John O'Sullivan outlines why the IRFU have to address the structures for age-grade rugby

Ireland's defeat by Wales on the final weekend of this season's Six Nations Championship might have marked a watershed in terms of certain playing personnel. That's down to national coach Eddie O'Sullivan, who must reconcile that setback and the one against France at Lansdowne Road with the performances in all five games in this season's tournament.

The clamour to cull several "senior citizens" won't faze O'Sullivan, nor should it. His priority will be with the Lions tour to New Zealand, but he'll also decide on the composition of the Ireland squad that heads for Japan and a two-Test assignment in June.

It's a vehicle to experiment and a tour where the aptitude of several potential and fledgling internationals should be further scrutinised.

What's of greater import with a view to the medium- to long-term future of Irish rugby is that there is a recognition within the IRFU of the need to improve the structures within age-grade rugby; that is from the Ireland Under-21 team down to the Ireland Schools.

This season it will encompass five teams: the under-21s, under-19s, under-18s, youths and schools.

It's a question not just of refining the age-grade system but also guaranteeing a stepped, progressive competitive environment for young players. AIB League rugby is not of a sufficient standard to accommodate the development of young, talented potential internationals, and to date those same players haven't played enough Celtic League games.

Next season their plight is likely to deteriorate because of the new parameters.

The IRFU have agreed that the Celtic League will act as the qualification process for the following season's Heineken European Cup and will determine the pecking order of the four provinces, the top three of which will go into the elite European tournament while the fourth-ranked side is dispatched to the Parker Pen Challenge Cup.

There's no doubt Connacht are belatedly being given the opportunity they deserve to compete on a equal footing, one afforded all the teams in Wales and Scotland already.

The one drawback with the union's commitment is that provincial coaches will be under huge pressure to play their top teams in every match, thereby further marginalising the players in the 19-24 age bracket.

There will be scant opportunity to experiment or nurture fringe players other than where there are serious injury constraints or international commitments.

The continued absence of A internationals merely exacerbates this problem. Placing a premium on winning, the by-product of which would be a successful qualification campaign in the Celtic League, won't add depth to the pool of talent.

The IRFU have to create an outlet for these players of sufficient standard.

O'Sullivan pointed out: "The 20-23 age-group are not getting a high enough level of competitive rugby." His solution? "Restructuring the AIL into a very elite Division One guaranteeing a good standard or if that can't be delivered looking at A interprovincials."

The basic message is the provision of a competitive outlet for players of this category.

The IRFU once boasted an underage structure that was the envy of other rugby nations dating back to the Foundation programme in 1993 that ultimately became the National Academy in 1997. From 1993 to January of 2000, the National Academy produced 25 under-19 internationals, 97 under-21 internationals, 83 provincial players, 33 players who played with the shadow national side (Ireland A/B), 24 full internationals, three Lions and 31 players who played with the Irish Universities.

From 2001 until the union decided to decentralise the National Academy into four provincial units at the end of 2003, only one player, Ulster's Tommy Bowe, has successfully completed the programme and gone on to play for Ireland at senior level.

Perhaps the most staggering statistic, rendered especially poignant in the current climate, is that in the 11 years of the academy only one prop of the myriad that entered the programme went on to play for Ireland at senior level. His name? Marcus Horan.

The IRFU decided to decentralise the academy, dividing it into four provincial outlets under the direction of Hamish Adams (Munster), Nigel Carolan (Connacht), Maurice Field (Ulster) and Colin McEntee (Leinster). At this juncture there still isn't a single, uniform syllabus that's applicable to the four programmes. No one is singing off the same hymn sheet, a damning indictment on the lack of direction from the top.

There are no clearly defined criteria for the appointment of age-grade coaches and that too beggars belief. There has to be transparency, accountability and clearly defined parameters. Otherwise it's pointless having and defining Level 1, 2 and 3 coaching courses.

Professionalism in rugby has meant an ever-changing backdrop and where once the union were ahead of the posse they can only look with envy at the underage structures of two of their nearest neighbours.

Of the Welsh team that won the Grand Slam in Cardiff last weekend only two players didn't play underage rugby for the principality and nine won an under-21 Grand Slam.

At the latter age group, Wales have won three Grand Slams in five years, four in seven. It's not even about the silverware. It's the fact Wales manage to fast track so many of those players through to the senior national side.

England too have addressed their age-grade structures, recognising the importance of being strong in global competitions: the World Cups at under-19 and under-21 level.

Wales and England have clearly defined their pecking order: under-19s, under-18s (for the Four Nations tournament) and finally schools.

France also favour the latter way of structuring their national underage teams.

In contrast the Ireland Schoolboys team is given first dibs on that particular pool of talent followed by the under-19s and for the first time this season Ireland will field a composite team of schools and youths players in the Four Nations tournament. The upshot is that Irish teams thrive at schoolboy level against inferior opposition and are singularly underachieving at under-19 level.

There is also a conflict of interest between schools and clubs over players and that particularly vexed issue needs not only to be addressed but also resolved.

Ireland won the Under-19 World Cup in 1998. Since 2000 an Ireland under-19 team has not beaten a first-tier country outside of Scotland or Italy. A low point would have been losing to Uruguay 10-9 in the 2001 World Cup. This year Pat Murray will try to ensure the Ireland team are competitive when they take part in the Under-19 World Cup in Durban on ridiculously limited preparation.

They have had one domestic warm-up (Ireland Schools) and two matches, against Wales and England; the English had four times the preparation period of their Irish counterparts. It's not just about finding the players.

Ireland have overachieved at under-21 level, as exemplified in last year's superb performance in reaching the Under-21 World Cup final before losing to New Zealand.

A sobering thought from that tournament is that none of the 22 Irish players on duty for that final in Glasgow has a full-time provincial contract and only Tommy Bowe of the extended squad that travelled - he was injured during the pool stages - has.

Contrast this with the New Zealand number eight Jerome Kaino - he won the world under-21 player-of-the-year award from a short list that included Ireland's Jamie Heaslip - Luke McAlister and Australian scrumhalf Josh Valentine, who are playing Super 12 rugby, the first two with the Auckland Blues, Valentine with the Queensland Reds. There are others who played in that under-21 tournament that have made their mark in Super 12.

It's a reasonable argument to point out that the very nature of age-grade rugby and the annual turnover in playing resources mean failure can be a cyclical aberration. So Ireland's four defeats in five matches this season at under-21 levelshouldn't inspire panic. Suffering a similar fate next season might just set the alarm bells jangling though.

Irish rugby, once envied for its structures, now finds itself at a crossroads.

Professional rugby requires constant tweaking and realigning. What sufficed in the past will no longer pass muster. The IRFU have to be aware of the ramifications and plan specifically for the short, medium and long term in age-grade rugby.

That means sorting out a syllabus for the provincial academies, offering a clearly defined food chain for the underage grades, ensuring the best coaching and preparation and finding the requisite competitive environment for promising players.

Not all the answers are straightforward but to find them is imperative for the future well-being of the sport in this country. The clock is ticking.