The Rolling Maul: Why Ronan O'Gara must play till he is 56

Stephen Jones debates the biggest issues in rugby union in his weekly e-mail 

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Which nation has the best professional rugby system? The debate is conducted with some of the vehemence of that between the communists and the capitalists in the Cold War.

Surely, no-one with a brain in working order doubts that the English and French systems are light years ahead in terms of commercial appeal, gate-taking and success in the main cross-border events. Leicester's announcement of the building of a 30,000-seat stadium and the aspirations of Bath and Saracens to something similar, are evidence that the English clubs just cannot get all their fans in.

But what about the ability of the various systems to produce players for the national team? Keith Wood, the former Ireland and Lions hooker, hit the nail on the head this week so squarely that the hammer shattered. He exposed with one bash the myth of the professional rugby structures in Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Woody was addressing what he saw as the lack of a future for the elite game in Ireland because he cannot see the line of succession in enough positions. He is particularly alarmed at what happens when Ronan O'Gara either retires or cops a serious injury - he offered up a little prayer of thanks that O'Gara's injury record is so good that he has hidden the drastic failure of the Irish system to produce fly-halves.

It all sounds great. Reduce the number of professional teams to a tiny number - in Wales, five and then four; In Ireland four, with Munster and Leinster going along well and attracting big crowds, but let's not bother about Connacht, let's under-fund them, so in fact there are only three; in Scotland, only two...

But say you have four teams. That gives you only four players in every position on the field from which you choose your Test team. Not many. Say that one of those four will be a foreign player. Let's be honest. Teams have to be successful and they need outsiders to give them that edge. Felipe Contepomi, of Leinster and Argentina, is the heartbeat of the team.

Let's say, too, that of any four professional players, one at the very, very least will not be of Test class or potential. Or indeed, he may once have been but by now is past his best. That means that you are choosing your team from effectively a pool of two players in each position. If one is injured then you have a shoo-in. Is that the way to build a great Test team?

The net must be cast wider. England have a large number of foreign players but they have 12 professional clubs and, at present, almost every position has players bubbling under.

Furthermore, the policy adopted overtly by the Welsh Rugby Union, and tacitly by the Irish and Scottish, that they will choose only from players who stay to play at home, is an utter nonsense.

Wales have four pro teams. That gives them a maximum of four contenders. But Dwayne Peel is going to Sale, Gareth Delve is at Gloucester, Michael Owen is going to Saracens. There should be many more. While these players are honing their games in the Guinness Premiership, they are leaving spaces back at home for the other contenders. Scotland, choosing one from two, must export their men.

Small, emphatically, is not beautiful. As Wood hints, the best solution in Ireland is clearly for Ronan to carry on playing till he is 56.

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