I'd be inclined to disagree. The early specialization that is currently going on getting kids as young as 13/14 to focus solely on rugby at the expense of other sports is detrimental not only to the players but to the game in general. There are players in Ulster age grade setups that clearly have no future in professional rugby, but they are being told that they might and that if they keep committing to 9-10 months a year of rugby training they just might make it.ljsulster wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:22 amWith respect, it is important to have players in u16 and u17 squads- getting talent into identified and into the system early is the best way to develop the best young players giving them exposure to the best players in the province.kingofthehill wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 10:05 pm Too many squads, talent diluted in the north.
If your not involved in an ulster training squad of some sort then it’s a surprise.
Bring back Ulster schools when it was the best 15 players in the province. No need for u16,u17,u18 and u19. Too many egos being created.
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Also- it is the same for Munster and Leinster so why shouldn’t it work with ulster
Then at 17/18/19 they get spat out of the system and just give up, they are burnt out, they are injured, they are sick of rugby, they lose their social circle and they don't bother anymore. Hence why the player numbers at senior level are falling off a cliff - no one is interested unless they are playing at a high level - to play in a 2nd or 3rd XV is seen as a failure and they have forgotten that playing rugby with your mates is supposed to be fun.
They have no experience in not being the best in the team, in having to struggle, in failure, in learning a new sport - experiences that develop a grit and resilience that stands them in life. Like KOTH says too many egos being created.
The irony is then that they have missed out on the benefits of playing other sports that would give them a better well rounded athletic ability and transferrable skills that would improve their rugby - the GAA player coming to rugby in his early 20s is the prime example.
It's not just rugby, and it's not just Ulster, all sports and regions are guilty - it's an arm races to secure the best young talent and nail them to a single sport as soon as possible, depriving them and other sports of the opportunity to work with their talent for the benefit of the 0.1% who make it and the expense of the 99.9% who don't.