A bit of ball-hopping for a rugby-mad nephew highlights some issues which should concern Eddie Wigglesworth, writes LIAM TOLAND

SITTING IN Monaleen, Limerick, last night amongst 21 family members, I noticed something life-changing as we finally got stuck into our Kris Kindle. Our version remains clouded in secrecy right up to the opening of the present.

Only then can the recipient know the contents of the parcel. Last evening my nephew from Dublin, bedecked in his Leinster jersey, lifted up his sizable present. As he peeled back the many layers of wrapping paper (tradition!), he unearthed a box wrapped in a Munster jersey.

His reaction was immediate; total disdain. Discarding the jersey he dug deep into the box. Us adults ignored the real present and urged him to don the red of Munster (photo optional), as did his Limerick cousin who had wrapped the present in the Munster jersey in the first place.

It is extraordinary that at seven years of age his allegiance is already cemented in Leinster and his cousin’s in Munster. His bedroom wall is dripping in all things Leinster, with Fergus McFadden pride of place. This was far from the case in my day where club was number one followed by Ireland.

If memory serves, it was Liam Brady of Arsenal and Tony Ward of Ireland on my wall. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It remains to be seen where IRFU director of rugby Eddie Wigglesworth is bringing us.

As highlighted in Gavin Cummiskey’s article, Wigglesworth pointed out the IRFU’s priority will always be to the national team because it generates 84 per cent of revenue at 14 per cent of total cost, while the provinces are currently responsible for 41 per cent of overall cost to the union.

This may be true but the pendulum has swung and my nephews are rooted in their provinces. They will soon become teenagers and men, the future participants and supporters; that’s 84 per cent, if you will.

Wigglesworth does acknowledge the province: “We have to have provincial rugby and that’s why there is never an issue about funding it. But this is about getting the balance right,” he said.

I look forward to observing from the safety of the ditch the knock-on effect because the future supporters will become very impatient if their provinces slide in Europe. Will this policy have a similar effect between pay-per-view and terrestrial TV coverage of the game?

In light of the IRFU policy, I’ve been asking what do Bath see in Stephen Donald and how much are they paying him? For very different reasons I’ve been wondering what Munster see in Simon Zebo and what are they paying him? He was not the difference between Scarlets and Munster but he added hugely to their performance and win.

Donald, a World Cup winner, did not.

No doubt there’s a considerable gap between pay packets. And that’s before the IRFU policy on “natural selection” arrived into view! With this in mind it is to scrumhalves that I go. I’ve seen Saracens play a number of times this season. Eleven games into the Aviva Premiership having lost just two they lie second in the table. Europe is moving along nicely also. Arguably their biggest victory came three days ago in front of 82,000, ensuring Harlequins’ first defeat.

I stayed to the bitter end, primarily because of Peter Stringer who had started. I was fascinated to observe his adjustment to the English game and to see what his trademark swiftness at the base could do to Saracens’ style.

Disappointedly, of the 43 opportunities he had with ball in hand, he broke once (which is his want), passed 26 times and staggeringly kicked 16 times. Most of those kicks were box kicks, Springbok style.

I wondered if it was it the absence of Ronan O’Gara that forced pressure on him but outside him was Charlie Hodgson, an assured kicker. This is clearly a Saracens ploy and having supported Jim McGuinness’ Donegal and the success garnered from their tactics it is a tad rich to complain about Saracens, but they are turgid and it is a shame a player of Stringer’s ability is forced into ping pong.

His former Munster team-mates are still evolving through injuries and enjoyed a fine win over Connacht. Tomás O’Leary, Munster’s second-choice scrumhalf and Stringer’s main reason for his trip to London, received the ball on two less occasions (41) than Stringer. He ran with it six times, akin to his style, passed it 32 times and very pleasantly, kicked it three times.

Ulster’s Paul Marshall managed a comparable two runs, 36 passes and six kicks from his 44 receipts.

It’s interesting to note that all three scrumhalves had almost identical possession. But how different the styles therein.

These stats are an indicator of the style being employed by coaches. Mark McCall is obviously building a horribly structured game revolving around A, B, C, kick; A, kick, A, B, kick etc etc. Munster and Ulster have a greater balance but it is Connacht and Leinster where all the fun happens. And in this they are remarkably similar.

Connacht’s scrumhalf Frank Murphy had more possession than the others mentioned thus far and chose to run with it three times and pass an astounding 52 times.

That’s it as he chose not to kick the ball once. What therefore was going on in his head as the game ebbed away from Connacht? I sat in the stands, very much enjoying the game but became increasingly exhausted by what Connacht were attempting to do. Aside from the very obvious tries conceded and the woeful place-kicking, Connacht should have pushed Munster much more than they managed. In fact at times they looked far the better side.

So what is happening? Murphy, a very fine scrumhalf with buckets of experience, didn’t kick the ball once. Stringer did so 16 times. In doing so Harlequins fell to their first defeat and Connacht lost yet again. I feel enormously for Connacht but the lack of control and inaccuracies are criminal.

This is certainly not the scrumhalves’ fault but it is a subplot or testament to their challenge.

In the RDS, where the real fun was happening as both Ulster and Leinster looked like highly-skilled schoolboys playing the first round of the Senior Schools’ Cup, Eoin Reddan had an even busier day than the others. He ran with the ball on three occasions and kicked on three further occasions. However, on 84 occasions he passed the ball. To sustain this volume of passing his team-mates must be very fit, work very hard and have a strong understanding of their tactics. It was simply relentless from Leinster and made for brilliant viewing.

As the provinces run out once more this weekend keep a very close eye on the kicking, passing and running balance found in the number nine shirt.

Of the lesser known scrumhalves I have very much enjoyed Ulster’s Marshall developing this balance in Ruan Pienaar’s absence and am disappointed both he and fellow Springbok Stefan Terblanche are lining out against Munster. Maybe there’s something in Wigglesworth’s wanderings after all!