Alan Quinlan Exclusive

Ireland are leading the way for how rugby should be run

It is not good for anybody to have the game struggling financially in some parts of the world. A lot of unions would look at Ireland and the way the game is run here and see a lot that is positive structurally and the way the sport has grown in popularity in the last few years. It is incredibly popular. Look at the Leinster Munster game at Croke Park earlier this month. There was a record crowd of 82,000 for a URC league game. That tells its own story.

It is not good that England have lost three clubs, and that unions are under financial pressure. Rugby is trying to expand the game and get it into more markets. It is about the economics and commerce of the game which is the challenge for many.

I can’t see why English clubs would want to be merged with the URC

I could understand why the Premiership would want to be part of that. I would be open to the idea because the more quality of games is only better for the sport. The Premiership teams look at the URC and see the numbers going to games and think it would be good to have some of that.

In football you have individual leagues and a European Cup. With English sides in the URC you’d essentially have a lot of duplication. 

For me, the problem you have is what happens to the European Cup? Given Munster’s past, I am obviously a huge supporter of that given my own experiences and successes and my experiences and the joys and the different intrigues. It is a really elite competition and right up there close to international rugby in terms of intensity.

The South African teams have been brilliant since they came in and brought a new element and dimension. Nobody was sure how it would work but it has been fantastic. In the old days of the Celtic League and things like that there were so many dead rubbers towards the end of the season. In the URC it is really competitive right up to the end of the season; teams trying to qualify for the top eight, for Europe. The quality of rugby has been superb. I don’t think the URC will be jumping to make changes to their product.

I would be all for taking rugby to the Middle East but player workload is consideration

I would be all for taking rugby to the Middle East. Anything that is new and different and will add quality and value would be brilliant.

But with the global nations league starting, there’s a big question about how you manage your resources and your elite players. You’d need bigger squads and you’re almost back to square one if there’s another tournament.  The All Blacks are playing Ireland again in the United States next year. They are all money spinners.

Rugby is evolving and has to grab key audiences in new areas

The game is moving away from traditional tours. More games are being played on neutral venues where there is a bit more razzamatazz. New Zealand more than anybody probably. I would not like to see it happening too often. Now and again is all right.

But you also have to be open to the evolution of the game because you know the draw football has in the Middle East. All the top soccer teams go on pre-season tours to the States and Asia. It’s all about the commercial side of things. Some of that has to happen in rugby to try to grab more audiences in different jurisdictions.

New World Rugby president has to see value in Tier 2 & 3 nations for future of the game

I don’t mind who it is as long as they recognise that tier 2 and tier 3 nations need more support if we are going to grow the game. If we have the same ten or 12 teams being World Cup contenders every time, it is not healthy. It would be great if the smaller nations can expand and we could see a few of them being challengers at a World Cup.

Rugby has to be a game that is fair and equitable to everybody. There were a lot of rumblings about the way the World Cup went to France and rumours of horse trading for votes.

Ireland had bid but France leapfrogged over us. We probably did not have the infrastructure to host a World Cup. But there was a lot of talk about interference. All that has to stop and whoever takes over has to ensure there is equal representation for all nations at World Rugby level to make sure that doesn’t happen again. There is no quick fix solution. The smaller countries need more support.

20 minutes red card is the right balance

It’s the first time they will be used in the northern hemisphere and I think they have just about got it right. It is good that referees will retain the power to show permanent red cards for deliberate and dangerous acts of foul play. That is really important.

When he goes for a review in the bunker, if it is upgraded to a red, it takes a bit of pressure off the referee. And we should get to the right decision.

It is a harsh penalty for a team to suffer (going down to 14 men) if there was an incident early in a game which was accidental but by the letter of the law head contact was made.

It is good we have the situation where the team doesn’t suffer for the rest of the game. The 20 minute card will allow a team to replace a player who has been shown a red card after 20 minutes in the sin bin. I think they have got the balance right.

