For public consumption, the IRFU have reiterated their stance vis-a-vis player movement. Ostensibly, one of the conditions of a player's international contract is that he cannot switch clubs, or that if he returns from England he must rejoin the Irish club he left. Special circumstances will apply in individual cases. But in reality, it is now open season.

Furthermore, it seems the union's lawyers have advised them that they would probably lose any case which might be taken against them by the likes of Lansdowne-bound Reggie Corrigan or Gabriel Fulcher.

As someone quipped, given the Wanderers fiasco, the threat of more court cases arising from that, and now this, the IRFU, rather than considering moving to Tallaght, ought to think about re-locating to the Four Courts.

At any rate, "open sesame" is what some of the prime movers in the unofficial transfer market have been told. If so, it makes sense, and shows this policy had not been clearly thought through with regard to the professional era and the attendant freedom of movement and restraint of trade principles.

Never mind that it was attempting to stem the inevitable and perhaps beneficial tide whereby the best players float toward the first division of the AIB League, and therefore raise standards in the top flight. How, in all honesty, could the union insist that Kieron Dawson be obliged to join Bangor in the fourth division, should he be inclined to come home?

What the union's ill-conceived policy on restricting player movement perhaps also shows is that a proper transfer system, or some form of compromise re-imbursement, will have to be thrashed out between the unions and the clubs. After all, if a club spends years grooming a player, then they should be rewarded when another, financially better off club comes along waving a cheque book. (Why, for example, did UEFA and or FIFA never back Ajax in a counter-case to the Bosman ruling over the likes of Patrick Kluivert?)

It is with that in mind, perhaps, that all bar three of the Leinster clubs - fearful that the law of the jungle would apply - voted in favour of the union's flawed anti-player movement strategy. The exceptions were Trinity, curiously, and more obviously Lansdowne and Clontarf - seemingly the two clubs more willing and able to finance a recruitment drive this summer. Both were in the market for Corrigan and both, apparently, are chasing wunderkid Gordon D'Arcy.

In ways, it is impossible to stem the tide whereby the best players gravitate to the clubs with the most money. The advent of professionalism, all the more so with the Bosman ruling in football, shows that to be the inevitable trend.

Arguably, the likes of Greystones and Skerries, as opposed to Lansdowne and the other Dublin 4 clubs, are doing more for the long-term benefit of the game here through their under-age structures and effective branching out into youths rugby.

Even Blackrock, St Mary's, Terenure and so forth are furthering their links with their respective feeder schools. By contrast, Old Belvedere apart, the other five clubs in Dublin 4 are neither working in tandem with feeder schools nor developing youths rugby. You'd have to have a measure of sympathy for Greystones, given Lansdowne are acquiring a product of their structures in Corrigan.

For similar reasons, it was none too disappointing to see Corinthians win their first Connacht Cup in five years on Sunday at the expense of loadsamoney Galwegians, or so Corinthians' people think. I say this as someone who's always had a gra for rugby in the west, and Galwegians particularly.

For their progressive attitude off the pitch, such as bringing Warren Gatland over in the first place, then bringing together a squad of full-timers and part-timers, and their ensuing promotion from the third division to the first in two years, Galwegians have done wonders for rugby in the west.

However, what Corinthians are doing is filling some of the yawning under-age gaps in Glenina. "Saturday mornings in Corinthian Park would boggle the best minds in AA Roadwatch," according to Ralph O'Gorman in Saturday's programme notes.

"This season alone Corinthians have won Connacht titles at under-12 (blitz), under-16 (Cup and league), under-18 (league), under-20 (league). They are All-Ireland under 18 champions. They have won the Connacht Junior Cup, the Junior 2 League and the Junior B league. Their women folk won Division Two and now play All-Ireland League Division One football."

By comparison, beyond their senior team, Galwegians hardly count. Most probably, the oft-mooted merger that was discussed seriously a few years ago was perhaps the ideal solution. It'll hardly happen now, all the more so as, according to my hotel receptionist, many Galwegians and Corinthians people don't even talk to each other.

Still, it was probably no bad thing that Corinthians had something tangible to show for their season's efforts. The fear in Connacht is that the IRFU and the Connacht branch may be throwing all their eggs in the Galwegians basket. Currently, there are only four senior clubs in Connacht, as Sligo and Creggs this season have followed UCG through the fourth division trapdoor.

Last week, an IRFU delegation of Ronnie Dawson, George Spotswood and Des McKibbin investigated the Sportsground, Glenina and Corinthian Park with a view to the installation of floodlights at one of the grounds. They will make their recommendations to the union and a decision will be taken in June.

Though Glenina is more central, and therefore accessible by foot, Corinthians Park on the Tuam road is a better looking ground, with more potential for stadium development and probably more accessible by car.

Were the lights to go to Glenina, as well as most of the players' contracts, it will fuel suspicions that it's not what you do but who you know in IRFU circles that counts. Galwegians have had a club member on the IRFU executive every year since 1940, and of course had the last president in Bobby Deacy. Corinthians are comparative babes in the IRFU political woods.

Are there any independent judges of this vexed matter in Galway? Will club ties in the union executive hold sway?