It's not just the ratings held by a pilot that determine the outcome of IMC - the hele is important too. Put a N Sea pilot with '000 hrs in IMC in a R22 in real IMC and see how long he lasts (not the number of engines but the stability of the aircraft).
However, there is a difference between real IMC and training. There is lots of good value in training in simulated IMC in an unstabilised SE hele. It is amazing how short our memories are, but SE sim IMC training used to be a permitted part of the IR, prior to JAR FCL having its effect on the business.
The acceptance of JAR FCL for hele training by committees of bureaucrats that hardly included any hele pilots was a disaster, and we are still paying the price..........