Sir, - Ireland's poor performance in this year's championship has only added fuel to Edmund Van Esbeck's continuing assault on professional rugby. Ireland's record in the last few years has not been good, if not pretty terrible, and to suggest that paying the players contributed to their bad performance is ridiculous.
The game as a whole has heightened its appeal throughout the world by turning professional. The return of the great Rugby League players will only help to increase skills and the quality of the game, which in turn makes it more marketable and appealing to the people that really matter - the supporters.
The international side has a long way to go if it is to challenge the world powers such as New Zealand, who, after all, have been professional in all but name for years. Irish players need exposure to top-class rugby week in, week out and unfortunately they must travel across the water to find it. To exclude these players, as the French have done, would not be an intelligent solution.
The results at under-age level over the past few years have proved that the young talent is in the clubs and schools of the country; so maybe the IRFU needs to adopt a more professional approach to the domestic game. Change is not always a bad thing. - Yours, etc.,
San Francisco,
California, US.