RUGBY ANALYST:Irish rugby has travelled an unbelievable distance during the Celtic Tiger, but many threats are now closing in on our fourth sport
LAST WEEKEND I had the pleasure of watching the Ireland match from the comfort of a bean bag. The remaining furniture was taken up by the expert analyst and sometime lineout manager Bob Casey. He had built a fortress around his chaisez longue in an effort to protect his wonderful insight to the unfolding Test between Ireland and Argentina. It’s amazing how The Irish Times sub-editors manage to convert his stickman pictures into actual words. I always marvelled at Bob’s long-standing Pictionary winning streak; spell check is a wonderful tool.
Our host, Ciara O’Brien, who is also David Quinlan’s wife, found it a real challenge to hand the low-fat Weight Watcher Cornish Pasties and doughnuts through the furniture to him. In fairness to her, she managed, and he departed, eventually, hale and hearty.
While in London I managed to visit the salubrious establishment that is St Paul’s independent school for boys. According to their website, they are looking for boys with the ability to go to a top university who also love doing things outside the classroom: we are not a good school for couch potatoes, they commented (ouch Bob). David Quinlan had coached there, hence the connection. But it was another Irishman who interested me.
The Rt Hon George Gideon Oliver Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, was born in Paddington, but is part of the old Anglo-Irish aristocracy. He is heir apparent to the Osborne Baronetcy, of Ballentaylor in the County of Tipperary. Osborne is an interesting fellow who but four years ago was looking and learning from across the Irish Sea and is now in the process of writing a very large Sterling cheque. Whether he likes it or not, he has a huge influence over Irish rugby and its future.
Last weekend, as the plane flew above the Irish Sea, I couldn’t help but feel a real weight lifted off my shoulders. The previous Tuesday the world’s press circled around Government Buildings and I felt a certain doom descend. Even Al Jazeera managed the journey.
One week on and with the autumn series behind us, the IRFU were to make an announcement in Galway today. Connacht are to be given a lifeline, it seems, and potential for Eric Elwood to build a future. That future takes investment, and lots of it. The success of our game has run in parallel with the famed Celtic Tiger, both kicking off around the mid 1990s. And as the tiger quietly skulks away leaving carnage behind, I wonder is it now time for Irish rugby to also fade away? For there are real threats.
First, England look like getting their act together, which is very depressing as it has been nice pencilling in the win.
The threats will come from several quarters. Many of our top players have tasted success at a very young age and no longer have the incentive of winning the European Cup in an Irish provincial jersey. Tommy Bowe has shown that success is not exclusive to the provinces. French rugby will chip away at our best talent. They have the finances to hurt the IRFU funding.
They also have a real insight into our game with the likes of Michael Cheika at Stade Francais. Will the IRFU follow the English RFU’s lead and their “absolute intention” not to select overseas players for England following the 2011 World Cup? Considering Ireland’s player base, can we afford to be so strict?
Accountants appear to be running rugby here, and with them wages get cut. When great wealth awaits, a move can further erode the natural assets. And what will replace these assets? In recent times the provincial cheque has popped out to draft in foreign players, props in particular. This can’t be encouraged and will affect the already limited Irish resources available to Declan Kidney.
Our relatively small player base cannot be further diluted by foreigners. Look at England, their three first-choice centres are a New Zealander, Shontayne Hape, a secondrow, Matt Banahan, and Mike Tindall.
Over the years of wonderful growth in Irish rugby the paying public have been spoilt for choice. The disjointed nature of our competitions have allowed plenty of space for all our teams. The autumn series is a nice distance from the Six Nations, and the period is punctuated by Magner’s League and Heineken Cup.
But times have changed and with it supporters’ loyalty. For the first time we have a new breed, an exclusive provincial supporter who has far more allegiance to that jersey than to the Irish one. Their appetite has not been helped by the ticketing fiasco.
Our new friend Osborne’s influence is in the two key government resources that have assisted greatly the “Irishising” of rugby. The government have long contributed to the game through the Sports Council, which is enormously important. Second, the tax rebate scheme has had a hugely positive effect on players staying in Ireland, and Osborne’s money could secure such a support. Clearly the huge infrastructure that has evolved over the decade will be hard to finance.
Finally, rugby remains the fourth sport in Ireland and will have to broaden the net ever deeper into the provinces. Huge work has been done by unheralded development officers throughout the country who are paving the way for so many talented kids. But alas, they too cost money.
Irish rugby has travelled an unbelievable distance during the Celtic Tiger. Many threats are closing in on our fourth sport. Declan Kidney has difficult decisions to make about his style of rugby, as the Six Nations has always been our gravy train and our focus. The balance between winning and evolving will be made ever more difficult without Osborne’s money.
By the way, St Paul’s is famous for another man, a military man. Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery was a pupil and planned Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings of June 1944, in the school. The European map with which he built his plan hangs on the wall in the Montgomery Room.
PS: You will, no doubt, have noticed a lack of comment on television rights.
liamtoland@yahoo.com
