WITHIN the next week or so the Ireland manager, Pat Whelan, should be in a position to announce the names of the home based players who will be offered contracts by the IRFU. The plan to give contracts was announced some weeks ago by the president of the IRFU, Dr Syd Millar. The purpose of the plan is to give the players an incentive to stay in Ireland and not to move to English clubs. It is an admirable and sensible concept.
No doubt Whelan and his fellow nationals selectors have, by now, a fairly good idea of most of the players who will be offered the contracts. It is a reasonable assumption that many members of the this season's be included. It is equally reasonable to suggest that at least a few of this season's panel will not.
It is anticipated that around 40 players will be offered the contracts. But some of those will not be members of the senior international squad. "The senior squad is a different matter," said Whelan. There will be separate contracts for the players who are based with English clubs. Presumably, most of those players will be members of the senior international squad.
Players in that category include Simon Mason, Jim Staples (possibly), Simon Geoghegan, Jonathan Bell, David Humphreys, Allen Clarke, Nick Popplewell, Chris Saverimutto, Conor O'Shea, Rob Henderson, Niall Malone and David Corkery, if he makes the proposed move to Bristol.
There is also a strong suggestion that Gabriel Fulcher may make his move to London Irish permanent. There is no doubt that Keith Wood, if he proves he has fully recovered from the shoulder problem that kept him out of the game this season, will also be in the senior squad. He is due to play for Harlequins next season and has been based in London for the past month. Another player who will be in contention is Barry Walsh (London Irish), who played for the Ireland A team this season.
It must be remembered that several of the players who played at A level this season were not members of the international squad. They received match fees of £1,500 for each appearance in the A team. English based players such as Henderson and Walsh played with the A team this season, but were not contracted players and were not in the national squad. Indeed, Mason and Humphreys, both of whom played with the A team against Wales were not initially in the senior squad. There were several home based players, too, who played at A level this season but were not squad members.
That is likely to happen in some instances next season, too, and Whelan stresses that "there will be provision for flexibility with regard to the squad as the season progresses". He also stated that all players put under contract, irrespective of the exact nature of those contracts, will he expected to attend the fitness weekends planned for the summer months.
There is a fitness programme being mapped out for the summer. It will be an intensive programme," says the manager. There could be some changes, too, in the fitness supervision area. The first weekend is now very likely to be later this month, the weekend of May 25th-26th. "It is then our intention to bring all the players together for weekends in June, July and August" says Whelan. Gone forever are the lazy, hazy days of summer for representative players.
AS THE management team contemplates the composition of the squad, in particular the home based players, they can reflect on what has at some levels been an extremely good season. At senior level, Ireland would three and lost three of the six matches played. The A team won two and lost one of their three matches. The jewels in the Irish crown in every respect were the schools and under 21 teams, both Triple Crown winners.
The schools team will go to Australia in July for a nine match tour and that is certainly a worthwhile exercise. I would not expect any of the schools players to be contracted, but there are some cross channel, eyes focused on some of those youngsters. That is the climate in which the game is now being played.
I sincerely hope to see several of the under 21 squad among the contracted players. I have in mind players such as Dominic Crotty, Ray McIlreavy, James Topping (a very good choice on the team to meet the Barbarians), Fergal Campion, Brian O'Meara, Eric Miller, Kieron Dawson and Malcolm O'Kelly. Topping, O'Kelly and Miller all played for the Ireland A team this season as well as for the under 21 side. All three played for the under 21 side that defeated England, but were then required at A level.
Nothing has been more encouraging in relation to the success of the under 21 team than the fact that no fewer than 10 of the schools team that won the Triple Crown in 1993 were involved. That kind of continuity is vital for Irish rugby, bearing in mind Ireland's limited playing population.
I have always believed that regular under 21 international competition is essential for Ireland as the bridge between schools and internationals levels. Ireland did not start playing at under 21 level until 1988, with a match against Italy. It was not until 1990 that Ireland first played England at this level. The benefits of the under 21 internationals and this must be borne in mind by the national selectors are apparent. The most recent evidence is especially compelling. The development side offers further support of the system.
The number of players who have gone on to win caps is a telling testimony to the value of the under 21 internationals. The players are Paddy Johns, Allen Clarke, Paul Hogan, Jack Clarke, Eric Elwood, Rob Saunders, Ken O'Connell, Nicky Barry, Conor O'Shea, Niall Malone, Niall Hogan, Gabriel Fulcher, Niall Woods, Paul Wallace, Victor Costello, Alan McGowan, Keith Wood, David Corkery, David Humphreys, Paul Burke, Jonathan Bell, Jeremy Davidson, Anthony Foley and Simon Mason.
No fewer than 14 of those players played for Ireland at senior level this season. They are Johns, Allen Clarke, Burke, Elwood, Niall Hogan, Fulcher, Woods, Wallace. Costello, Corkery, Humphreys, Bell. Davidson and Mason. Eleven of those players were in the Ireland side that played against England in Ireland's most recent international. The exceptions were Johns and Burke, both replacements for that match.
In conclusion, there are several home based players who have been offered contracts with English clubs, but who are waiting to see if they are going to be offered IRFU contracts. Let us hope contracts will prompt the players to stay playing their rugby in Ireland.
