Former Irish international Gordon D’Arcy believes the IRFU needs to invest more in developing grassroots rugby across the country.
D’Arcy questioned the IRFU’s strategy that has been implemented within the four provinces.
He joined this morning’s OTB AM to discuss a number of issues the IRFU are currently dealing with. Including problems which he sees at the grassroots level.
D’Arcy cited a need for greater diversity from the IRFU’s development plan in place at Leinster Rugby. The Wexford man says the same strategy can’t be used for the other provinces.
“The strategy that works in Dublin can’t work in Muster, Connacht and in Ulster. If you roll out the same formats, you’re going to have vastly different results.”
The former Leinster centre says that investment is crucial for the conveyor belt to continue moving in the correct direction. D’Arcy believes this is essential, in order to feed the academy systems that are in place at Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster.
"It's painful and it unpalatable"
Gordon D'Arcy argues that the IRFU needs to invest more in rugby outside of the capital https://t.co/fI6JXZSr08
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) December 7, 2017
“The academies aren’t delivering, so there has to be an investment at grassroots level. If you don’t get numbers invested at that stage, you’re not going to have an academy system.”
He is particularly worried that the IRFU is becoming too dependent on the Leinster Academy to deliver top-class talent.
