Here's another thing about Eddie's conservatism. If we fail to develop talent for the national squad, there is a good chance we could lose them for good.

Take Shane Geraghty for example. Though born in England (parents from Mayo, as far as I know), this lad played under-16 for Ireland. He's a versatile back, who can play centre or out-half. He has declared for England, and this evening was one of the Saxon players that destroyed the Ireland 'A' team. He's 21. He could have been ROG's or BOD's understudy, but he slipped through Ireland's fingers.

This could also happen to Irish-born players. We only have four professional teams in Ireland, which clearly isn't enough to accommodate all the professional-standard players coming through. So they go away to Britain or further afield in order to develop their careers. If they get overlooked by the IRFU for international potential, they could end up qualifying for their host country under the residency rule.