LAST OCTOBER AS IRFU performance director David Nucifora gave a state-of-the-nation address, he issued a warning about Irish rugby’s ability to continue to house the young talent it’s producing.
“What’s happening now is that we have a model where over the next couple of years, we’re going to run out of space,” said Nucifora as he discussed whether emerging Irish players were getting enough chances to play.
“If everyone down the bottom keeps doing their job as well as they have done it or we keep improving there, we’re going to run out of space in the provinces.
“We’ve got less opportunity for these talented players sitting at the back end of the squads. The reality is those players will look elsewhere if they don’t get time.”
Someone with a sharp memory reminded us of these words this week when it was confirmed that Munster out-half Ben Healy is upping sticks and heading for Scotland.
Obviously, there’s a strong Test rugby element to his story and Healy has actually had a fair bit of time in the saddle with his province in recent seasons, but he could see that Munster now have Joey Carbery and Jack Crowley above him in their out-half pecking order. As for Ireland, Healy knew he wasn’t really part of the pecking order at all.
So this talented 23-year-old out-half rejected the offer of a new Munster deal and decided to take advantage of his Scottish eligibility. Irish rugby has often been the poacher in the past but now one of its young players has been poached.
To be fair, this eligibility strand wasn’t what Nucifora was talking about last year, but his message was clear. As he praised the quality of those working in the Irish rugby pipeline – the schools game, the youths system, the academies, the underage national coaching teams – he also pointed out that four professional provinces can only fit so many of the products of that pipeline.
Nucifora is more specifically worried about English clubs signing Irish players.
“What will happen is that England will come looking for better, cheaper players and it’s no surprise where they’re going to come looking,” he said.
Even for the Irish youngsters who make it through the very tight funnel to earn provincial contracts, there are only so many playing minutes to go around, all the more so with the URC having reduced its regular season from 21 games to 18.
How often has it been the case that a very talented U20 international has had to wait a few years to get any notable exposure at senior level?
In one way, it’s a positive that it’s so hard for young players to break through with the provinces. It means they have to be excellent to make the grade. Only the cream of the crop make it through. But on the other hand, this bottleneck can be seen as a big issue for Irish rugby, one that restricts more talent from actually playing senior rugby and broadening the national team pool.
It’s always interesting to scan through the teamsheet of the France U20 teams who play Ireland. Often, the majority of the French players will have some Top 14 or Pro D2 experience already, whereas their Irish counterparts are miles away from getting exposure for their provinces. It helps that France has 30 professional clubs.
Does Irish rugby need another club side? When it was mischievously put to Nucifora that the IRFU should launch a fifth province in Cork, he had a right old chuckle.
“That would be good, that wouldn’t create many problems!” said Nucifora.
When someone else suggested that the IRFU should buy a Premiership club, Nucifora said it was more important to be smart in how they work with the four provinces. And yet, he didn’t totally kibosh the notion.
“Does it rule out that you’ll never have a fifth team? I don’t think so,” he said.
“You’ve got to keep that on the table, but at the moment I think you’ve got to look at the model and how that can be adapted and manipulated because everything we do has to be financially sustainable as well.”
Nucifora continues to be a fan of player movement between the provinces. He would love to see second-choice players in one province go elsewhere to become first-choice players. Arguably, the four best hookers in Ireland are all currently with Leinster and Ulster.
Nucifora would probably even love to do a draft to spread the talent more evenly. He has had some wins in the area of inter-provincial movement but has also had to accept that provincial pride and tradition are very real.
In a strange way, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Nucifora really respects what Healy is doing. This is an ambitious young man who was in no way content with the idea of being third-choice in his province and off the radar with his country. He had no intention of holding tackle bags and watching from the stands for the big games. He wants opportunities at the highest level. Healy’s drive should be admired.
Connacht and Ulster didn’t make a play to keep him in Ireland, with Munster being the only province to offer him a contract. So off he heads to make a name for himself with the Scots.
In other instances, there won’t be the carrot of Test rugby but it will be fascinating to see how accurate Nucifora’s prophecy about the provinces ‘running out of space’ for emerging Irish talent will be.
“We have to be creative and thoughtful about what’s going to happen next,” said the Australian.
“I’m not 100% sure what it is yet but we have to find ways for those players to be given hope and opportunities.”
Figuring that one out before he heads off into the sunset would be quite the legacy.
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