At a press conference announcing Johnny Sexton's enforced absence from the Six Nations opener, Simon Easterby attempted to justify the call-up of Ian Keatley ahead of Ian Madigan.
Keatley has been the Munster back-up for the whole of this season, while Madigan has at least been playing regularly, it not always flawlessly.
But Madigan has been playing in France for Bordeaux Begles.
When those present worried aloud about selecting Keatley (a back-up with his club) and Scannell (usually playing at centre) as replacement out-halves for Paddy Jackson, Easterby demanded to know the alternative.
'What's the alternative?' asks Easterby when asked if a risk having 2 players who are not 1st choice 10 at Munster as sole cover for Jackson
— Neil O'Riordan (@noriordan) January 31, 2017
When Madigan's name was inevitably proferred, Easterby said he hadn't trained with Ireland last week. Significantly, he admitted that Madigan's decision to pursue his career in France "compromises his position with us."
Unfortunately, he couldn't be with us last week anyway because he was on the bench for Bordeaux so it compromises his position with us when he is not playing in Ireland and we are trying to support those guys who are staying here.
This is no more than a blunt admission of the informal policy of favouring Ireland-based players in team selections, a unwritten rule that has been in operation since roughly the late 1990s.
But a select few have managed to carve out Ireland careers while playing their club rugby abroad.
Keith Wood
Though he spent one memorable season playing in the red, Ronan O'Gara observed in his autobiography that Woody was never really a Munster man.
He was too early for that particular boat. Wood came of age just prior to Munster Rugby taking off as a concept. He was a creature from the heyday of the All-Ireland League, making him the envy of Paul O'Connell, who still harbours regrets that missed that era.
Wood won two AIL titles with Garryowen in 1992 and 1994. They were his club, not Munster.
One of Ireland's most vibrant talents in the bleak 1990s, Wood was snapped up by Harlequins as soon as the game "went open" in 1995. He spent the rest of his club career there, save for one famous season with Munster in 1999-00.
There are complications here. Prior to 1998, the majority of Irish internationals were playing club rugby in England as the IRFU struggled to get their house in order. Indeed, Brian Ashton never watched games here when he was coach, selecting his side from those in the Premiership.
However, Wood remained in England longer than many of them and returned after his sole season here.
He was an integral part of the first Munster team to truly make their mark on the latter end of the European Cup. The 'Raging Potato' was there when Munster beat Toulouse in that quarter-final in France.
With great regret, he told Will Carling at an after-dinner event that he never, in his entire career, won a match in Twickenham. The most agonising defeat was the 9-8 loss to Northampton in the Heineken Cup Final in 2000.
Wood promptly returned to Quins. Through it all, he was too important for Ireland to overlook.
Johnny Sexton
After protracted and unsuccessful contract negotiations with the IRFU, Johnny Sexton headed off to Paris where he spent two rather unhappy seasons playing in the Top 14.
There was no question of him being frozen out of international duty. Some people are above the unwritten rules.
Sexton's Ireland form hit new heights during his spell in France, and he won two Six Nations championships on the trot, establishing himself as one of the best out-halves in the world.
The one downside was that the French players seemed to institute a new policy towards dealing with Sexton after he'd played in the Top 14.
Geordan Murphy
It would be hard to say his Ireland career flourished as a result of his loyalty to the Tigers. For years he was the Wes Hoolahan of Irish rugby, a player more admired by the supporters than the coaches.
Plenty of fans thought he was screwed over. His autobiography - titled 'The Outsider' - revealed it was a view he shared himself. He was viciously critical of Eddie O'Sullivan throughout.
Eddie was down among us as we rounded the south terrace, arm in arm with his captain, just in case anybody had any doubt about whose team it was.
And yet, he still earned 72 caps, the bulk of which were won under O'Sullivan. Most of these were not won from the subs bench.
O'Sullivan's pereceived preference for Girvan Dempsey over Geordan Murphy had more to do with the latter's defensive deficiencies than his insistence on staying at the Leicester Tigers.
His habit of gifting tries to the French (2006, 2007, 2008) was especially annoying to O'Sullivan.
Eoin Reddan
Again like Murphy, Reddan didn't get much love from the Irish selectors in his first couple of seasons at Wasps.
Reddan was the first choice scrum half when Wasps beat Leicester in the 2007 Heineken Cup Final (one of the most surprisingly 'Irish' finals of the decade). He scored one of the two tries in the final, and also scored a breakaway try when Leinster were beaten in that year's quarter-final.
At that stage, he still struggled to gain international recognition beyond the odd cameo. Stringer was massively experienced, enjoyed a rapport with his out-half, and was not to be dislodged.
But then, the same was true when Reddan was at Munster between 2003 and 2005. Back then, he attracted even less attention from the national selectors.
But Reddan's rival would be one of the main casualties of Ireland's 2007 World Cup nightmare. After gifting the Georgians a try in that heart-stopping match in Bordeaux, Stringer was benched and Reddan was introduced for the France and Argentina. While Ireland lost both games, Reddan impressed enough to maintain the jersey for the 2008 Six Nations.
Undoubtedly, Reddan is a prime example of a player whose career hugely benefited from heading abroad.
