The Ulster Academy was highly productive up to the point Gary Longwell left. Hendo, Gilroy, Spence, Marshall etc were the last crop from that era. Since then it's just not been managed well. You have to look at Clarke, Willie Anderson and maybe Campbell to see why. Willie Anderson should never be let near some up and coming kid's development and Clarke was a very difficult individual.backrower8 wrote: ↑January 9th, 2021, 6:03 pm I have been asking a few friends who are Ulster rugby fans as to why they aren't producing academy players like Leinster (traditionally Leinster and Ulster always have had comparable player numbers).
Their answers mainly point to how most don't play after school (like Leinster). What I found different was how they pointed to more focus on the University journey. That means something different for Leinster players, as in Ulster a large cohort would go to mainland UK and therein the link is broken.
Another (unspoken) difference between Leinster / Munster on the one hand and Ulster (Connacht are a different case entirely) is the lack of a winning culture. Rugby-mad schoolkids in Leinster and Munster are fuelled by the modern folklore (Munster) and recent imagery of trophies and glory days. Perhaps those fires don't burn as brightly in Ulster given the lack of silverware in the last 20 years and the lure of University life in the wider channels of the mainland.
Finally, one responder said concluded that the days of Ulster teams being mainly populated by Ulster-born players would not be seen again. I think that is a dangerous reality for the IRFU.
The building blocks we put in place from club rugby and minis through the schools in terms of structures, coaching and skills have been exceptional, Ulster didn't do that. It's not just the schools here, most professional rugby players started their playing journey at clubs. The way they are identified and built up through secondary school and into the academy is a massive competitive advantage for us.
There is an issue with players leaving Ulster primarily to go to Scotland (university is free there unlike England) and the IRFU/Ulster really need to think about an Exiles base and structure in Scotland.
