Jean Kleyn cleared to play for Springboks

World Rugby has officially confirmed that Jean Kleyn, the now former Irish international lock, has been granted clearance to be considered for selection in the Springbok squad.

Kleyn’s transfer under the new eligibility rules, aka ‘birthright transfer,’ were confirmed by World Rugby on Thursday. These regulations, implemented at the beginning of 2022, permit players to represent their country of birth, as well as the birth countries of their parents or grandparents, provided that a minimum period of 36 months has passed since their last appearance for an adopted nation.

Jean Kleyn, originally from Johannesburg and now 29 years old, satisfied all the requirements for birthright transfer, making him eligible for Springbok selection. Kleyn made the decision to move to Ireland in 2016, subsequently qualifying for selection in the Irish national team through residency in 2019. In the same year, he was chosen to represent Ireland in the Rugby World Cup, where he appeared in five matches. However, he has not been selected for the national team since then.

While Kleyn’s Test career with Ireland hasn’t been noteworthy, he has amassed an impressive record with Munster. Standing at an imposing height of 2.03 meters, he has made over 130 appearances for the Limerick based outfit. He was an integral part of Munster’s recent triumph in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship final against the Stormers, which was held in Cape Town just last month.

Currently, Jean Kleyn is actively participating in the Springbok Castle Lager Rugby Championship training camp. Following his eligibility clearance, he can now be considered for selection as early as next month. The Springboks’ highly anticipated 2023 season will commence with a match against Australia at Loftus Versfeld. It remains to be seen how Kleyn’s inclusion in the Springbok squad will unfold and what contributions he will make to the team’s World Cup campaign.