leighton said:
JoeMercer'sWay said:
if there was so much more money in England BoD and Darcy and the likes would have moved, fact is they're cushty in Ireland and any Irishmen that English clubs develop go back home.
Joe if you can play top class rugby in the country you were born in for slightly less money than in France or England a lot of players will stay in Ireland and play. Ask yourself the same question about the English players why they dont leave England to play somewhere else? As for Irish lads that come back from England it happens in every sport. Those players have the right to come back to Ireland if they wish to. I dont see why you even bring that point up like in football if you see the Irish teams winning the big cups the players will want to go to play for those teams if they can. Its like when Barca come calling for players the chances to play in those teams is just too big for players to turn down.
only reason you'd go back is you're basically playing for Ireland in club competitions, it's woefully unfair.
France have a proper league, England have a proper league, at least Wales have more than 2 teams but still, it's hardly fair when French clubs had the period of limitless finances and England have 12 teams and still try to play fair with a salary cap, unless you're Saracens(abomination) or not good enough in regular season you're fucked during the World Cup, Leicester and Saints are struggling, Tigers virtually have their B team out because so many of their players are away, and Saints lose half their backline, not on. Leinster-Cullen, Heaslip, Jennings, Boss, Reddan, Sexton, O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Horgan, Fitzgerland AND Kearney to name a few. Munster-Flannery, Horan, O'Callaghan, O'Connell, Wallace, Leamy, Stringer, O'Gara, and they Botha and Howlett etc., that's basically the Ireland team in 2 teams.
The England team is spread over 12 teams, Ireland's 6, and apart from Ulster with a couple the other 3 teams each have 1 player.
That's a colossal advantage and I think it says it all when you don't dominate international rugby in the Northern hemisphere, much like now Harlequins topping the Guinness Prem, you only win the Heineken Cup with the other teams being diluted due to more competitive domestic competition, and Saracens had to sign the top players from struggling English teams and half of South Africa to get a 4 point win last season.
