Page 63 - All Shapes & Zebras From Treorchy

And again, I’ll stress that my previous
statement is not an indictment or
criticism of the professional game of
rugby in Wales or elsewhere. The level
of skill and power shown by international
sides is awesome and terrifying in equal
parts, but many amateur rugby players
would have, in all likelihood, either
played with or against international
players at some point in their careers.
The difference with football? Perhaps it’s
because the vast majority of talented
youngsters are harnessed in to professional
football clubs’ academy systems at such
a young age, to play against other
academies blessed with similar talent
and shielded from the amateur game. For better or for worse, it would seem that professionalism in football extracts and disconnects individuals away from their grassroots base. In rugby union, this isn’t the case.
Luckily, in rugby union, youth players affiliated to the four Welsh rugby regions will still play some rugby with their mates, schools and local clubs whilst remaining part of the academy systems. This leads to local clubs becoming invested in players, rather than waving goodbye to them when they’re seven or eight years old. It’s also a fact that not all future international players will be tied up within the regional system.
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