On 24 November, the World Rugby council voted to amend its eligibility rules to allow players to change Test teams during their career after a three-year stand-down period and providing they have ‘a genuine, close, credible and established national link’ to the country they now wish to represent (such as having a parent or grandparent who was born there). Under the previous regulations, a Test player could change allegiance only through an unintended Olympic sevens loophole.
The revised eligibility regulations will apply from I January.
To pass, the proposal needed 75% of the council members to vote yes, and with tier-one nations having more votes than those in tier two, many thought it was unlikely to happen. Why? Well, this amendment will strengthen the Pacific Island nations, who will soon…
