mildlyinterested wrote: ↑October 19th, 2022, 9:00 pmI'm not sure about crippled, it wouldnt be ideal but the talent would still be there, it just may take longer to develop.
Underperforming coaches/ rugby programmes are a risk, but they are replaced or revamped fairly quickly, so you might miss a cycle.
The greater risk to the pro game is a school board / principal making a policy decision to turn away from rugby. This could be for a number of reasons, but law suits/safety is the most likely. Then there is also the risk of contagion, if one school decides to change policy then others may follow - especially if the school is influential in rugby terms (there would be a greater risk of contagion of Belvedere changed tack than if say St Andrew's or St Gerard's did).
For reasons we can't be sure of, Terenure dialed their rugby programme right down in the last 10-15 years with obvious impact on their lack of production of pro players and overall competiveness. This was a loss to Leinster and Irish rugby when you consider that with 700 pupils it is one of the 5 largest rugby playing schools in the country.
That loss is highlighted when you consider how prolific they were in winning 10 SCTs overall, 8 in 25 years (1979-2003) and 5 in 12 years (1992-2003).
The greatest risk of all is reduced adult playing numbers driven by rugby's declining reputation for safety - despite the arguable increase in safety measures. The perception, rightly, remains that there is a gap between perceived safety reality and what World Rugby (et al) profess.