In 2011 the IRFU, by chance or design, concluded on a divisional structure for Irish Club Rugby that continues to the present season. 10 teams, 18 games split home and away, followed by a semi-final and final to decide the ultimate champion for that season.
A logical structure? ….. probably not . An exciting structure? …… absolutely.
By adding the extra tension of a semi and final involving the top 4 clubs plus a relegation playoff involving the ninth placed club, the IRFU have overseen a competition that pretty much rules out end of season “ dead rubber games” . There is very little middle ground in the league to hide in, as the season comes to an end. The top four semi-final places are rarely confirmed before the last fixtures and if you’re not driving for the top you could easily be sucked down into the white knuckle ride of relegation playoffs.
This is a brilliant competition because it demands so much from the participating clubs. Every year the standards are forced higher, as the clubs invest time and resources to mirror, as much as possible, the professional structure of the provinces in Irish Rugby’s second tier. This success has resulted in the AIL’s position as a viable alternative to provincial “A” fixtures being informally recognised.
For many club members the excitement will start on the 26th with the opening fixtures. For the members closely aligned to the senior rugby set up the new season starts when the final whistle of the last game is blown. Squads are reviewed, potential new players are assessed, coaching teams are confirmed and the endless task of building positional depth charts begins to ensure that quality playing coverage is in place for the following season across all the senior sides.
Rugby is almost unique in its demands on squad development. An example is that any club could have the best 14 players in their positions in the country, but if they are without a hooker who can scrum and throw, they will definitely struggle to compete. In my opinion Rugby is the greatest team game in the world because, counterintuitively, it relies on the skill of the individual to succeed. No props ? ….Forget about it, great pack but no out half ….. Forget about it ….. The skills that make a great prop could not be further from the skills that make a great out half.
That is what makes rugby so compelling. It’s beauty lies in the dynamic between power and finesse, brutality and speed, handling and tackling.
A good squad must have a full measure of all these talents to be successful, and a good club must have the coaching to develop the talents and the game plans to use them to best effect and the backup supports to get it all on to the pitch. Building this is a Sisyphean task ….. It never ends. It is the sporting equivalent of painting the Golden Gate Bridge.
On behalf of the senior rugby structure I am pleased to say that we are very happy with our current squad and are looking forward to the season with confidence. We have lost a few players in the off season, namely Jordan Coghlan to Terenure, Michael Maloney to Lansdowne, Conor Gibney to Wanderers and Aaron Coleman to Australia.
Players in include some returnees, Ben Griffin, Michael Courtney, Ru Byron, Aidan O’Kane, Barry Gray and Dave Hawkshaw. We have also strengthened the squad with signees Oisin McCormack, back row , from Connacht via Harlequins and Jackson Bevin, back row, from New Zealand via Perth Australia. There are many others who I will leave you to discover as the games unfold.
On the 26th we welcome Old Wesley to Castle Avenue for our opening AIL fixture. This is Wesley’s return to the top flight after 29 years and they will travel in strength to celebrate a great occasion. They are a great club and have won their top level status after years of effort and some gutting heartbreak.
This is a big year for Clontarf. 150 years old!
1876 was a long time ago. Think of this, there was a group of men contemplating founding a rugby club on Dublin’s Northside in the same year as General Custer and his fellow officers were contemplating attacking an enormous Indian camp at the Little Bighorn river in Montana.
Both groups pressed ahead with their plans ….. I’m happy to be us !!