But as the sheer class and precociousness of Geraghty's out-half play becomes clear . . .

the clever chips off both feet, his radar-like passing ability, the sniping break and, probably above all else, the clear maturity of the lad . . . it's clear that we should all have been paying a little more attention, particularly the IRFU talent spotters, the ones who know full well that this country is a tad shy on quality out-halves.

The disturbing thing about the Geraghty situation . . . and it could get even more disturbing if he declares for England in the coming months . . .

is not that he's been allowed to slip through the IRFU's recruitment net, but rather that the Union don't really have any kind of suitable instrument to land him with.

If the IRFU are to look to their processes for recruiting players of Irish descent in England, they'll discover that the Exiles, the arm of the Union responsible for that very area, haven't done anything wrong. Their people identified Geraghty as an Irish eligible talent at an early age, they shuffled him over the Irish Sea to play for the Irish Youths at the age of 16 and at that point they'd pretty much fulfilled their side of the bargain.

Previous players to have gone down a similar road include Justin Fitzpatrick, Justin Bishop, Rob Henderson and Guy and Simon Easterby, but the landscape of world rugby, and English rugby in particular, has changed immensely since that particular bunch nailed their colours to the Irish mast. When the players listed above were in their late teens and had represented Ireland at underage level, it wasn't exactly the normal routine to be handed a professional contract by your 20th birthday.

Back then, you did your stuff at club level and maybe then you'd make a living out of playing the game, but now there's been a seismic change.

After Geraghty had played for Ireland Youths, and soon after he left the gates of Colston's Collegiate School in Bristol, the player had an RFU Regional Academy contract waved in front of him and the moment he put pen to paper he effectively became England's property.

His presence at London Irish appears to confuse people. Sure, he's playing for the club now and, yes, he's still part of the London Irish academy, but everything bar his professional match fees at Sunbury is being funded by the RFU through the finances of Sport England, the body responsible for distributing government funding across English sport. Literature referring to these acadamies states that at regional level, the stage that Geraghty graduated straight into after school, players are asked to sign an "Elite Athlete Scholars Agreement" committing their future to England in return for being funded through the academy system.

It is not known for sure whether Geraghty has ever actually signed such an agreement, and some sources doubt whether it would ever stand up in court at any rate, but the very fact that he's represented England at under-18, 19 and 21 level over the past two seasons suggests that he feels he needs to give something back to English rugby.

All of which leaves the IRFU in a bit of a pickle. The Union have been insisting this week that the Exiles system remains the best way to get Irish qualified players in English rugby playing in the green jersey, but as we've already pinpointed, while the Exiles do a superb job in physically identifying players with Irish roots, they're simply unable to do anything to ensure that those players do eventually declare for Ireland.

Put it this way. If you were the son of Irish parents living in London, and somebody from the Exiles recommended you for selection for an Irish underage team, it's hardly an offer you'd turn down.

The problem comes after that point. At school-leaving age, the IRFU are unable to offer you anything simply because of the way their system is designed. All their resources (just over 1million in 2005/06) are poured into the four regional acadamies in Ireland, meaning that they haven't a shilling to offer anybody outside the country. So if you're that young lad and the RFU come knocking at your door promising to get you into one of their acadamies and pay for your development over the next two or three years, what do you do? There's no argument, no matter what the heart might be saying. You sign on the dotted line.

There are two possible solutions to the IRFU's problem, and they need to fasten onto one of them pretty rapidly. One option is to create an Exiles Academy, a fully functional development centre based in England somewhere, a place where Irish qualified players can learn the tools of their trade after leaving school. While that solution may prove costly, and could possibly put the IRFU in collision course with their English counterparts, the other option is far more viable.

An extensive scouting system needs to be put in place, something along the lines of the current Exiles model, which not only identifies young talent in England, but also shuffles along a ready made route towards one of the four Irish provincial acadamies. Already, Leinster have signed-up Derry Coughlan and Paul Doran Jones from across the water, and there are a couple of other English-born Irishmen floating around the academy system. But these guys have arrived here by accident rather than design. This type of recruitment needs to be done far more formally.

As for Shane Geraghty, all indications are that he'll be playing his international rugby for England in the not too distant future. Sources at London Irish insist they're trying to keep the decision at bay for as long as possible, but it could all happen quicker than most people think.

IRB regulations state that a player is not eligible for another international team if he plays for the "senior 15-a-side National Representative Team or the next senior 15-aside National Representative Team or the Senior National Representative Sevens Team of a union". Geraghty has already been named in the extended England Sevens squad this season and, although he's likely to be tied up with London Irish until late April, he could make his debut at the Twickenham Sevens at the end of May. An appearance then, and it will be curtains for Ireland. His decision to plump for England will undoubtedly hurt, but at the very least there'll be a tough lesson learned from it.

A bit of planning will ensure it won't happen again.