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Tue 04 Apr 2007Despite defeats Irish system has meritOn Rugby:So the centrally contracted Irish system is not all it's cracked up to be whereas the English system is now glorious. This is the same Irish system that maximises smaller playing numbers to yield three Triple Crowns in the last four years, as well as the winners and two semi-finalists of the Heineken European Cup last year, and the same English system that hasn't produced a finalist since 2004.There's a need for perspective when using the European Cup as a barometer of the strength of respective leagues and systems, especially one campaign or even one weekend. After all, this is also the English system which hasn't earned them a top-three Six Nations finish in the four years since they won the World Cup, wheeling their players out on the Sunday before they came to Croke Park and crocking a few along the way.