I didn’t like the fact that as in some trials, a team could bring someone else on after 20 minutes regardless of the severity of the offence.

World rankings are false - Springboks are number 1 but Ireland force to be reckoned with

Ireland are doing very well. There are few changes and surprises. People are really excited about Sam Prendergast, the young fly half and Jamie Osborne has come through in the past 12 months and has been exceptional.

Ireland are still in a very strong position. What happened in the second test in South Africa sent a reminder to the world that despite what happened in the 2023 World Cup, this is still a team to be reckoned with.  It was an important psychological win for Ireland.

They won the series in New Zealand too. That takes some doing. I played against the All Blacks a good few times and never won, same for Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell.

It’s become a relatively regular occurrence now since we first beat them in Chicago eight years ago.

The All Blacks will be Ireland’s first game up, and they haven’t played together for a while. They have to get up to speed very quickly.

New Zealand are in transition but look how they performed against South Africa in the rugby championship. They caused them a lot of problems against the Boks who are at a level that is phenomenal.

The world rankings are false. South Africa are the best team in the world and should be number one. We all know that in Ireland.

We are not unbeatable as England showed in the Six Nations. It is a big November for Ireland as Joe Schmidt is coming back with Australia.

Graham Rowntree a victim of ‘fickle’ sport and Munster will still have a lack of depth

I didn’t see this one coming even though he’s had a tough start this season with only two wins in seven. Eighteen months ago he won the URC for Munster, their first trophy in 12 years. It goes to show the fickle nature of sport.

There’s obviously something that’s not right as regards the powers that be.  I think this must have been brewing for a while. Someone at the top has not been happy with where they are at.

What has been evident and what has been a worry over the past few weeks is the lack of depth that Munster have at the moment. They haven’t been good for the past few weeks. Lots of basic mistakes.  But they have had hard games away to Leinster, the Stormers and the Sharks!

They need a really strong replacement as well as look at all the structures there. They had Denis Leamy and Mike Prendergast back on the coaching ticket, two former players, as well as Mossie Lawlor was well received and brought a lot of excitement. It would be a shame if that coaching ticket is completely broken up. I hope it is not.

Felix Jones should be an option for Munster but England contract a problem

Yes, he could of course be an option.  And yes, he should be in the mix. He is a former Munster player who won two World Cups with South Africa. He is available, but we don’t know how soon because he is still under contract with England.

Munster is in our blood, and we want them to do well

It hurts all of us ex-players. Munster is in our blood, and we want them to do well. It is frustrating.

We can’t be expecting them to win trophies every year but Munster should be better and consistently there or thereabouts and in the knockout stages of the European Cup. That is what the fans want but the quality of the squad is not good enough.

What’s that down to? Is it bad management issues? Possibly. Structural issues? For sure. Finances? Yes. All those things play a part. But Munster is a big brand.

‘Unlucky’ England have shown vast improvement in the past 12 months

They have a lot of talent and crucially stability of selection. That makes it easier for coaches to work with.  They showed glimpses in New Zealand and were unlucky not to have won one of the two tests. We have seen vast improvement in this England side over the last 12 months.

It is a big November given that they have had Jones and Aled Walters walk out. It is not out of the question that they can beat New Zealand, Australia and South Africa at home.

Wales punch above their weight considering lack of strength in regions

Wales always punch above their weight internationally given the poor returns of their regions.  It is a challenging time for them. Warren Gatland has decided to really roll the dice with new young players but they have a journey to go on. They are in a tough place. The regions just don’t have the money to attract the big names anymore. It is a different world for them now.

New Scotland captain Tuipulotou looks world class

Glasgow winning the URC was huge for Scotland and a massive psychological moment for them. They have always tended to under deliver, but what Glasgow are doing at the moment is unusually beneficial for them. They have a new captain in Tuipulotu who is looking world class and has taken his game to another level. He is a real leader for them.

The question mark about Scotland has been that ballast up front and a lack of physical presence. That is their main challenge. But for a team with a small playing pool, they are a handful for anyone.