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The international game is becoming more about power than nationalism

By Ben Smith

“We’re just abiding by World Rugby laws,” England’s defence coach Paul Gustard declares in regards to the selection of Brad Shields. The main thing, according to Gustard, is “we are not doing anything that’s illegal”.

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No, it’s not illegal but it doesn’t have to be. The selection of Brad Shields further weakens the integrity of the international game, which is heading further away from its purity. It’s window-dressed as ‘internationals’ when it’s really about the power wielded by unions and not solely about representing your country.

The fact that the All Blacks dropped the prefix “New Zealand” from the team name tells you everything you need to know. They are a brand, dedicated to winning and will do what is required to make that happen.

World Rugby makes eligibility laws and Unions find ways to abide by them, whether those ways are righteous or not.

Japan actively sources Tongans for university scholarships with the intention of the national side benefiting from their residency. By the time they finish uni and play a couple of years of professional rugby, they can play for Japan.

Ireland is slowly joining the arms race, with New Zealand-born Bundee Aki becoming their first player with Pacific island heritage. Fijian-born Seevu Reece could become their second. Manu Tuilagi plays for England yet his brothers play for Samoa.

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Scotland and Wales have benefited from New Zealand born-and-raised players qualifying under their grandparents or parents – Sean Maitland, Nick Grigg, and Gareth Anscombe.

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The Wallabies and All Blacks continue to benefit from being in close proximity to the Pacific islands. New Zealand in particular, has a large Pacific island population that is now into the second and third generation to pick from. Still, that doesn’t stop the teams and schools from actively recruiting the next generation of players from Fiji or Tonga on high school ‘scholarships’.

A Tongan or Fijian schoolboy development trip to New Zealand is more like a touring fish market. The best players are certain to be offered scholarships to play rugby for schools in New Zealand, bringing them into the system where they can become eligible. Is it a better option for the player? Yes. Is it good for the integrity of the international game? No.

It’s human nature to do what’s best for you, players will choose a better future and Unions will do what they need to be competitive. When World Rugby vice-chairman Agustin Pichot tweeted “we are losing something… the game is losing something” it is hopefully the realisation that the system is broken and is more about World Rugby eligibility rules than Brad Shields.

A simple solution – qualification other than by birthright should be by 10 years residency or five years residency with heritage qualification (through birthright of parent or grandparent). Those like Joey Carberry who was born in New Zealand but moved to Ireland at 11-years-old would still qualify for Ireland. If Shields identifies as English, he would have had to move a lot earlier to pursue that dream and complete five years of residency first.

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10 years residency for players with no heritage ties to a country would almost certainly prevent Bundee Aki from playing for Ireland but could also serve to strengthen the Pacific Island teams. If Vaea Fifita or Seta Tamanivalu had to wait until they were 26 or 27 years old to qualify for the All Blacks, would they instead opt to just play for Tonga and Fiji respectively?

The proposed extension of residency qualification from three to five years will fail to have much impact and it will not stop players using their grandparents as a loophole to play for a country they’ve never lived in or possibly never been too.

Brad Shields wasn’t the first and won’t be the last.

In other news:

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Trevor 42 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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