Anthony Foley says provinces must remain strong to keep top players

Ahead of a pivotal game against Leicester at Thomond Park in the European Champions Cup next Saturday, kick-starting a season-defining spell of four European games sandwiching two Christmas derbies, Anthony Foley yesterday expressed his belief that the vibrancy of the Irish provinces is critical in keeping their leading players at home.

“Every player wants to win, to get trophies. They want to play in successful teams. It is about more than money. It’s most important that they’re in places that they feel they can win and the resources are in place for them to win. Players coming through in Ireland at the moment are fortunate that it’s in the country.”

The contracts of a host of leading players are up for renewal and the prospect of no Irish team qualifying for the knock-out stages for the first time since 1997-98 is all too stark. Noting the umbilical link between provincial supporters and their players, be it through school friendships or family ties, and recalling his own playing days in the mid-90s when many of the Irish squad were based in England, Foley added: “You don’t want to go back to all that.”

“What you want is your provinces being the driving forces in the Pro12, getting out of the their groups in Europe and making sure you have vibrant underlying teams for the national team to feed off, because you literally cannot have one without the other. I’d actually go one level below and it’s important that we get our clubs back and going as well.”

Foley understands the “reality” of IRFU succession plans involving interprovincial player movement, but that it shouldn’t dilute provincial identity and should ultimately be the player’s choice.

“You just can’t dilute the GAA/the parish/the town out of the game. It’s something we’ve been brought up on. It’s something that is held dear to every player that wants to play for their province. Some are lucky enough to do it. Some have to go elsewhere and do it, and become adopted sons of another province. That has worked for players in the past . . .”

But if, for example, Ian Madigan is to be steered toward Munster, it's news to Foley. "I haven't heard anything about that. We're open to every idea. I just think that it's unfair on the club he's at, the player himself, for stuff like that to be out there."

This being "silly season" for contract speculation, he noted that for Munster and Leinster, rugby is their most important consideration right now.

Foley was encouraged by the return to training yesterday of Conor Murray (bruised foot), Mike Sherry (knee), Donnacha Ryan (ribs), BJ Botha (concussion), Andrew Conway (virus) and Jack O'Donoghue (virus), and was optimistic about Francis Saili's calf strain after he resumed light running. But he admitted there would be an anxious wait to assess how Murray's problem reacted to his first full session in over three weeks.