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World Rugby make amendment to eligibility criteria

Duhan van der Merwe - PA

World Rugby have announced an adjustment to regulation 8.1 (c) concerning national eligibility on residency grounds.

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The World Rugby regulation had previously stated that a player could only change their national eligibility through residency after “the player has been registered exclusively with a union or rugby body in the country for sixty months immediately preceding the time of playing.”

The adjustment now means any player with a “genuine, close, credible and established link to a union” is not required to complete 60 months (five years) of unbroken residency in the relevant country.

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Players will now have to complete a 60-month ‘rugby registration’ in their adopted nation, but, crucially, will be allowed to travel during that period.

The amendment comes after the World Rugby Council meeting in October 2023, and came into force on August 1.

A World Rugby statement reads: “Following the World Rugby Council decision in October 2023, an adjustment to World Rugby Regulation 8.1 (c) governing national eligibility has been adopted across the game.

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“From 1 August, 2024, any player with a genuine, close, credible and established link to a union is no longer required to complete 60 months (five years) of unbroken residency in the relevant country right up to the first time that player represents the union.

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“Under the revised approach ‘rugby registration’ over a 60-month period will need to be demonstrated via registration with a rugby body, including a national union or club.

“The amendment was approved by the Council following extensive consultation with unions and players and is aimed to address challenges that arise for unions within territories where recording entry and exit from a country is not straightforward.

“The onus will be on the union and rugby body to demonstrate the relevant proof of unbroken registration when considering an eligibility case on rugby residency.”

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11 Comments
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B.J. Spratt 84 days ago

World Rugby is "Corrupt" E.g. Bernard La Porte and his best mate Billy Beaumont. Both under investigation.


I think if the players can all get together and have a World Players Association, with an Independent Governing Body.


Players take the "risk"


Change the rules, make it simpler so kids can understand the game.

J
Jmann 85 days ago

so just a damn free for all for NH teams raping the SH for players then....

H
Hellhound 85 days ago

SA will suffer. The Irish and especially the Scots is doing shopping in SA. We have such a big pool of very talented players that they will sign them and offer them big money. With how hard it has become to be a Bok, many would jump the divide in search of international honours in their future. Who should be shopping in SA is the Wallabies. They sure need it. SA produces brutes with the skills of backlines. We would definitely suffer with these rules. It's just become so much easier pilfering talent. If Wales is clever, they will snap up Cameron Hanekom before he gets a turn in the Bok squad, because if he gets his turn, that jersey is his. Currently there is so much depth in SA, so many will come shopping. Go to school derbies, and you will see what I'm talking about. There is so many scouts from different countries. Like flies. Who will hook the next big fish? The same holds true for NZ. They may lose a lot of players, especially since SR have become a wasted competition. Don't forget about the Americans. With 3031 WC going that way, they will come knocking and they have the money. They have been importing South Africans in the past 5 years or so. With Heyneke Meyer playing a huge role in that. He loves his South Africans and many young talented guns playing in the MLR. We will definitely lose a lot of players

S
SteveD 85 days ago

You really don't get it do you. If you're so worried about SA players going overseas - as they have been for 'n moer of a long time - then get the professional teams here to pay a bit more money. And - thanks to Rassie - overseas players are available for the Boks anyway so the national team is fine. Nope, what is happening now is fantastic for rugby union in general and our players in particular. The great effect they have had on the game is amazing and long may it last.

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JW 85 days ago

Nothing you said is relevant to this article.


What will be interesting to know is that if a SA'n plays for 3 or 4 months in the MLR for instance, then returns home for say the CC or even just a day job/family, will WR still term his time in America as a 'credible' link and eventually become eligible for USA?


That is the only change. There is just a little more freedom for a player who has their professional contract overseas, to come home or go on holiday outside that country for more than a couple of months every year. It's a very good change especially when considering the overheads it required of teir 2 and 3 eruopean or oceana countries etc.

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HU 85 days ago

first, if RSA was so flooded with talent, they would perhaps fare better at the Junior World Cups ...... (I do see the pool, but others seem to have talent as well)

second: there are at least 30-40 players per decade who will become regular Boks - those will perhaps be rather reluctant joining the US-team or even Wales, as there will hardly be any titles to win (maybe a Six Nations once every decade) - there are a few South Africans in the Scottish or Japanese team, but frankly none of them (and I don't think even Duhan) would be named in a RWC-squad for RSA .....


I am happy for the second tier Saffers getting a chance to play test rugby

b
by 85 days ago

This may weaken several international teams.

Maybe SA and Argentina not so?

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JW 85 days ago

It won't make any change to teams. If you read the article, it is just to make admin easier.


No doubt say a player playing in Portugal or Spain (really a smaller country from how the article depicts it, but you get it as an example) crosses the boarder to France or the channel back to England and doesn't realise that had made their residency invalid. They may even have say selected a French player and then their opposition lodges a complaint because they know that player spent a season (2 or 3 months) playing domestically in their own country, or perhaps earned a joker contract in the Top 14. The sort of thing that didn't stop them from playing every year in their adopted country but immediately made them ineligible for it.


Then theres also the secondary case of a player going "ive been asked to come fill in for Toulouse as their medical joker, can I still remain eligible for my new country while going over to France?" and being told, "no, you can't take up that awesome opportunity in France", and having to turn down life changing opportunities just because of strict WR eligibility criteria.


IDK for sure, i'm not involved in that process, just putting things together.

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Tom 3 hours ago
Borthwick, it's time to own up – Andy Goode

The problem for me isn't the pragmatic playstyle, it's that there is no attacking gameplan whatsoever.


I've got no issue with a methodical, kick heavy, defense centric gameplan. That playstyle won England our only world cup and it's won SA 4 of them. However! You can play in a pragmatic manner but you have to still play heads-up rugby and have the ability to turn it on when you manufacture prime attacking situations. England work very hard to get in the right areas of the pitch and have no idea how to convert when they get there, hence we tried and missed 3 drop goals as we were completely impotent in the 22. I've not seen any improvement in our attack in the last 4-5 years. The only time we got close to the tryline was from an interception, it's embarrassing. I don't know what Richard Wigglesworth is getting paid for.


I agree that England should have found a way to close out that game. Being able to grind out tough games is critical but I'd argue that being unable to string more than a couple of passes together without dropping it and finding a way to get over the gainline is even more important... But frustratingly, they don't seem interested. All you hear is about how close we are to bring a great team, we just need to execute a bit better. I don't see it. I see a team who are very physical, very pragmatic who do some stuff really well and are useless with the ball in hand which adds up to a very average side. They need to stop focusing on getting 5% better at the stuff we're already at an 8/10 level and focus on getting a lot better at the stuff we're doing at a 2/10 level. We have the worst attack of pretty much any side in the world... Argentina, Scotland, Fiji are way more threatening.

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