World Rugby to vote on easing rules on player Test team switches

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

How does the grandparent rule work, if a player's granparent is italian though his 2 italian parents yet never spent any time there. Is the player italy qualified?

And how strong does the granparents claim have to be to make the player eligible? If you get what i mean

yes
Grandparent has to be born in said country (For example in Italy) I believe

 

[TRF_Olyy]

How does the grandparent rule work, if a player's granparent is italian though his 2 italian parents yet never spent any time there. Is the player italy qualified?

And how strong does the granparents claim have to be to make the player eligible? If you get what i mean

Grandparents place of birth, I believe

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Apologies if this has been covered earlier in the thread, but an industrious French rugby fan called vino_93 did work to identify how many active players would be available for switching in time for the next RWC (based on information that is freely available, there will obviously be more once people start checking birth certificates etc).

In terms of active players who have represented Tier1 nations the figures were

Tonga - 13
Samoa - 13
Fiji - 11

Then there is a sharp drop to Algeria (4 or 5 frenchmen), then the likes of Portugal (2 or so).

It remains to be seen how many players would willingly switch, but I imagine this will happen if agents believed RWC exposure will boost their clients wage potential. My concern is this may create an entrenched gulf between the PIs and other Tier2s who do not have a history of emigration and have to solely develop their own players. It is worth noting that the combined Tongan, Samoan, and Fijian populations of Aus & NZ are all larger than the population of the islands themselves. So this will be a gift that keeps in giving for the islands for a minimum of two further generations (i.e. until at least 2041).

It would be fair to say that I am not a fan.

 

[Which Tyler]

How many from Tier 1 could jump down and play for Scotland or Italy?

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

There's also the problem that French and English clubs might not want to resign some of the PI players if they now end up away more, where as an ex all
Black who's available all year round is a massive bonus vs the player who plays for a PI and is away for international games.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

How many from Tier 1 could jump down and play for Scotland or Italy?

Not a whole lot it would seem, at least of the ones where their ancestry is public knowledge. But given Scotland (and increasingly Italy) dedicate resources to researching ancestry I'm sure they will uncover some possibilities and make the approach. I think there would be more stigma attached to such a move than to a Tier1 dropping down to 'help out' a Tier2 nation.

 

[Which Tyler]

I suspect that there's quite a few TBH - as for stigma... meh, the individuals won't give a damn

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Apologies if this has been covered earlier in the thread, but an industrious French rugby fan called vino_93 did work to identify how many active players would be available for switching in time for the next RWC (based on information that is freely available, there will obviously be more once people start checking birth certificates etc).

In terms of active players who have represented Tier1 nations the figures were

Tonga - 13
Samoa - 13
Fiji - 11

Then there is a sharp drop to Algeria (4 or 5 frenchmen), then the likes of Portugal (2 or so).

It remains to be seen how many players would willingly switch, but I imagine this will happen if agents believed RWC exposure will boost their clients wage potential. My concern is this may create an entrenched gulf between the PIs and other Tier2s who do not have a history of emigration and have to solely develop their own players. It is worth noting that the combined Tongan, Samoan, and Fijian populations of Aus & NZ are all larger than the population of the islands themselves. So this will be a gift that keeps in giving for the islands for a minimum of two further generations (i.e. until at least 2041).

It would be fair to say that I am not a fan.

let not forget those players would also have to be selected...its not purely up to the players

Personally i think a few higher quality players coming in to these teams will help span the gaping void between "tiers", i dont think its going to suddenly make the PI nations tier 1 powerhouses, it might just mean teams like aussie and NZ see them as some competition...and so are happy to play them more

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Only a few players have publicly stated their intention so far, so we have yer fo get confirmation of a stampede. Piutau, Hughes, Naiyaravoro, Toomaga-Allen & Fekitoa the ones referred to in the article below. Sopoaga has also has said he'd want to help Samoa.

"RFU on board" - Nathan Hughes and four other players who've confirmed they're swapping nations - Page 5 of 5 - Ruck

They all want to swap nations ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

www.ruck.co.uk

I think in many cases it'll all come down to whether the player has a contract in place for 2023/24. If out of contract then put yourself in the shop window. If under contract with a club I can imagine the club taking a dim view, off the record, about the player risking an injury playing for a club they weren't eligible for at the time of drawing up the contract.

