OPINION: Irish provinces well on track to becoming rugby’s selling clubs

It is a hard one to accept.

When Real Madrid came looking for Cristiano Ronaldo, a furious Alex Ferguson said he wouldn't sell the Spanish giants a virus. Then the Manchester United manager began to see the reality of the situation and asked the Portuguese superstar to give him one more season. Ronaldo agreed, scoring 26 goals as United reached another Champions League final before being shipped out to Madrid in exchange for £75million. Irish rugby does not have the solace of transfer fees to insulate them from the fact that the provincial set-up is becoming a feeder system for England and France. The proof of the new reality is arriving in waves at this crucial time of the season when players out of contract in the summer tend to sort out their futures. A new reality brought into focus by Leinster and Munster's double dates with Toulon and Leicester respectively in the coming fortnight's Champions Cup fixtures. This season's renewal suggests Ireland's provinces are lagging behind their monied competitors. Following on from JJ Hanrahan's departure to Northampton in the summer, Ian Madigan, Simon Zebo and Ben Te'o have all spoken quite openly about the possibility of moving abroad to further their careers. “It wouldn’t bother me too much," said Zebo of a move abroad. "I think whatever is best for me and my family, at the end of the day, once everything is known, then it will be easier to make my decision and decide what is best for me." Leinster out-half Madigan is open to a move to England if it gives him an opportunity to actually play at out-half and the IRFU are reportedly looking to head the Dubliner off at the pass by offering him the Munster number 10 jersey. That's a hell of a promise to make and it highlights the problems Irish rugby is suddenly having keeping native talent on these shores. It doesn't help that the IRFU have pared back their contribution to the wages of foreign talent and drastically reduced the number of central contracts, with Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times reporting that the number has dropped from a high of 30 in 2006-07 to just 13 this season. Leinster took a punt on rugby league star Ben Te'o when they signed him from Sam Burgess's South Sydney Rabbitohs (it has worked famously in comparison to the Burgess-Bath farrago) but the Kiwi may use his 18-month stint with the three-time European champions as a stepping stone to bigger and better things (contracts) in the Premiership or Top 14. Not eligible to play for Ireland until November 2o17, Te'o is "weighing things up" at present but admits the possibility of playing Test rugby could be a factor. “I want to test myself at this point and I love to play in the biggest games, so that’s certainly something that will factor into my decision,” he said. “I’d love to play international rugby, I’d love to be a part of that. I’m not sure for who, but I’d love to play it.” Whether the prospect of Test rugby in two years will outweigh the promise of a big contract abroad remains to be seen. Maybe Leo Cullen could ask him to give him one more year?