Ireland’s Fifth Province

The following is a guest post by Rory O’Kane.

Ireland’s official rugby anthem Ireland’s Call mentions the four proud provinces of Ireland in its lyrics but fails to mention the Irish Exiles, who have been fundamental to Irish rugby. The Exiles system has provided us with players of the calibre of Simon Geoghegan, Simon Easterby, Rob Henderson and Nick Popplewell. The latter trio were Test Lions, while Geoghegan was touted as a likely Lion prior to injury in 1997.

With Ireland having a relatively small rugby population, Ireland needs the biggest player pool it can possibly get and the Exiles system facilitates the growth of Irish rugby’s player pool.

In recent years the link with the Irish exiles had weakened. Players such as Shane Geraghty, Andrew Sheridan, Nick Kennedy, Paul Doran-Jones (Ireland U19, U21) and Kieran Brookes (Ireland U18, U19, U20) slipped through the net. However, Irish rugby wasn’t overly concerned; after all it was too busy basking in the success of the “golden generation” of 2004-09 with three Triple Crowns, a first Grand Slam in 61 years and the unprecedented success of the provinces at Heineken Cup level.

It took the 2012 scrum fiasco in Twickenham for the IRFU to decide to strengthen the Exile link with the intention of increasing Irish rugby’s player pool and, more particularly, to unearth a few tight-head props. The IRFU have since appointed Mark Blair as the Development Manager for the Irish Exiles, an arm of the IRFU that runs representative sides for Irish-qualified players based in England, Scotland and Wales. He commented upon his appointment:

“This is a full-time IRFU position because they want to work much more closely with the Exiles. We feel we are only scratching the surface of the players in England, Scotland and Wales that are available to play for Ireland.

It is an alternative opportunity and we are not trying to take players away from anywhere else. But we want to offer that choice to young players of being eligible to play for Ireland.

The recession has seen more Irish people move to Britain and we want to give a pathway for young-Irish qualified players to progress their rugby with the possibilities of international rugby and also the chance to move to Ireland.”

The IRFU already appear to be reaping the rewards of utilising their Exile branch again. No less than 7 Exiles being involved with Ireland U20’s this season:

2013 Irish U20 Exiles

Conor Joyce (Ulster Rugby):  Solihull-born Joyce down the Leicester Tigers academy to join Ulster last season.  The 6ft 3ins blindside/no. 8 has made seven appearances for the U20s this year and has even captained the side against Fiji. He is held in high regard in Ravenhill and even made his Ulster debut against Glasgow in February.

George McGuigan (Newcastle Falcons): Standing at 6ft and 105kg, the hooker has been a mainstay in the no. 2 jersey for Ireland making six U20 appearances. In April, he was rewarded with a one-year contract at Newcastle, despite not having made his Falcons’ debut yet. He has made the first team bench as an unused substitute. McGuigan spent last season on a dual-registration deal with Tynesdale in National League 1.

Ryan Furness (Worcester Warriors): The tighthead prop has been battling Adam Boland and Chris Taylor for the number 3 jersey. Despite regularly making the match day squads in both the Six Nations and JWC he has yet to start. Furness has made two first team appearances for Worcester Warriors.

David Panter (Connacht Rugby): The 5ft 11ins Surrey-born fullback was identified through the Exiles system and signed by the Connacht academy. A former Ireland U18 clubs international, he has made five Ireland U20 appearances and is part of the JWC squad.

Alex Wootton (Northampton Saints): The Saints winger was called up to replace the injured Tom Daly in the current JWC. Wootten was part of Northampton’s squad for the 2012 Premiership 7s. He was capped at U16 level by England. The speedster spent this season on a dual-registration deal at Cambridge. Wootten is eligible for the Ireland U20s again next season.

Jake Caulfield (Ulster Rugby): The 6ft 3ins, 18 stone prop from Western-Supermare spent two seasons in the London Irish academy before joining Bristol for a season. In October of 2012 Ulster signed him on a 3-year contract. He also had a spell in New Zealand with Petone in Wellington. Caulfield is a former England U16 and U17 international and can play both sides of the scrum. He made 1 Ireland U20 appearance vs Wales in the Six Nations.

Alex O’ Meara From the famed Hartpury College, the winger made his single Ireland U20 appearance vs Wales in the Six Nations.

——————–

You can follow Rory O’Kane, author of this piece, on Twitter. You can also follow the Irish Exiles on Twitter. For more on Irish players based abroad, click the ‘Exiled Irish’ tab at the top of the page.

The Exiled Irish

Roger Wilson and Neil Best are two Irish players abroad, pictured playing for Northampton here. Wilson will join Ulster next season, while Best is now at Worcester. (c) Henry Southgate.

Irish rugby is often accused of an aversion to unleashing talented young players into high-level competition. Watching Super Rugby, it’s hard not to notice the amount of youngsters starting matches. For example, the Brumbies’ starting team against the Highlanders last Saturday included only 6 players over the age of 24. Meanwhile, Munster’s starting line-up against Connacht featured 12 players over the age of 24, a marked difference.

The simple fact is that with Ireland having just four professional teams,  three of whom are Heineken Cup regulars, opportunities are extremely limited for young players. Moving abroad in search of a contract is not a traditionally popular route for Irish players. However, it is increasingly becoming a valid option for ambitious youngsters. In the English Championship (second tier) there are currently over 20 Irish players contracted, with another 15 in the Aviva Premiership.  There’s also a handful of Irish professionals plying their trade in Italy and France.

