In the last month we've learned that Argentina are successful because of their amateur model at home. France and England are successful because they're well versed in battling for results due to promotion and relegation. Australia and New Zealand faltered because they aren't geared in the art of winning ugly. Wales and Ireland failed because they don't play a high enough level of competition.
Before the World Cup, the same journalists who were spouting this nonsense were arguing the exact opposite. People like Stuart Barnes were arguing that relegation should be scrapped because it encouraged negative play - now it's the way forward. Jim Glennon argues that Ireland went out early because the Magners League isn't a serious competition and the top internationals are wrapped in cotton wool for bigger games - 6 months ago the same person said Ireland had the ideal system.
The point I'm trying to get across is that when you're winning, everybody sings from the same hymn sheet expressing that their own system is the best system. When you lose, you always want what you don't have. If Les Cusworth believes that the Argentinian system is best then good for him. However I think he'd be doing rugby in that country a diservice if he fails to put in place a proper review of the best way forward rather than simply relying on his gut instinct. Complacency will ultimately result in failure - ask the IRFU.
I fundamentally disagree with this assertion:
The strength and passion of the game in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales is based in club rugby and we have dismantled all that with the professional game.[/b]
Ireland before professionalism were going nowhere. Since the IRFU began taking professionalism seriously in 1998 (or so), we've seen interest in the national team reach an all time high, Munster build a new stadium to cater for demand (Thomond Park is being redeveloped into a 26,000 capacity stadium), Ulster looking to expand Ravenhill, Leinster outgrow Donnybrook (they now play in the 18,000 capacity RDS and have filled Lansdowne Road on quite a few occasions) and Lansdowne Road becoming modernised into a potential cashcow for the IRFU. The game is being expanded into non traditional areas (the Tallaght strategy), there has been underage success at international level (an U19 World Cup win, numerous age grade Triple Crowns, an U20 Grand Slam in an U21 6 Nations) and playing numbers (at under 18 level) are growing rapidly at many clubs.
A poor World Cup for Ireland doesn't mean that we've got our system wrong, rather it needs tweaking. Likewise, there's no need for the UAR's director of rugby to be shouting from the rooftops that they're doing it the right way. Argentina are in a position to judge the best way forward by watching how other teams have developed their structures in the first 12 years of professionalism. I feel they'd be wise to use that knowledge to help thrust Argentina forward as a potential superpower of the sport rather than rest on their laurels and pray that there's another golden generation of players coming after the likes of Ledesma, Scelzo, Roncero, Longo, Pichot and Contepomi, who probably won't be in New Zealand in 4 years time. If the don't professionalize their domestic game, they must at least ensure they have a proper coaching academy in place to secure the future of the sport.
