Dusty Hare calls for Eddie Jones to help kids get game time
Hare, recruitment and development manager at Northampton, believes academy players are playing far too little meaningful rugby at A-team level, which is impacting on England U20s performances at this year's Six Nations.
He wants the current truncated Aviva A-League scrapped and replaced with a full-blown home and away Second XV competition that gives young players at least 16 matches per season playing alongside senior players.
Former England full-back Hare told The Rugby Paper: “I'll not give names but we've got four young players on the fringes of our Northampton first team who've played just 6.1 games, 8 games, 7.5 games and 4.5 games respectively this season.
“If you speak to other Premiership clubs they'll say the same and it's no wonder England U20s are losing this year because I'll bet loads of those players hardly played any meaningful games ahead of the Six Nations.
“People will say we're getting to U20s World Cup finals, winning them and that people like Maro Itoje and Paul Hill are getting capped so our academies are a success, but a lot of other lads are hardly playing any rugby.
“The current A-League programme is inadequate and although academies have been with us since 2002, if anything the playing structure in England is getting worse, with both the RFU and our clubs partly to blame.
“Are we getting it right for the players? No.
“Are we getting it right for our England senior team? No.
“I'd love to have the chance to talk to Eddie Jones because we need someone with fresh eyes to come and have a look.”
Some Premiership clubs with smaller squads struggle to fulfil the existing A-League programme, but Hare argues: “There needs to be a proper second team competition where you can blood youngsters alongside seasoned pros.
“We identify these lads and get them up to speed at U18 level, but then some directors of rugby don't want second team rugby.
“It's a complete mess and we're not helping ourselves as clubs, or the England teams, because we're not playing those players enough to be able to show their first team coaches that they're ready for a chance higher up.
“A few clubs might struggle to get second teams out, but clubs like ourselves, Sale, Worcester and Leicester want to play more development rugby so the RFU and Premiership Rugby ought to be able to sort it out.
“We're the biggest Union in the world but we've got the worst structures in the world and it's just so frustrating.
“Eddie Jones needs players who are coming through and it would be great if he got himself involved.”
Dual-registration is not the answer, says Hare, adding: “People say you can put players out on loan in the Championship, but you can't because they train at different times and you want players coached at their own club.
“Players need to play at least 16 games, but at the moment we're ending up with blokes who are just trainers and not 80-minute rugby players. We're letting our young players down and the system needs to be better.”
NEALE HARVEY
