It is a moot point in that we have no idea what our team/squad would look like today if we were simply drawing from the same pool of players as we had when the game was amateur. If we have no way of knowing, it is a moot argument.UlsterNo9 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 24, 2022 4:05 pm A lot of speculation and generalisations to draw your argument to a conclusion that it is a moot point Cap'n. I say (adding to your generalisations) all of them would be playing rugby as their was feck all else to do on a Saturday in the 80s and 90s in comparison to the alternatives they have today.
I agree that a lot of kids and young men had feck all else to do on a Saturday morning in the 80s and 90s compared with today, but the point I'm making is that in an amateur era, a lot of those playing for their schools would have given up after school to concentrate on their careers outside of rugby because that is what puts bread on the table, or indeed pays the mortgage or rent for somewhere to even have the table. Many of our players came from academic backgrounds and not all of them were prepared to go to QUB or UUC just so they could play rugby in Ulster while doing their degree. Many went to universities elsewhere and only the dedicated few went on to rugby careers either back here, or continued on in England, Scotland or Wales.
Now if that was what was happening here, would it have been that much different south of the border? yes, more probably stayed at home to go to Trinity, UCD or any of the other Irish universities, or straight into work or whatever, but in an amateur set-up, there wouldn't have been hundreds or thousands paying big bucks to go into the big rugby schools to get all the advantages that gives, because rugby was never going to pay them back while it remained amateur. Once it's gone professional, it's a different kettle of worms - mummies and daddies with the readies who think their little (or not so little) Johnny/Seany stands a chance of playing professional rugby will happily send them to those schools in the hope or expectation that rugby will pay them back several fold if they make the grade.
As you say though, there's a lot of speculation and generalisations in my posts to render any argument moot, but by the same token, the same can be said of yours. We're comparing apples with pears and it just doesn't fit well, but hey, what's a forum for if not to talk about ifs and buts and all sorts of other rubbish anyway?