With plenty of doubt surrounding the future of the Heineken Cup, the All Ireland League makes a welcome return to Ireland's domestic scene later today.
The schools system continues to fast track the country's top young talents straight into provincial academies but the AIL remains a major breeding ground for emerging talents.
Lansdowne stormed their way to their first ever AIL title last season. Craig Ronaldson was their stand out player and finished the season as the league's top points scorer with 206 points in his 16 games for the club. Such was the out-half's constancy, it prompted Connacht to sign the Dublin native on a one-year contract.
Ronaldson isn't the only player to have earned himself a provincial contract on the back of his recent displays in the AIL. At 26, Darragh Fanning who had a brief previous spell with Connacht returned from Australia and openly admitted that he had banished the thought of earning a contract with Leinster. Instead, the winger put his head down and concentrated on his club form with St. Mary's College.
Like Ronaldson, Fanning was influential for his club last season, although his form had a major bearing at the opposite end of the league table. Fanning was offered a training contract with Leinster at the beginning of the summer and has since impressed Matt O'Connor so much so that he has been offered a short-term contract until January.
The AIL hasn't always been secondary in this country. Since the turn of the professional era, the provinces have of course dominated but Ronaldson and Fanning are timely reminders that the domestic game is very much still alive in Ireland.
Schools rugby has scaled to such great heights in the last decade that both junior and in particular senior cup schools games continue to attract greater audiences than the AIL.
However, old values still remain in certain quarters. Paul O'Connell continued his return from injury last season when he lined out for his club Young Munster. The increase in spectators was obvious but perhaps more importantly, the buzz around Tom Clifford Park that Saturday afternoon highlighted what the league still has to offer.
When Marcus Horan called time on his glittering 14-year career last season, there was plenty of speculation that he declined Rob Penny's offer of travelling to Italy to play what was essentially a meaningless end of season game for Munster against Zebre. Horan instead opted to remain in Ireland and played for Shannon in their play-off against UCD.
The league hasn't just been a conveyor belt for players. In recent times, it has acted as a stepping stone for up and coming Irish coaches to further their careers in the professional game. Having spent two years as Director of Rugby and forwards coach at Clontarf, Bernard Jackman is currently in his second season as defence coach with French Top 14 side, Grenoble.
Following Jackman to the South of France this season was Mike Prendergast. The former Munster scrum half had a previous spell in France as a player with Bourgoin and having spent time coaching Young Munster and Ard Scoil Rís, Grenoble have made Prendergast their skills coach.
With Jonny Sexton's departure to France possibly opening the door to further Irish internationals following suit, it is worth noting the significant number of former AIL players that have made a similar switch in the past year or so.
Peter Lydon (Seapoint) has lined out for Stade Francais in the Top 14 this season while James Hart (Clontarf) and Shane O'Leary (Young Munster) are playing with Grenoble. Danny Kenny who was central to UCD's promotion to 1A last season spent the summer training with Munster but has now taken up a contract offer from London Irish.
Like the Heineken Cup, the current AIL structure is not without its flaws. But it still holds value to the supporters that have long been followers of the league as well as acting as a platform for coaches and players alike as they further their careers in the professional game.
All four All Ireland Leagues kick off their respected new campaigns this afternoon. The scope for Irish talents advances far beyond these shores with the likes of France and England showing an increase in the number of Irish players.
With both Irish provinces and European sides evidently keeping a closer watch on the AIL, further opportunities are sure to come knocking in the coming season.
Cian Tracey is a freelance sports journalist currently writing for The Irish Independent, Irish Examiner & the Irish Sun.
Follow him on Twitter.
