Quote: Mild Rover "The traditional English Public School-middle class player talent pool has dried up somewhat. When it was an amateur thing, you could have your career as a doctor or a solicitor as well. Now you have to choose not to go University at 18 (as the overwhelming majority of Public School-middle class kids do) for the sake of [ia shot[/i at a pretty insecure career (for all but the very best).
It'll be hitting RL too, but to a lesser degree. Unfortunately, in some respects.
As they continue to generate more revenue than us but relatively little talent, they have to look at players from other countries (even more so than 'we' have), other sports, and non-traditional demographics to fill the gaps.
They're cash rich but talent poor, and this sort of stuff is a consequence - as it was when we were more often the poachers. French RU is 'suffering' in a similar way.
If (and hopefully when) educational and economic prospects improve for Polynesian populations, for example, we'll see something similar there.'"
I think the Public School Middle Class aspect of your comment is largely wide of the mark. The players are there in huge numbers (granted, less than in years gone by, but still huge numbers). It's more about opportunity.
Like football before, these clubs have been driven by the need to succeed on the field at the expense of younger talent - bringing in average foreign players instead. This has meant journeyman pros from NZ, Australia, SA and other countries being richly rewarded over younger local talent.
Sound familiar?
Rugby Union in this country has only recently woken up to the unsustainability of this and started to blood younger players - as has Rugby League.
With relegation and the massive loss of revenue, you can excuse Rugby Union clubs to a certain extent.
The really sad thing is that, in Super League and without relegation, we've lost years and years before (some) clubs have realised that this is unsustainable and properly focused on developing young players and giving them opportunities.
Even more sad would be if clubs, under threat of relegation or the commercial impact of having to play in the "middle eight", revert to paying older, foreign players at the expense of young local talent. If that was their default position without relegation, I'm more than a little concerned about what will happen when they consider the commercial impact of being relegated or even just competing in the "middle eight".
