IRFU CHIEF EXECUTIVE Philip Browne offered some clarity about Robbie Henshaw’s Connacht future yesterday and admitted that the union will not force players to switch provinces against their will.
Henshaw, 20, has a contract at the Sportsground until 2016 but IRFU president Pat Fitzgerald indicated last week that Connacht’s only current Irish international would have to move if Joe Schmidt so desired.
Browne said yesterday that there is “absolutely no point in going down the road of imposing decisions on people and on organisations” but the IRFU is clearly in favour of inter-provincial moves in cases that would benefit the national team.
“We have to decide what is in the best interests of the game in Ireland and the individual player. That requires discussion of what is in the best interests of the provinces and the national team in particular.
“We have four teams from which we have to effectively staff the national team so all of these things are being discussed.
There are no decisions taken about anything, other than what we do want to see is greater movement between the provinces on the basis that if players are to develop they have to have game time.
“It is in the best interests of everyone that at some points in time, we sit down with players and plot out where their career is going and what is in their best interests in terms of getting to progress to with the national team.”
