Well, this is The Pro Report's first attempt at blogging. Our idea is to offer a more conversational type of content to you, between our weekly artcles on http://www.rugbycanada.ca/ and our monthly features in Rugby Day In Canada magazine.
I thought I would start things off with a letter I got yesterday from a fan in the U.K., asking me why Jamie Cudmore doesn't play with Canada's national team. There have been lots of different players of whom this question was asked over the years, Phil Murphy, Colin Yukes, Mike James, Michael Barbieri, etc.. The short answer is that each has a different story and reasons for their decisions; some are personal, some professional.
Without knowing anything for certain, I feel it is safe to offer the following as a general guideline for why most of these situations arise.
Jamie Cudmore, in the same manner as Mike James and Canada's other big stars over the years, plays in a league which demands year-round training from its athletes. In the French Top 14, there is no "off-season"; training is expected of players on a year-round basis. As one of the premier lock forwards in Europe, Jamie has been able to win his reputation, largely by being a pillar of strength for his club, while other French and foreign players are away on national duty.
The really important games for Canada are largely seen as World Cup matches. Yes, there are occasionally games that matter a great deal towards our IRB rankings, but at least in some cases, what happens between World Cup years has to be seen as a development opportunity. Therefore, when a player reaches Jamie's level of professionalism, which doesn't happen very often, the national team makes the choice not to try and pull him away from his club.
This keeps the club happy, as they are using up a valuable "import" contract just to sign a Canadian, and it also means that our player is playing, day in and day out, in one of the best leagues in the world.
We can then use many of our international matches to develop a second tier of talent, improve our national team depth and expose players to a higher standard.
Obviously this isn't a perfect siituation, and there are unquestionably times where Canada would love to have access to these players. However, personally, I would be shocked if Jamie Cudmore wasn't named to Canada's squad in the run up to the World Cup this summer; and when he arrives he will had had the advantage of enjoying a long career in the most elite compeition in Europe.
Until next time!
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Jeff Hull is a freelance contributor to Rugby Canada. The Rugby Canada Pro Report can be read weekly on that website, and in every addition of Rugby Day In Canada magazine.
If you are keep to follow our blog, please visit us at: http://theproreport.blogspot.com/
To contact the author, write to: jhull@rugbycanada.ca
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