Ring-fence Premiership or lose stars warns Dusty
MORE exceptional youngsters like Marcus Smith will be held back unless the Premiership is ring-fenced, warns frustrated Leicester scout Dusty Hare.
Former England fullback Hare, who has spent a lifetime in player development at Tigers and Northampton, reckons blocking off the top-flight would encourage clubs to dispense with journeymen foreigners and give youth a chance. Hare told The Rugby
Paper: “Marcus got his opportunity at Quins through injury and proved what he could do, and it was the same with Owen Farrell at Saracens when Derrick Hougaard was sidelined.
“Quins, Exeter and Sale have shown the way by bringing through a number of young players, but coaches tend to be conservative and because of that there are a lot of journeymen in the Premiership who are blocking people’s paths.
“How many other Marcus Smiths are being missed? You don’t object to
overseas guys like Lima Sopoaga joining Wasps because he’s among the world’s top players and you need that in your league, but it’s journeymen that infuriate me.”
Hare added: “You need to ring-fence the Premiership so clubs will play the yougsters in the knowledg they won’t risk relegation.
“We’ve proved in successive U20s World Cups that England have a superb playing pool, it’s what happens thereafter that I worry about. Not enough of those are coming through.”
London Irish supremo Nick Kennedy agrees. He said: “There’s no doubt our young players would play a lot more Premiership rugby if it was ring-fenced.
“I’m very keen on ringfencing. It would also lead to more exciting play.”