A talent drain, club academies and player development mistakes have all put English rugby union on the back foot
Rarely have Ireland and England approached the final day of a Six Nations championship with such wildly contrasting expectations. For Irish rugby these are truly the best of times. For their white-shirted cousins another winter of despair is playing out. It is hard not to see it as a cautionary Dickensian tale of two unions, reaping the results of their respective eras of wisdom and foolishness.
And if Ireland do complete a grand slam at the Aviva Stadium and reinforce their status as the game’s No 1 international side less than six months before the Rugby World Cup, comparisons with England’s current predicament will be all the more glaring. A huge occasion looms but Ireland, in reality, have long since galloped away over the horizon in terms of their developmental pathways and administrative vision.
Written by Robert Kitson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/mar/17/hard-yards-and-tough-calls-await-england-rugby-union-to-become-a-force-again under the title “England face ‘hard yards and tough calls’ to rejoin rugby union’s top table”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
