RUGBY:The human aspect of recruitment is very important and that's why all potential recruits are brought to the club where possible to see if they would fit in with its ethos, writes BOB CASEY

SARACENS’ DECISION to sign Gavin Henson and to a lesser extent Matt Stevens got me thinking about the whole recruitment process in terms of signing players and how it transcends mere rugby ability. January is the time of year when clubs are legitimately permitted to approach a player who is out of contract the following summer.

I have huge respect for Brendan Venter as a person and a coach; after all he signed me when at London Irish so he has to be a great judge of horse flesh, doesn’t he? He preaches a philosophy largely associated with the Millwall soccer team that ‘no one likes us but we don’t care’ attitude. He fosters a tight-knit playing community and will defend his players to the hilt.

Just look at that bizarre recent post- match interview that completely took away the spotlight from his players.

Look at the incident involving his captain Steve Borthwick in which Venter supported his decision not to go to an official engagement outside the club. Venter prefers his players to live close to the club and to put aside individual demands in favour of the team ethic. It’s all about the collective. Saracens’ decision to sign Henson and Stevens appeared to go against Venter’s mission statement.

Our head coach at London Irish, Toby Booth, gets a huge volume of DVDs and CV’s landing on his desk. This would be unsolicited material sent largely by players outside the elite level of professional rugby. Many would be from ambitious young players.

Toby will know at the start of the season the calibre of player or players on his wish list and the budget that he possesses for recruitment.

Players fall into many different categories – academy, squad player, a starting Premiership standard and an international right up to a marquee name like a top Lion. He’ll talk to the agent and bring the guy to the club.

It’s about evaluating a player’s personality as well as his rugby skill set. London Irish is very much a club with a family atmosphere in terms of the staff and Toby would be very conscious of whether a recruit would fit into the structure. Would he be prepared to muck in, elevating team goals above any personal ones? Does he have the right attributes for the team on an off the pitch? Would his skill set suit the way the team plays?

For example, some clubs would have no issue in recruiting a prop who makes a minimal contribution in the loose. They might want someone who excels in the tight and are willing to accept a lesser input in other facets of the game. There’s no point in bringing in a player whose strengths don’t improve the team dynamic.

The human aspect of recruitment is very important and that’s why all potential recruits are brought to the club where possible. That one-on-one negotiation provides valuable insights.

Toby would be selling the club to a player, but at the same time gleaning if he is ambitious and what motivates him to switch allegiances.

In the case of an older player, a coach will want to determine if he has still got plenty of fight left or is he moving to another club for one final lucrative payday. Timing is also very important. Using the soccer analogy again, someone like Alex Ferguson or Arsène Wenger would not allow a cluster of players to be out of contract at the same time.

A coach would find himself in a terrible bargaining position if, say, he was trying to negotiate with four centres at once. Players talk and everyone wants to secure the best deal.

Background checks would be done on every new signing and an important part of that process would be a word of mouth appraisal – if you are signing a player, you’ll know someone who knows someone who knows the player.

That’s why word of mouth is such a powerful tool. You’ll be able to find out if he’s a good professional, if he’s disruptive at training, a little bit lazy and takes any short-cuts. You’ll know if he struggles with his weight or is inclined to trip over his bottom lip if things are not going his way.

It certainly beats the ubiquitous DVDs that land on Toby’s desk. I have seen some from players operating in the English Championship in which they look like world beaters – judging by the footage it’s a travesty they’re not a mainstay of the national team!

Invariably the DVD will contain things like the player’s 10 best tries – well no one’s going to offer a compendium of top 10 clean-outs at a ruck – and you can also see the lavish airbrushing that has improved a cinematic masterpiece complete with thumping Metallica soundtrack and slow-motion close-ups.

Toby demands a DVD from potential recruits of their last three performances from start to finish of each match. He’ll be able to deduce their work-rate off the ball, how they react in attack and defence, whether they communicate well, their ball presentation, how they clear out at rucks etc . . . it reveals a more truthful evaluation.

One piece of advice I find myself repeating to young players is the importance of never burning your bridges verbally. You do not want to be known as someone who flies off the handle, someone who is considered to have a big pram with lots of toys.

It takes a long time to earn a reputation of which you’re proud, but it can be lost in the blink of an eye – for all of us who play professional sport it is more important than any passport when it comes to moving around.