'It is making Wallabies think twice about going overseas' - Castle shares Giteau law stance

Raelene Castle has confirmed Rugby Australia has no intention of changing the “Giteau Law” that requires overseas-based players to have appeared in at least 60 tests for the Wallabies to be eligible for national selection.

The RA chief executive made her comments in the wake of South Africa’s decision to scrap their rule which says non-Super Rugby players must have 30 caps to be eligible for the Springboks and it would strictly enforce the World Rugby policy of being able to call back players for tests during international windows.

The RA stance means Will Skelton, currently impressing for Saracens, would have to quit the Premiership club to have any chance of making the World Cup squad in Japan.

“These types of laws are things you review all the time. But we have no information to suggest the Giteau Law is not working for us or we need to revisit it. We’re very comfortable that it’s keeping the best talent here in Australia to play Super Rugby, which is an absolutely critical competition for us to be competitive in,” Castle told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“And it is making Wallabies think twice about going overseas because they know they can’t wear that gold jersey. It’s working really well for us.

“We think the number is right for us. It gives us those that have been great servants of Australian rugby after 60 tests and that comes with the high-performance experience they have… training loads and managing workloads, that’s what a 60-test player brings.

“Underneath that, you would question whether players have the maturity to come and go and fit into the Wallabies and their structures.”

Castle also revealed that RA would be examining the training methods used at the Wallabies pre-Super Rugby camp which left David Pocock, Adam Coleman, Dane Haylett-Petty and Nick Phipps with calf injuries.

“We are all concerned about the injuries. That’s certainly not the ideal place for anyone to start. Nobody was comfortable with the fact we had injuries and Rugby Australia is reviewing the reasons for those injuries;” she added.

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