Jim, there are more rugby players in England than in the rest of the Northern Hemisphere put together. It's ridiculous to expect every club side in Ireland to rise to the upper echelons of the game when England can barely produce ten.
I agree that the standard of the All Ireland League has slipped since the establishment of the four provinces as club sides. And yes, they are registered as club sides, by the way. Their successes have broadened the appeal of the game far beyond the traditional strongholds of Dublin 4, Protestant Ulster, a tiny bit of Cork and the whole of Limerick.
More new clubs have actually been formed in the last fifteen years than in the previous fifty. And they're being formed in staunch GAA country. It could be reasonably argued that rugby is thriving in Ireland.
I don't see what the problem is with Ireland having four top class sides. It's about right for our population and playing parc. Yes, the AIL needs a shot in the arm and there's probably too many clubs in Limerick (although that'll never change) but overall the game is in rude good health.
One final observation: I hear the English repeatedly bemoaning the Irish set up. Yet, the Welsh and the Scots are running rugby in a similar manner. Ye have no problem with them. In fact, ye tried to court the Welsh into betraying the greater good of the game recently. Is the real problem that the Irish sides are successful? If so, don't sweat it. This is a golden era and like all eras it'll end some day and we'll go back to having our arse handed to us in Paris and Twickenham and all will be right with the world again. Until that glorious day of reckoning, however, ye'll just have to forgive us if we don't feel an urge to apologise for having the temerity to be better than ye.
