When World Rugby votes on extending the 3-year residency rule, the English RFU will be in favour.
RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie was quoted in The Times: “We feel that an increase from three to five years is absolutely the route to go down and that’s what we’d support.
“There are other countries who will take a different view on that. I think it should be five and that’s what we’ll be putting forward. If it stays at three then we’d have to think again and review it.”
Currently the residency qualification period is just three years, and some countries are importing ‘project players’ from other countries, with a view to selecting them for international honours once they qualify.
What do you think of the proposed extension? Would you be in favour?
Five years continuous residence as a minimum and no switching countries if you have represented your own at any level above under 20 would discourage players who aren’t good enough to play for their own country from seeking international caps elsewhere. This should apply to tier one countries only. At slightly lower levels it should be kept at three years to encourage development of the game in those countries by strengthening them with strong players from tier 1 countries who can’ t get a game at home. Cips for Georgia anyone?
0
I think this is a good start but I would like to go further. We have to stop the likes of Scotland recruiting foreign players with the sole aim of qualifying them for the national team. I think a player who has a grandparent from the country they wish to represent should have to do 2 or 3 years residency before they can represent them. I think having a parent is fair enough and they should be allowed straight in.
0
This is a step in the right direction. Hopefully 5 years it long enough to discourage clubs from being complicit in bringing in project players.
I do find the whole idea of playing for a different country quite strange, though. I, like lots of others, grew up dreaming of playing for Wales. I’ve long accepted that that’s never going to happen, but the idea of playing for a different country just to get an international cap just feels wrong and I wouldn’t want to do it.
0