Look after the league - it's done us proud

The debate is animated, the suggestions many as the IRFU prepares to discuss the future structure of the AIB All-Ireland League this evening at a specially convened meeting.

Let us hope the structure put in place will prove beneficial and serve the best interests of Irish rugby, at international, provincial and club levels.

Meanwhile, the first division starts this weekend and I hope the clubs will get the support they deserve. I am looking forward to the league, as I am sure are many others. It has come in for some criticism, but through the years it has served Irish rugby well. When it was started a decade ago, it brought a new dimension to the Irish club scene when it was badly needed. It has produced some great and memorable matches and has generated tremendous excitement and enthusiasm. It brought clubs into opposition who had not previously played each other and club supporters have travelled from one end of the country to the other. Let us not forget that.

I have no doubt that a vibrant AIL is essential for the welfare of the game on this island; frankly there is no viable alternative. It has a huge role to play in developing players for the provincial and national teams. I do have one regret about the league: it started five years too late. The opposition to it in 1985 was organised. Although 23 clubs voted for it out of 47 - two abstained - it was decided this was not a mandate.

What was unfortunate about that decision was that by then the other countries in the Five Nations all had national competitions. Yet Ireland, the forerunners in competitive club rugby, where for 100 years there had been club competitions on a provincial basis in Ulster, Leinster and Munster, and for 90 in Connacht, had no national competition. In Ulster and Munster, too, provincial leagues had been taking place since 1890 and 1902, respectively. Connacht followed suit in 1925, while Leinster, alas, held hostage to the introverted thinking of some of their clubs, did not start a league until 1971, and even then it was no more than a league cup.

It is highly significant that since England started their league, the country has enjoyed unprecedented success in the Championship. Scotland, too, gained great benefit from their national League and in 1984 and 1990 won Triple Crown, championship and Grand Slam, having not won a championship since 1938.

It must be borne in mind that the current situation is totally different to the position that obtained when the AIL was started. In those days there was the Interprovincial Championship and the provinces used to arrange a few games against outside opposition and there was the odd visit from a touring team. For a brief period we had matches between the Irish provinces and Scottish District teams. These scarcely set the scene alight and maybe there is a lesson there about the proposed Celtic league. The provinces' fixture lists were severely restricted because of a lack of opposition.

So let us not be selective about what did and did not take place and let judgment be made on the reality of the situation that obtained at the time of the AIL League's inauguration.

IT was started to help improve the standard of the club game, to give new life to it and by extension, to the provincial and national teams. But Irish rugby badly needed a meaningful tier above the league for the provinces in addition to the interprovincials and duly got it when the European Cup was inaugurated in 1995. Ireland, through Tom Kiernan, made a crucial contribution to starting the European Cup. Despite the fact that England did not take part in the inaugural competition, some English clubs, notably Leicester, through their then chairman and now chief executive Peter Wheeler, tried to keep the Irish provinces out while they raided this country for our best players.

Participation in the European Cup is without a doubt one of the best things that has happened to Irish rugby. Now as a crucial meeting is about to take place on the structure of the AIB League let us remember it was through it Ulster and Munster got most of the players who carved out glory in Europe.

Nor were all those players from the first division. Let it not be forgotten the part played by the clubs in developing the players. Let us not forget either the dismissive attitude of those who told us the Irish provinces would be no more than "makeweights" in the European Cup and the top Irish players should all go to play their rugby to England. Wonderful now is the wisdom of hindsight.

There are diverse schools of thought on how many clubs should be in division one. The argument for 16 is all the provinces will have representation in the top division, thus helping the development of players for the provincial sides. As things stand, Munster have five, Leinster six, Ulster three and Connacht two clubs in the top division. The eight or nineclub top flight some are calling for would certainly mean a higher standard, but could well mean a province or provinces could have little or no representation in the top flight. Only four clubs have been ever present in the first division, St Mary's College, Shannon, Garryowen and Cork Constitution. Between them they have won it nine times out of 10 - Young Munster were also victorious. That is a fairly compelling proof that we just do not have 16 clubs who would be competitive in the first division. So all aspects must be carefully balanced. Whatever the structure, the AIB League is crucial as the foundation for the provinces and the national team.