Player contracts: Brian O'Driscoll's flirtation with Biarritz Olympique a mere eight months before his current IRFU contract expires has served to highlight the union's contractual negotiating skills - if that isn't a contradiction in terms.

But let's be fair to them for a moment. The IRFU's "central contracting" system is undoubtedly the envy of English and French rugby in many ways.

Andy Robinson and before him Clive Woodward would have looked across at the Irish module and wished they had similar control over their own frontliners' appearances and playing time.

The latest stand-off between Twickenham and the Premiership clubs, with the RFU refusing to pay Lions' fees to clubs that have broken an agreement over their return to club action this season, is yet the latest and potentially most divisive episode in that long-running tug-of-war.

By contrast, the IRFU was able to place all its home-based, frontline players into a 10-week training programme before the start of last season. That drew much criticism from their fellow Celts, though inevitably, the Welsh have followed suit, with their international management enjoying much greater control as a result of their Grand Slam win last season and the financial weakness of their districts - witness the Welsh union's 50 per cent ownership of the Dragons following the departure of benefactor Tony Brown.

Ironically, and puzzlingly, Ireland's home-based Lions and those who toured Japan in the summer have been brought back to action a week or two before their Welsh counterparts. For example, Tommy Bowe was back playing for Ulster on August 19th, two months after playing against Japan in the second Test.

This was made more curious by the IRFU's revelation to their various provincial squads in recent weeks that Ireland would be competing in the annual Churchill Cup, in addition to the daunting three-Test tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Held in Canada next summer, it is also expected to feature Argentina, the USA Eagles and what will effectively be A sides from England and Ireland.

While Ireland's participation presumably makes commercial sense, like much else the players were informed about, and in some instances, alarmed by, needless to say they weren't consulted before this decision.

This is typical of the union. While some players have welcomed their visits to the various provincial squads, and an "open door policy", the union's poor consultative process and contractual negotiations have consistently angered the players, never more so than when they outlined proposed changes to standard contracts for provincial and international players in recent weeks.

Foremost among all of this has been the union's declaration that players cannot agree to off-field, personal sponsorships without the union's say-so, and not if they conflict with any of the union's own deals. Given they have an estimated 24, it prompted one player to venture, "Try finding something that doesn't conflict with all of them? Maybe nappies."

In truth, such a stipulation exists already, but as in the union's dealings with Keith Wood years ago about his "image rights", their approach seems heavy-handed and this time comes with the threat their contracts will be terminated.

This affects the elite tier more than the others, though many who have their own boot deals and suchlike are concerned. If applied to the letter, it would oblige Peter Stringer and Ronan O'Gara to terminate their contract with Lucozade as it would conflict with Powerade, one of the union's sponsors.

"It seems as if the union are deliberately trying to prevent us from maximising our earning potential outside the game. There's just no way we will agree to sign that. If they want us to hand over all our image rights they would have to pay us another 20 to 30 per cent, and they're not going to do that."

This contrasts with, say, the system in Australia, where the players are only excluded from securing individual sponsors who might conflict with their Union's main two or three commercial partners. And the thing is, if the flight of the wild geese continues at the rate of the last year or two, prospective IRFU sponsors will be less inclined to come aboard.

Another proposed union change to the standard contract is that insurance cover will be discretionary, whereas in the past any career-ending PTD (permanent total disablement) led to estimated lump-sum payments of IR£150,000 (€190,000) to the likes of Jeremy Davidson, David Corkery and Paul Wallace. The players now fear this will change unless they negotiate personal cover.

The union have also proposed they have more demand on players for signing jerseys and suchlike, and at the same time said international match tickets would be at their discretion. Heretofore, players got two free stand tickets and the option of buying another four along with more terrace tickets.

Another bone of contention is the union's insistence players can be moved from province to province and cannot "unreasonably" refuse.

The union, understandably, have a new 50,000 all-seater stadium to think of in Lansdowne Road when stipulating this, but as with much else, there are ways and there are ways, and this proposal has also done little to generate goodwill between them and their most prized assets.

Admittedly, this revised contract is only a first draft, an opening bargaining ploy. But, mystifyingly, it has dismayed the players, which in turn has only compounded their grievances with the union over previous match-fee and win-bonus disputes, not to mention the way contract negotiations were allowed drag on with the likes of Leo Cullen, Shane Jennings and, most obviously, Shane Byrne.

Perhaps the union fell into a false sense of security that players would not be inclined to leave these shores in light of Charlie McCreevy's sportspersons' tax relief. For a while, this Government initiative undoubtedly worked to the union's advantage, but they surely overplayed their hand when reputedly offering Byrne a new deal markedly reduced from his previous contract.

Byrne duly called their bluff, and the recent drain of players abroad continues. There are 19 Irish-qualified players now plying their trade in the Zurich Premiership and close on 30 abroad altogether.

Presumed to be retaining an old amateurish mentality, and seemingly begrudging of modern professional players' earning powers, the union just don't seem to understand how much their negotiations with Byrne, Cullen and others caused resentment amongst their fellow pros. Their latest pronouncements to them will have done little to assuage those concerns.

As one leading home-based Irish international put it to me this week, in exactly these words: "If they want us all to leave, they're going the right way about it."