to the international players, they'll have to cut somewhere else.

I would think that the provinces and union are after the same thing if that were the case.

I don't think that this is what this is about though, I think its an attempt by the Union to depower the provinces in an attempt to drive people back to the international game by removing the competition.

[rooster]

Only thing that is good in that is Munster will have to buy Buckley back to replace BJ as Afoa's contract lasts longer and even better for Buckley as he can ask for more cash.
Players agents with a good player in certain positions will be laughing all the way to the bank with this at some stage.

[bootlace]

Anybody know how this will be decided?will the provinces have an input or will the IRFU just dictate it,will they give a reasoned answer as to their choices?will they make more players rotate amongst the provinces.Possibly my biggest bug bear will they fund the provinces to recruit specialist coaches for the development of the academy players?

[Donny B.]

Seriously, please tell me April 1st has been brought forward five months?

Seriously can these bunch of IRFU spa's really damage this Irish professional game to this level?

I certainly won't feel any urge to attend an Ireland match again. That snobby shower of inbred tw@ts are trying to destroy my team (Leinster)'s chances of competing at the highest level. Why will a coach of the calabre of Joe Schmidt stay in a country with this joke of a system where he essentially has to play battleship with two other coaches to see who he can sign? My guess is that he'll f**k off at the first chance rather than deal with this bullshit and I can't blame him to be honest.

f%~k THE IRFU!!!

The c**ts wanted us to get vocal about TV rights when it suited them, now lets get vocal about this!

This is bullshit and they should know about it. Like with the ticket fiasco, they'll probably tell us they know best, but let's put the pressure on.

And the only thing these assholes understand is the pocket.


So if you're a loyal provincial fan, boycott the Six Nations this year!

[bootlace]

Okay imagine a time in the not too distant future,a couple of injuries,players called up to Irish team and you end up playing a B team provincial team in the pro 12,accusations about Ireland abound about not taking the league seriously,and then the press ask questions why this was allowed to happen,it only takes one injury.Then someone will ask the question which individuals allowed this to happen? seems to me a bit like the banking crisis.I would love to know the names of the people involved who decided this and then ask them why and what is their f**king rational.

[bootlace]

Maybe we should reduce the numbers of alacadoos by nil

[Scott]

.I would love to know the names of the people involved who decided this and then ask them why and what is their f**king rational.

Not a Thornley fan but i'll give him his dues on this particular point. He was calling for much more transparency into who will make the calls. Who makes up the PAG??


Why would any coach worth his salt want to be restricted by this type of bullshite. You call already tell the JS has issues with the player management as is, but add something this major to the mix & no coach worth having would even send a cv to any of the provs

[berniemac67]

Seriously, please tell me April 1st has been brought forward five months?

Seriously can these bunch of IRFU spa's really damage this Irish professional game to this level?

I certainly won't feel any urge to attend an Ireland match again. That snobby shower of inbred tw@ts are trying to destroy my team (Leinster)'s chances of competing at the highest level. Why will a coach of the calabre of Joe Schmidt stay in a country with this joke of a system where he essentially has to play battleship with two other coaches to see who he can sign? My guess is that he'll f**k off at the first chance rather than deal with this bullshit and I can't blame him to be honest.

f%~k THE IRFU!!!

The c**ts wanted us to get vocal about TV rights when it suited them, now lets get vocal about this!

This is bullshit and they should know about it. Like with the ticket fiasco, they'll probably tell us they know best, but let's put the pressure on.

And the only thing these assholes understand is the pocket.


So if you're a loyal provincial fan, boycott the Six Nations this year!

I wouldn't dream of going to an international. They're shite

[berniemac67]

Seriously, please tell me April 1st has been brought forward five months?

Seriously can these bunch of IRFU spa's really damage this Irish professional game to this level?

I certainly won't feel any urge to attend an Ireland match again. That snobby shower of inbred tw@ts are trying to destroy my team (Leinster)'s chances of competing at the highest level. Why will a coach of the calabre of Joe Schmidt stay in a country with this joke of a system where he essentially has to play battleship with two other coaches to see who he can sign? My guess is that he'll f**k off at the first chance rather than deal with this bullshit and I can't blame him to be honest.

f%~k THE IRFU!!!

The c**ts wanted us to get vocal about TV rights when it suited them, now lets get vocal about this!

This is bullshit and they should know about it. Like with the ticket fiasco, they'll probably tell us they know best, but let's put the pressure on.

And the only thing these assholes understand is the pocket.


So if you're a loyal provincial fan, boycott the Six Nations this year!

I wouldn't dream of going to an international. They're shite