But how can someone be "named" and "of quality" if they've just graduated from the academy and haven't established themselves with a province though?artaneboy wrote:No- with respect I think you are missing the point here. LI would certainly be interested in having academy graduates (not ciurrent academy players) in the team. How do I know? Well, we do know that PLR and other teams sign them when they are available; Morris, Artimev, Copeland, come to mind. Players who have come through an excellent academy and have some hardening off in the Rabo. Of course LI would want access to them in a deal that priveliges them over their PLR rivals. The point on the heading home is that it is negotiable- we have the option, but if it suits all involved- the player could negotiate to stay in London. We'd lose a few we'd want to keep- but get back a few we might have lost otherwise too. The players get contracts and experience and the IRFU and LI get ring-fenced access to quality players. And in answer to your question- of course i wouldn't take a 'no name' 22 year old second row; but I would take a a 'named' player of quality on the same basis. Wh=y would we not- we bloody well sign some duds on longer contracts as it is!LeRouxIsPHat wrote:I already said I hated this kind of idea in another thread and nothing above makes me think it's possible or even a good idea.
I think you've missed a fairly major point. You said that its a no brainer that they'd want our players but is it really?
If I was the London Irish coach and I wanted to get into the play off places then I don't think I'd have any Leinster academy players anywhere near the team. Why on earth would you try and develop inexperienced and untested guys who will be heading home in a year or two if they improve sufficiently? We're not talking Rocky Elsom impact here, these are young guys who need games, not ones who will add much value to the cause. If they're not ready to start and just end up being squad members then they could have just stayed here anyway.
A championship team might be open to it but not a premiership team.
Think about it from a Leinster point of view, would you take 22 year old no name Leicester second row on a season long loan?
We have a problem with 'stacking' players in certain position across the provinces- we either are pro-active and try to mange it to the best of our ability- or we let them bleed away with any real hop[e of getting them back. That's okay if you have a palying pool the size of the big countries- but we don't have that luxury.
Can you come up with a list of guys who will graduate from the academy this summer or who are a year or two out of the academy but are only in the fringes who would be good enough to play for LI next September as they push for the play offs?
If you can come up with a couple of players (and keep in mind that LI are a team who have bought players of the calibre of James O'Connor and CJ Van Der Linde this season so, as good as they are, are unlikely to be too interested in Jack O'Connell or Darren Hudson), do you think we could keep that up every summer for the next five years?
And why should the IRFU create this pool of players ahead of helping Connacht anyway?