Liam Toland: Time for the professional game to help the club game

While sitting in O'Reilly Hall last Saturday night at the UCD Rugby Club Dinner I couldn't help but lose myself in elite club rugby once more. On the revolving photographic presentation high on the walls was a story of their history and legends. That my brother Brian, the vet, figured twice was most pleasing but the very last slide captured me with the words 'Ad Astra'. Puzzled I googled, discovering the Latin phrase meaning "to the stars".

Or as Joxer retorted to Boyle, ‘ah, that’s the question, that’s the question – what is the stars?’ This is a fundamental question. What is the role of UCD and our clubs; to create stars or participation?

Lansdowne's winning skipper in the recent Division 1A Final, Ron Boucher, will soon be too old for the demands at this level. Modern working demands make it increasingly tough to remain engaged. But he has given the game some service; so too Lansdowne's outhalf Scott Deasy who moved from Munster professional rugby to offer skill and experience in guiding his younger team-mates into winning position. But worryingly, many participants are slipping away from rugby in their mid-20s and Shannon RFC had no Under-20s this season.

Quality structures exist in the professional game. But, are the IRFU doing enough in the club game? Of course the clubs are the IRFU but there appears a disconnect at various levels for various reasons depending on your league, ambition or geographical position.

Plan Ireland

Plan Ireland was the IRFU’s “White Paper”

Creating a World Class Performance System for Irish Rugby

. The ultimate focus was to improve results in

Rugby World Cup

. The word ‘club’ appeared twice in the document where it was noted in ‘Key Issues Emerging From the Steering Group Seminars and Subsequent Working Groups’ the ‘failure at the wider provincial and club level to recognise the importance of National Team success to the funding of the whole game in Ireland’.

From Grassroots to International Success; One Island, One Passion, One Goal Strategic Plan for Irish Rugby Summary 2013 - 2017 mentions 'club' 47 times and develops the Club and Community Game - Operational Plan 2013. In the Club Sustainability Report – April 2013 'player payment' was the key topic for discussion.

There is an opportunity to extend this ‘Plan Ireland’ concept exclusively for the clubs. Two key components must be examined; the development of players and the role of the game. A plan is required considering the role of the club game (rural/urban & elite/amateur) and what is subsequently the role of the pro game vis-à-vis the clubs?

Let’s start with coaches. What is the professional game’s role in fostering non-professional talented coaches? How can the elite club game provide a pathway for more indigenous coaches? Over the past decade the provincial ‘A’ teams are sucking younger elite players from weekend rugby. Now if the provinces were to park their ‘A’ team and select/nominate elite clubs within their province that share ambitions under their academy directors then a pathway for both coaches and players could be created.

For example Trinity, UCD, Clontarf and Lansdowne could be the teams in Leinster. (The other three provinces follow suit). Then the professional game could oversee governance of these elite clubs, agree KPIs (key performance indicators) and influence future coach selection but ultimately empower the club to deliver these agreed KPIs that would be mutually beneficial to the clubs and the professional game.

But, to ensure the KPIs stand a great chance of success on both fronts Leinster would have to support the elite clubs, their coaches and their players; financially and with their ever increasing expertise.

This support could enhance the club coach but more importantly afford that coach now in full time employment an opportunity to stay in the game. Such a pathway for coaches in tandem with elite players could enhance the clubs but also give significant quality/competitive weekend rugby for elite fringe players who often spend many weekends not playing. It will reduce the less competitive ‘A’ games with no loss in Leinster’s influence.

Outside the elite clubs stand ambitious clubs. Old Crescent, my old Alma Mater is struggling to regain the dream of old. There are great structures in Old Crescent’s underage game. But the economy and draw from bigger clubs will suck quality players upwards. Yes players (& clubs) need to transition upwards but clubs that don’t, need to be rewarded, acknowledging their role in feeding the professional game.

Eoin Reddan came from this very process; Old Crescent need to be encouraged to produce many more Reddans. Can the professional game do more for the lower clubs, especially their underage structures and then reward the process.

In all this, individual clubs need to be honest and of course, what does the player want?

Finally, club rugby is constantly being benchmarked to gate receipts of yore; ‘in my time there were 15,000 at the games’. Equating dwindling gate receipts to standards/entertainment is a massive error. Benchmarks should centre on performance not gates.

While between provinces and injured I attended Munster v Leinster in Garryowen RFC. The pitch was full of Ireland's top class players yet many of the backs on show couldn't pass off both hands. Of the 30 players to take the pitch in the Ulster Bank Final final all, including the front rows, were easily comfortable with these basic skills. PS. Munster & Ulster 'to the stars'… liamtoland@yahoo.com