Yeah, this whole business needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century, and getting the IMCR is the most achievable legit way of getting the capability.
I have the JAA IR also, and have had the FAA IR since 2006, and there is almost nothing of practical relevance that you learn doing those two, over a competently taught and absorbed IMCR. But it's a lot more work.
The IMCR is technically easy - what makes it nontrivial is the fact that most people are going into it with zero instrument experience and are doing it in aircraft in which barely anything works.