Leinster risk resentment of rivals with Barrett coup
Irish province provide bulk of national team, which frees up cash to invest in home-grown talent and top foreign players
The sensational news that Jordie Barrett has signed a short-term deal with Leinster next season may be rightly regarded as a jaw-dropping coup, but it is fair to say that it has not been universally welcomed across Irish rugby circles.
Make no mistake. Barrett’s decision to move to Ireland is boxoffice, a massive boon for both the club and for the reputation of the United Rugby Championship.
Leinster have forged a strong relationship with New Zealand over the years, from the impact of former head coach Joe Schmidt to gamebreakers such as Isa Nacewa and Brad Thorn and current Irelandqualified Kiwis James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-park.
Yet, as well-worn as the path may be, Barrett’s arrival – even if it is just for half a season – is, as one leading agent said yesterday, the biggest overseas signing in the history of professional rugby in Ireland.
Barrett, 27, is the younger brother of fellow All Blacks, Beauden and Scott, and has the ability to play across a Leinster back line that is already stacked with Ireland internationals.
He is anything but a player whose best days are behind him and who is looking to top up his pension. Jordie, with 57 caps already to his name, is the real deal.
Which explains, in part, why supporters of Leinster’s rivals are up in arms. The signing of South Africa’s two-time World Cup winner RG Snyman from Munster for next season had already caused considerable angst among the Thomond Park faithful.
There is a growing sense among the other Irish provinces that Leinster are leaving them behind, underscoring their status as European galacticos.
At the heart of the issue is money, and a degree of envy. Leinster have the ability to create a world-class high-performance development pathway that rivals the best in New Zealand and South Africa. With the private schools in Dublin investing in rugby programmes that are aligned at provincial level, the output of talent has been phenomenal. More than 40 per cent of all current professional contracts in Ireland are to players from Leinster and many from just a couple of schools.
This success has bred success. With more players moving on to national contracts paid for directly by the Irish Rugby Football Union, it has enabled the province to cash in more profitably on their success on and off the field, building a war chest that can be further invested in youth development, and to acquire world-class overseas talent.
That Barrett’s signing was announced just hours after it was confirmed that Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan had become Leinster’s 10th centrally contracted player (out of 15) is unlikely to have been without significance.
This upward spiral is seen as coming at the expense of others.
Ulster, who have been beset by financial problems and sacked their head coach and chief executive, have just one player on a national contract and recently announced that their one world-class overseas signing, Steven Kitshoff, would be returning to South Africa after just one season, while Billy Burns is to join Munster next season.
Munster have found it even more frustrating to fall behind the Dublin powerhouse. Former Munster, Ireland and Lions lock Donncha O’callaghan highlighted the issue in December when he questioned the IRFU’S funding model and spoke of his surprise that Snyman’s move to Leinster had been signed off by the governing body’s performance director, David Nucifora.
Munster head coach Graham Rowntree now faces the potential complication of losing Antoine Frisch because of the IRFU’S foreign player policy if he is capped by France, which raises another frustration about the Barrett signing.
In Ireland there is a strict policy on the signing of non-ireland-qualified players, including not having more than one in each position.
That, at times, has led to controversy, such as when Ruan Pienaar had to be released by Ulster as Leinster were signing Gibson-park, who was at the time classed as an overseas player before he qualified through residency, and some are questioning which position Barrett has been signed to play in, given that Munster already have a New Zealand centre in Alex Nankivell.
The IRFU’S incoming performance director, David Humphreys, will know that the issues being aired by frustrated supporters are more than just the result of envy of Leinster’s success.
Irish rugby’s success over the past two decades has been founded on its centrally controlled system that has punched above its weight because of the respective strengths of its four provinces. With an Ireland team dominated by Leinster, there is already a recognition that it is not a healthy position to be overreliant on one club. Barrett’s signing has crystallised that sentiment.
Which makes his signing all the more intriguing, and potentially more impactful, than just what his dancing feet can bring on the pitch.