It can only be a good thing for Irish rugby that these guys are actually playing professional rugby rather than wasting their careers on the bench or in an academy. Irish players’ agents need to be more aware of the opportunities abroad. While it’s never easy to move away from home, these players can earn a good living and enjoy a satisfying career, possibly earning a move back to their home province somewhere down the line.

Geordan Murphy is another who has excelled abroad, for the Leicester Tigers. (c) Vincent Cornelius.

For older players frustrated with a lack of action at their provinces, a move abroad can breathe fresh life into their careers. The big tax break given to Irish players retiring at home probably prevents more of these moves happening. Many are often happy to spend the final years of their career as squad players in order to ensure they can reclaim that valuable 40%. That’s very understandable too.

Over the next few weeks, The Touchline will be looking into this issue in more depth. It’s important that Irish-qualified players abroad are recognised, those who have moved away from home to better their careers saluted. The IRFU have recognised this potential new avenue for international players  by appointing Mark Blair to keep an eye out for Irish-qualified talent in Britain. It is hoped that less players will slip under the radar.

For now, we look at four players whose moves away from Ireland have had obvious benefits to their careers. These are guys who have taken the plunge and looked outside of Ireland. While there are several examples of that risk being unsuccessful, here are some who have been rewarded.

——————–

James Downey

Downey will join Munster next season. (c) Henry Southgate.

The physical inside centre is at a far later stage of his career than the three other players featured here. He’s a fine example of a player who struggled for first-team rugby in Ireland, took a risk by moving abroad and earned a move back to these shores. Downey’s career began at his native Leinster in 2003, but a lack of action resulted in a move to Connacht for the start of the 2004/05 season. Two frustrating campaigns followed before a brief stint with Munster in 2006.

Italian side Calvisano offered Downey a first-choice role and Heineken Cup rugby for the 06/07 season. Northampton were impressed with what they saw and signed him up for 07/08. That move has been hugely successful for the Dubliner, as he has become a key player for the Saints. He has won the European Challenge Cup and the LV= Cup during his five seasons in England, as well as a Churchill Cup with Ireland ‘A’. Munster have now signed Downey for next season, a well-earned move for a player unwilling to waste away on provincial benches at the start of his career.

Saints Profile: James Downey     Twitter: @jamesdowney23

——————–

Robin Copeland

The blindside flanker/second-row is a former Leinster U18, U19 and U20 cap. He also represented the Irish College and Club sides during his time with St. Mary’s RFC of Dublin. Despite his spectacular form at AIL level, Copeland was continually ignored by Leinster’s senior set-up, convincing him to accept an offer to join Plymouth Albion in the English Championship for the 2010/11 season. He had a big impact in Devon, scoring 5 tries in his twenty appearances.

That earned him a move to the Rotherham Titans, also in the Championship, at the start of this season and the dynamic Copeland has gone from strength to strength. The 24-year-old has contributed 11 tries already, mainly from the blindside. His brilliant form has now earned him a move the the Blues for next season. Standing 6’5″ and weighing around 110kg, Copeland is extremely mobile for his size. If he can continue to improve at the Blues next season we may be hearing a lot more of his name in the next few years.

Titans Profile: Robin Copeland    Twitter: @robocopey

——————–

Sean Dougall

Dougall is another joining Munster next season. (c) Neil Tunney.

Dougall is a current teammate of Copeland’s at the Titans, but like his back-row companion, he is moving away from Rotherham next season. Munster have swooped to sign the 22-year-old openside flanker. An Irish U18 and U19 international in the same age group as Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray, Dougall will be familiar with plenty of the Munster squad. Once with the Ulster Academy, Dougall moved to England in 2007 to join Leeds Carnegie in the Championship.

Two frustrating years of injury followed before a trial period with Rotherham gave him a fresh opportunity. Since officially joining the Titans in 2010, he has excelled at openside, even captaining the side on several occasions this season. At a time when there is regular media clamour for a ‘natural’ Irish openside to emerge, Dougall would appear to be of that breed. The back-row has signed a one-year deal with Munster so will have to set about proving himself quickly. He looks to have the hunger, fitness and intelligence to succeed.

Titans Profile: Sean Dougall     Twitter: @seandougall

——————–

Niall Morris

An U18, U19 and U20 Irish international, Morris was always marked out as a potential professional. Indeed, the talented fullback/winger signed for Leinster and made several promising Magners league appearances in the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons, even scoring a couple of tries. However, the depth of competition in the back-three at his home province meant Morris looked for a move elsewhere. The Leicester Tigers were more than happy to oblige and Morris joined them last summer.

The 23-year-old has made 10 starts, as well as 4 substitute appearances, so far this season, scoring 5 tries. It’s unlikely that Morris would’ve had similar opportunities at Leinster.  He looks like a ready-made replacement for Tigers’ captain Geordan Murphy whenever he decides to call time on his career. Morris has a deceptively languid style on the pitch, reminiscent of Clement Poitrenaud at his best. This exciting player looks like a good bet to return to Ireland at some stage in his career, at both provincial and international level.

Tigers Profile: Niall Morris

——————–

Photos courtesy: Henry Southgate, Neil Tunney, Vincent Cornelius.