Dark demon of greed ruins rugby

The people who believed that they knew best about the future of rugby union football often scoffed at those old fogies among us who advised caution and restraint. It is no pleasure now to be in a position to say: "We told you so!"

The decision to adopt a fully professional stance for rugby was taken in spite of warnings that dangers lurked. Suggestions that it would be wise to hasten slowly were ignored and the lemmings went hell for leather over the precipice. Consider this for a list of casualties - Neath, Bristol, Coventry, Mosely, Blackheath. Clubs like these have been the lifeblood of the game in Britain, in many cases for more than a century. Now they have the receivers knocking on their doors and are faced with extinction.

A spokesman for the historic Orrell club has been quoted as saying that when he was a player with the club they were fielding seven teams every weekend. Now they have only two or three. Why? Because they "can't afford it". What this means is that scores of young players with potential are no longer being catered for and will, surely, be lost to the game.

What brought about this situation? Greed. Lurking out there in the undergrowth were demons parading themselves as financial wizards who would knock the game of rugby into shape and bring about the dawn of a new era. Dawn? Ye Gods, they were talking all the time of a sad drift into a dark nightfall.

The list above of famous British clubs in trouble is far from exhaustive. Reports suggest it will be extended. London Irish sank deeply into debt with the introduction of professional rugby. They are not out of the woods yet, and they have sold their Irish heritage for a worthless return.

Some clubs in Ireland have suffered because of the drift to professionalism and many of our best players have drifted away from us as the lure of filthy lucre took its toll. Signs that some of those players may be drifting back to us are welcome but let us hope that the salutary lessons they have learned will teach all of us not to give too much credence to the glowing tales of fame and fortune which tempted them away in the first place. Let us also hope that the price that the players have paid is not too high.

Irish rugby has always been a heartfelt expression of what we are. An all-Ireland body embracing all creeds and classes has survived some very trying times and should have been given more credit for its contribution to the life of the island as a whole when players and administrators of many differing political and religious views could come together and unite in a common cause. Irish rugby might, profitably, have been used as a means to advance the peace process. Perhaps it still has a place to play in that process. Let those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing take warning from what is happening in international rugby. We in Ireland will never be able to compete on an equal footing with the top teams in the Southern Hemisphere but that doesn't mean that we should abandon our efforts. Our recent experience in South Africa was encouraging to some extent compared with the English experience in the region.

In Ireland we should cherish what we have and seek in every way at our disposal to protect and develop the game here. We have all heard rumours of financial difficulties in some prominent clubs. If hugely successful British clubs can fall on poor times then less powerful clubs in Ireland must also be in some considerable danger. It behoves the Irish Rugby Football Union to be, first of all, aware of the impending storm and make arrangements to batten down the hatches. Then all the clubs who have taken a little too readily to the professional or semi-professional game should be instructed to get back, as quickly as possible, to basics.

There is another aspect to what has happened in rugby which should not be forgotten. Calls for the payment of GAA players, though mostly muted, are frequently heard. It is important that the GAA takes notice of what has happened in rugby and its implications. The GAA should not, in any circumstances, give any credence to the arguments which some commentators espouse that GAA players should be paid. Let Croke Park take heed of the demons which now haunt rugby union and resolve that those mistakes are not replicated. Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.