Are we facing an imbalance of trade?

Friday August 27 2004
Foreign import surplus a problem

Is it time for the Zurich Premiership to close its borders? Or should English rugby go the way of English football, where clubs are able to field starting line-ups without a single home-grown player.

The issue of importing foreign rugby players into the English top-flight is once again in the spotlight following the failure of England's up-and-comers to fill their predecessors' boots during the summer tour to Australasia.

An example of foreign domination is presently unfolding at Franklin's Gardens. The Saints could potentially field a line-up consisting almost entirely of non-British players all the way from Bruce Reihana at fullback to Robbie Kempson at prop.

Saracens are also highly reliant on imported talent, and many stand-out performers from other clubs are of foreign origin. Think Graham Bond at Sale, Trevor Leota at Wasps, Epi Taione at Newcastle, and Jake Boer of Gloucester.

This is not to say that all of these clubs are over-reliant on foreign signings. Many of them, Northampton included, have very high-standard academy squads, which produce good-quality players.

However, of the 95 pre-season signings on our records, 42 involve the movement of foreign players, either between clubs or from southern hemisphere pastures.

More worryingly, the 'outs' column in the ZP transfer list registers a large swathe of home-grown players who have merely been 'released' into the rugby ether.

It seems that clubs in both in England and Wales are looking more and more to the southern hemisphere to secure experienced internationals and Super 12 players, rather than blood youngsters and give them the exposure they need - such as Sir Clive Woodward once did with a certain J. Wilkinson. 

Furthermore, the majority of the foreign imports are looking to the Premiership to bolster their earnings in the twilights of their careers, whilst enjoying the change of scene that their move offers. It is a win-win situation for those on the receiving end of the lucrative offers.

If this movement was based on enjoyment of the experience alone, one might think that we would see a similar exodus flowing the other way, but the only people who leave the UK to play in the southern hemisphere are those who came from down under in the first place.

Rugby in England and Wales is significantly improved by the presence of these players on the pitch, and no doubt the youngsters coming through can learn immeasurably from them - but the balance must be kept between the imports and the home-grown talent.

At the moment, the trend is leaning too far towards signing experienced foreigners, and not enough towards blooding the novice talent.

Of course, there are more than 12 clubs in England - but it is unlikely that burgeoning talent can be fully nurtured in any league below the Zurich Premiership. The gap in class between the ZP and National League One is now simply too big.

Therein lies another problem: which club is going to risk relegation by fielding a team of young hopefuls? With relegation being such a financial disaster for clubs these days, its much better to sign experience and keep in the safety zone.

Woodward has urged coaches all over the league to at least try and develop their young players by advocating the development of academy systems, and has employed fleets of coaches and scouts for the same purpose. The England coach is of the conviction that for the young player, gaining experience is the most important part of his development.

Some coaches, such as Nigel Melville of Gloucester and John Connolly of Bath are doing this very successfully. The salary cap is also a step in the right direction; at some point ZP clubs will have to stop buying players and start looking to their young talent merely to stay within the regulations.

There are people within the game who are amazed at some of the spending already occurring, and  have began to question how one or two clubs are managing to keep within the salary cap, such has been the scale of their new player ingress - particularly from overseas.

The indigenous English rugby player is not an endangered species yet, but this is an issue that needs to be addressed - or England may well lose out on crucial development of a promising crop of young players.

By Danny Stephens