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

Only a few players have publicly stated their intention so far, so we have yer fo get confirmation of a stampede. Piutau, Hughes, Naiyaravoro, Toomaga-Allen & Fekitoa the ones referred to in the article below. Sopoaga has also has said he'd want to help Samoa.

"RFU on board" - Nathan Hughes and four other players who've confirmed they're swapping nations - Page 5 of 5 - Ruck

They all want to swap nations ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

www.ruck.co.uk

I think in many cases it'll all come down to whether the player has a contract in place for 2023/24. If out of contract then put yourself in the shop window. If under contract with a club I can imagine the club taking a dim view, off the record, about the player risking an injury playing for a club they weren't eligible for at the time of drawing up the contract.

Says everything about Ruck.co.uk that they have so clearly rehashed an article from a few months ago that they forgot to take Solomona out of the pics

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

I still can't get behind this, especially players like Hughes etc who played for England just for money. Why should he be rewarded for that by being allowed a second chance.

It basically become club rugby especially with the imports constantly being selected across the board.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I still can't get behind this, especially players like Hughes etc who played for England just for money. Why should he be rewarded for that by being allowed a second chance.

It basically become club rugby especially with the imports constantly being selected across the board.

Yes. People say "it is their right to be able to play for different countries they are eligible for" but I'll be damned if I can understand why I should be able to play for two countries because of where my grandparents were born, but others with four grandparents born in the same country, have no such additional career options.

Anyway, its here now and we might get a giggle when Hughes does the Fijian haka against England. I can imagine the Farrell sneer already!

 

[BPM]

The thing is, Hughes is by no means guaranteed a place in the Fiji squad and definitely not in the team.

I'd argue Mata is at least as good a player who is already a fixture in their side. Not much to choose between Hughes and Tuisue either. Tuisova has also started playing at 8 for Lyon. That's at least 3 very decent players who have been committed to Fiji. Not sure I'd be in a rush to pick him TBH.

The same could be said for Naiyarovoro. Fiji aren't exactly short of wingers and IMO, he's a bit of one trick pony.

 

[Reiser99]

The thing is, Hughes is by no means guaranteed a place in the Fiji squad and definitely not in the team.

I'd argue Mata is at least as good a player who is already a fixture in their side. Not much to choose between Hughes and Tuisue either. Tuisova has also started playing at 8 for Lyon. That's at least 3 very decent players who have been committed to Fiji. Not sure I'd be in a rush to pick him TBH.

The same could be said for Naiyarovoro. Fiji aren't exactly short of wingers and IMO, he's a bit of one trick pony.

Having said that surely they've been in contact with Fiji to sound out their chances. It would be very arrogant to go through the whole process just to not he picked.

 

[Scotty]

I still think players should be ineligible for switching nations should they have X number of caps(not sure the good number) but then it would be for players who are capped then not utilised to get a second chance.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

I still think players should be ineligible for switching nations should they have X number of caps(not sure the good number) but then it would be for players who are capped then not utilised to get a second chance.

definitely a cap limit could easily have been part of it, and i still think it should only be down the ladder from tier 1 to 2 or 3

 

[Goodey]

Yeah. As it is, this could easily mean anyone under 25 who performs for an Islander side in a world cup snapped up by a European club so long as they agree not to represent their country any more, in the hope of getting into a Six Nations side for the next world cup.

Meanwhile the tier 2 sides have to save all their money to try and bring in ex SA and NZ players for world cups while having a completely different team in the build up years.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

As it is, this could easily mean anyone under 25 who performs for an Islander side in a world cup snapped up by a European club so long as they agree not to represent their country any more, in the hope of getting into a Six Nations side for the next world cup.

Unless they've got a European parent/grandparent, that's not the case
Residence doesn't count when swapping nations

 

[Goodey]

Ah, that's helpful

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

First example of a Tier1 exploitation of this rule. England to Italy, move is TBC.

Kieran Crowley: I've spoken to Lozowski and Lynagh about Italian selection

Italy coach Kieran Crowley says he has personally spoken to Alex Lozowski and Louis Lynagh about Italian selection in the future

www.rugbyworld.com