IRFU to keep elite at home

IN WHAT must be seen as a major and very welcome development, the IRFU is set to counter the ongoing exodus of top Irish players to English clubs. It is hoped that the inducement the union envisages will prompt players to stay in Ireland and play for their clubs and be available for the provinces in the European Cup and Interprovincial Championship.

The plan is to put around 40 players on contract to the IRFU, and was announced yesterday when officers of the IRFU met representatives of clubs in the All Ireland League at a meeting in Lansdowne Road.

Outlining the scheme, the president of the IRFU, Dr Syd Millar, while acknowledging that it may not necessarily deter some players from moving to England, said that the union is well aware of the concern of clubs at losing some of their best players. That concern was very evident yesterday from the views expressed by some of the club representatives at what was a constructive meeting.

While the specific financial details and exact number of players who will be contracted have yet to be decided by the union, the IRFU sees the plan as a very practical way to stem the flow of players to England. It is likely that the contracted players will get a figure of around £30,000. That sum of money would include payment for European Cup and Interprovincial Championship appearances. The players who will be contracted will, said Millar, be identified after consultation with the Ireland manager Pat Whelan. But the contracts will differ appreciably from those that the international squad players signed this season.

The players who will be under contract will be obliged to play at club and interprovincial level in Ireland and will get their international match fees in addition to the basic squad money. The match fees this season for Ireland players were £3,000 a match with a £1,000 win bonus and £500 for a draw. Fees of a similar nature next season would enable the contracted players who make the Ireland side to earn well in excess of £40,000.

Players who represent Ireland next season but who are playing their rugby in England will get international match fees but not, as was the case this season, a squad membership fee. This fee amounted to a basic £7,500 this season.

The average payment to the Ireland players this season worked out at around £22,000 each. The cost of running the Ireland sides ran to over £1 million.

"The scheme we have in mind is in line with what is happening in the major southern hemisphere countries," said Millar. "We want to make it as attractive as possible within our resources for our players to stay with their clubs in Ireland. I think when they look at all the issues involved many will opt to do that."

"With regard to payments to our players, the emphasis is very definitely changing in our efforts to keep our players in Ireland," said IRFU honorary treasurer Bobby Deacy.

Millar also stated that the concept of a second division European competition was not deemed commercially viable. He reiterated his earlier stated view that some of the happenings recently were calculated attempts to take over the game from parent rugby unions, irrespective of the long term damage and consequences and said there was a concerted attempt by Rupert Murdoch through Sky television to control world sport.

Meanwhile the threat of a split by England's top clubs increased yesterday when the English controlling body, the Rugby Football Union, dug in their heels about Twickenham's right to negotiate television contracts.

Most clubs from divisions one and two of the Courage Leagues boycotted a proposed meeting with the RFU yesterday. Of the clubs in the top two sections only London Scottish attended.