The more I think about this new Argentine system the more I am convinced it is a bad idea, and that it will have negative (possibly even catastrophic) effects on Argentinian rugby. I can understand why this new system is seen as desirable, the advantages in terms of development of the game and commercial viability are obvious. However, what terrifies me about it is how complete the change will be, how it will overthrow everything about how Argentinian rugby currently works â€" I think people are forgetting that there is a lot of good inherent in the current Argentinian “system†for developing world-class players. (I say “system†in inverted commas because it is not a specifically designed-for-purpose system like the new proposals; however it is a “system†in the sense that it does exist and does fulfil a purpose.) I don't know or understand how this “system†works in detail, but as I understand it, it essentially it consists of an amateur national structure,
Plar tasked with identifying and developing young players (thanks for the explanation
@Conrad Smith), with a view towards players getting contracts with European clubs, who can develop and improve them. Then they come back to Argentina to form the national side. So the process is:
amateur â€"> Plar â€"> European professional â€"> international (although I appreciate sometimes the international comes before the European professional stage).
The current situation has arisen haphazardly and has many disadvantages compared to the better-organised English or South African (just two examples) systems, however I would argue that
for what it is, it is actually phenomenally good. There is and never has been a professional structure in Argentina, yet the country produces a steady stream of world-class players and a national side which is always competitive with the majority of the Tier 1 teams. No professional structure at all; yet the national team has come third in a World Cup, and in the last twelve months along has beaten Australia, run South Africa agonisingly close and beaten the French in Paris. With no disrespect to either country, both Scotland and Italy are integrated into a professional system for identification and development of players to play against and alongside top professionals every week, and they cannot boast that record. Regardless of it's undoubted faults, the current “system†(the cornerstone of which is players leaving Argentina to learn their trade elsewhere) obviously has something incredible in its favour.
I strongly believe that throwing all of this out for an untested system is potential suicide. Both systems have obvious flaws which can be pointed out. They also both have benefits. However, the key difference is that the benefits of the old “system†have been tested in the real world and demonstrated to be undeniably true, and to outweigh the flaws by some distance. The benefits of the new system are at this stage theoretical, and I can't help but be terrified at the prospect of throwing away all those known benefits in favour of some other (not even demonstrably greater) benefits which we hope will come about if everything goes according to plan. The fact is, in life and rugby, most things don't go according to plan and Argentina seem to be risking everything on things going to plan on this occasion.
Now, I understand this can sound like an argument against change of any kind â€" what we have works, let's play it safe and stay where we are rather than risk problems - after all, my logic could be used to oppose any change in any circumstances ever. I absolutely am not making that argument, of course I believe that risks have to be taken in order to develop and improve. What I am saying is mitigate the risks, and make sure we keep the good parts of what we have already, don't jump headfirst into a completely new way of doing things and just hope like hell. There seems to be no protection built into the proposed system â€" if it doesn't work, in short, Argentinian rugby will have lost everything it relied on and replaced it with nothing. I am not an expert and cannot suggest a new system which will work; however in principle I can say that any new system must incorporate the current strength that European professional contracts gives Argentina â€" I'm not just talking about the players already there, I'm including the possibility of currently unknown young players following the established route. We've seen that it works, so use it.
If this is seen to have negative effects long-term (which I understand), plan to phase it out long-term. Look to overcome this problem gradually, as the SR franchise grows and grows, rather than doing it suddenly, unexpectedly and all at once. Hopefully this will work; if at any point it becomes clear that it is not working then you have the flexibility to change it to make it work better, or to cancel it and accept that the old way works better in this regard. Whatever happens, slow development gives you flexibility and control.
I'm sure there are many Argentinians on this thread for whom English is not their first language (sorry, by the way, if any of my post is not well expressed and difficult to understand … ) - we have an expression in English which perfectly expresses how I feel about this situation: “Don't throw the baby out with the bath water†- that is, when you must remove something bad or unnecessary, be careful not to remove the good things at the same time. I'm sure there is an equivalent in Spanish, but either way I hope my message is clear.
I apologise for the length of this post … once I'd started, it kind of took on a life of its own! I hope it makes sense, if not I apologise and can clarify. I just really care about Argentinian rugby, I consider them my second international rugby team, and I really do not want to see them **** up what they already have.