IRFU issue statement in wake of 'scurrilous' Stephen Jones article

My opinion is that perhaps the ' 'potential' or latent talent is there, but it's just below the surface.

ANd that decision, as made by Tane Edmed, Noah, Will Skelton to go overseas is the catalyst to activate the latent and bring it to the surface.

Based on my personal experience of leaving Oz and spending 14 months o/s, I was fully away from home and all usual support systems and past memories that reminded me of the past.

Ooverseas, they weren't there. I had t o survive, I could invent myself as who I wanted, and there was no one to blame but me.

It bought me alive, focused my efforts towards what I wanted and people largely accepted me for who I was and how I turned up.

So my suggestion is to make overseas scholarships for younger players and older too so they can benefit from the value offered by overseas coaching acumen, established systems, higher intensity competition which like the pressure that turns coal into diamonds, can produce more Skeltons, Arnold's, Kellaways and the like.

After the Lion's tour say, create 20 x $10,000 scholarships for players to travel and play overseas.

Set up a HECS style arrangement if necessary to recycle these funds ongoingly.

Ooverseas travel, like parenthood or difficult life situations brings out people's physical and emotional strengths in my own experiences, let's use it in rugby.

Unless you had a different idea of 'put away' means.

He doesn't have the pace to be as good as he was imo but he still might pip Clarke as the power winger (could even be used on the right instead of Tele'a).