Don’t wait until you are retired to give your honest opinion on Irish-qualified players

This week, Luke Fitzgerald was asked for his opinion on a rugby matter and, hands untied for the first time in a decade, gave his honest opinion.

World Rugby are now trying to get rid of a three-year residency rule that, only last year, they declared was working fine. Nothing to see here has suddenly become, 'Oh, okay let's have a look at it'. The driving force behind this is new World Rugby vice president, former Argentina international Augustin Pichot. At present, any foreign player can become qualified in a host country that he spends three years living, working and playing in. Now that the debatable practice has been brought into the light, and the winds of change are stirring, everyone is chiming in with their opinion. Last weekend, Brian O'Driscoll took the compromise option - change three years to five years and see where we are in... a decade? His former Leinster and Ireland teammate Luke Fitzgerald went several steps further. "I think it's wrong," Fitzgerald told reporters at a Sky Sports shindig. "I want to see Irish guys in there. Are we not good enough to fill the spots? I don’t know if there’s a big enough gap, to justify it?" The funny thing about Fitzgerald's attack of searing honesty is that it has come six months too late. Imagine the impact if a current Irish international said, 'Hang on, this is not right.' Or even 'I'm not sure this sits right with me but the rules are the rules'. If a player does not want to fly the flag, how about letting his feelings be known to the Irish Rugby Union Players' Association? We've heard less than a peep. This is nothing against Fitzgerald himself. He is a guy that tried his damnedest to speak his mind, when possible, during his career. O'Driscoll must have a Masters in saying everything and nothing at the same time. Years of captaincy and press conferences with loaded questions will do that to you. His comments just are just the latest, though, in recent retired guys piping up from the safety of the sidelines. I have spoken with a few active players in the recent weeks. None are heading to Chicago with the senior Ireland squad but they are decent, honest pros. Lads playing for their home province and frustrated at the increase in recent traffic of foreign players looking to get IRFU central contracts after three-year stints. I've spoken with another player making a wage abroad, and getting regular starts, that sees guys come in from foreign climes and playing in a position he knows he could do a job in. They won't speak out. Not yet. They feel it may come across as sour grapes. All I have heard, over the past fortnight, is that more than a handful of the current crop feel the three-year rule is a joke. No-one is stepping up though. No-one wants to be the attack dog. Keep the head down. When Danie Poolman arrived at Connacht in 2012, he did so after being encouraged to give Ireland a go. They were looking for centres, he was told. Gordon D'Arcy and Brian O'Driscoll would be finishing soon. So Poolman played centre and Eoin Griffin could not get a run of games. He headed off to London Irish to try lock down a regular spot. He is back at The Sportsground now and looks to have benefited from some time abroad. Poolman is still at Connacht and has signed a contract extension. He has yet to be capped by Ireland but is versatile and a handy player so Pat Lam wants him around. Through the residency rule [Jared Payne], promoting from within [Luke Marshall, Stuart Olding, Stuart McCloskey] and identifying talent and funelling them into midfield [Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw], we are now well covered. Bundee Aki may come in next November and, in Ben Te'o, we let another one get away. Now? We're looking for hookers, locks and scrum-halves. Hence the recent arrivals of young, foreign hopefuls at Munster and Leinster. Connacht's Tom McCartney is all but certain to make his debut next year. The Kiwi hooker will be 32 by then. The likes of James Tracy and Niall Scannell may not like it [in public or private] but they'll have to live with it. The big revelation from IRFU High Performance Director David Nucifora, in his semi regular pow-wow series with a select group of rugby journalists, is that Leinster wanted a foreign outhalf to replace Bordeaux-bound Ian Madigan. Thankfully, the IRFU saw sense otherwise Joey Carbery may not have got a look-in this season. In my opinion, changing residency to five years makes sense. It cuts out the mercenaric nature of some player arrivals but mean young rugby players that have moved country would one day be able to represent their new home. You can't blame Irish players for feeling a sense of grievance but you wish there was not such an Omerta about the whole matter. There are over 120 Irish players on professional contracts here. Some have stronger opinions than other. Some are agitators and some feel affronted by their union standing behind the current rules while bringing in a raft of 22 and 23 year olds from foreign shores. You won't hear it in the press or read it in tweets though. Keep the head down. Complain when you've retired. Check out the latest episode of Football: Friday Live