Oldschoolsocks wrote:So are students of the private schools very highly represented here! I know Rockwell,CBC, Midleton and PBC are private schools as are Newbridge and Blackrock. No info on the Irish exiles, but it appears that the Munster academy prospects are mostly private educated.
Open to correction as always.
Yes they are highly represented. The private schools are Rockwell, CBC/PBC Cork, Glenstal and then Midleton, Bandon Grammar. Any others will be in public schools. Nearly all from Limerick will be public schools. Many from Cork City will have attended pres/Christians but varies elsewhere.
Exiles mostly private schools. Lyons was in Bedford a private school and Wootton was in Sedbergh, private. Cullen wasn't in private school
goreyguy wrote:Only Steve McMahon is a player, i'm aware of who moved from a club rugby background to a schools background. Question is would he have made the academy setup if he had not moved to Rockwell College and got the improved coaching/support. Unlikely.
Not unlikely at all. He moved after been seen while playing for East Munster development squad a year early. He was on East Munster u17 squad with the 94s(hes born in 95) so was in same East Munster squad as Jack O Donoghue and several guys playing regular AIL and who went on to play Munster u18, u19, 20.
He was getting a lot of top quality coaching/support and certainly would have made it
Of course it's unlikely.. only one player in the academy at the moment has made it through that system resulting in an academy place, John Madigan, a 6'6 120kg beast of a lock.
To say he would have certainly made the academy is just plain wrong given the record of underage club backs making the academy in recent years along with McMahon's talent level which didn't make him a standout candidate to make the academy last season to begin with.
Oldschoolsocks wrote:So are students of the private schools very highly represented here! I know Rockwell,CBC, Midleton and PBC are private schools as are Newbridge and Blackrock. No info on the Irish exiles, but it appears that the Munster academy prospects are mostly private educated.
Open to correction as always.
Yes they are highly represented. The private schools are Rockwell, CBC/PBC Cork, Glenstal and then Midleton, Bandon Grammar. Any others will be in public schools. Nearly all from Limerick will be public schools. Many from Cork City will have attended pres/Christians but varies elsewhere.
Exiles mostly private schools. Lyons was in Bedford a private school and Wootton was in Sedbergh, private. Cullen wasn't in private school
So route to the top in Munster and Leinster (with possible exception of Limerick) is still through the private schools, is it safe to say that Connacht has a similar makeup. So no surprise it's still the privileged middle class who dominate rugby in at least the south of Ireland.
Oldschoolsocks wrote:So are students of the private schools very highly represented here! I know Rockwell,CBC, Midleton and PBC are private schools as are Newbridge and Blackrock. No info on the Irish exiles, but it appears that the Munster academy prospects are mostly private educated.
Open to correction as always.
Yes they are highly represented. The private schools are Rockwell, CBC/PBC Cork, Glenstal and then Midleton, Bandon Grammar. Any others will be in public schools. Nearly all from Limerick will be public schools. Many from Cork City will have attended pres/Christians but varies elsewhere.
Exiles mostly private schools. Lyons was in Bedford a private school and Wootton was in Sedbergh, private. Cullen wasn't in private school
So route to the top in Munster and Leinster (with possible exception of Limerick) is still through the private schools, is it safe to say that Connacht has a similar makeup. So no surprise it's still the privileged middle class who dominate rugby in at least the south of Ireland.
Limerick is an exception and Connacht would be different. The schools that play in Connacht are not fee paying bar Sligo Grammar. All rest are not.
Route will be overwhelmingly through private schools as they have finances for extra coaches etc that others wont. But that doesn't mean we can focus on them as there isn't enough of those schools. We have to work harder with the clubs and schools at a lower level in combination with the clubs
ormond lad wrote:Limerick is an exception and Connacht would be different. The schools that play in Connacht are not fee paying bar Sligo Grammar. All rest are not.
Route will be overwhelmingly through private schools as they have finances for extra coaches etc that others wont. But that doesn't mean we can focus on them as there isn't enough of those schools. We have to work harder with the clubs and schools at a lower level in combination with the clubs
Garbally college was a fee paying school, thought it still was tbh.
That aside I agree 100%, at least half of the Leinster school playing population has next to zero chance of getting into the academy, the difference in the standard of coaching between the private schools and public schools is shocking. I think we're really missing a trick by maintaining this status quo.
ormond lad wrote:Limerick is an exception and Connacht would be different. The schools that play in Connacht are not fee paying bar Sligo Grammar. All rest are not.
Route will be overwhelmingly through private schools as they have finances for extra coaches etc that others wont. But that doesn't mean we can focus on them as there isn't enough of those schools. We have to work harder with the clubs and schools at a lower level in combination with the clubs
Garbally college was a fee paying school, thought it still was tbh.
That aside I agree 100%, at least half of the Leinster school playing population has next to zero chance of getting into the academy, the difference in the standard of coaching between the private schools and public schools is shocking. I think we're really missing a trick by maintaining this status quo.
Garbally hasn't been fee paying for a while. Boarding closed nearly a decade ago as well.
I wouldn't say at least half of school playing population has next to zero chance of getting into academy and while the difference between private/public schools in terms of coaching/facilities etc is huge many of those in other schools play in clubs and its there that we have to work more on to help improve things
ormond lad wrote:Limerick is an exception and Connacht would be different. The schools that play in Connacht are not fee paying bar Sligo Grammar. All rest are not.
Route will be overwhelmingly through private schools as they have finances for extra coaches etc that others wont. But that doesn't mean we can focus on them as there isn't enough of those schools. We have to work harder with the clubs and schools at a lower level in combination with the clubs
Garbally college was a fee paying school, thought it still was tbh.
That aside I agree 100%, at least half of the Leinster school playing population has next to zero chance of getting into the academy, the difference in the standard of coaching between the private schools and public schools is shocking. I think we're really missing a trick by maintaining this status quo.
Garbally hasn't been fee paying for a while. Boarding closed nearly a decade ago as well.
I wouldn't say at least half of school playing population has next to zero chance of getting into academy and while the difference between private/public schools in terms of coaching/facilities etc is huge many of those in other schools play in clubs and its there that we have to work more on to help improve things
Thx for correction on G college, maybe 50% having zero chance is a bit of an exaggeration, but you look at the current academy and it's not far off
