Will selecting overseas-based players become a trend after South Africa's compelling triumph?
Could South Africa’s World Cup triumph spark a new trend in international rugby – that of a country willingly letting its players play their club rugby abroad in the next four-year cycle and using that experience of playing and living overseas to help conjure a champion mix for France 2023?
Protectionism has been rife at international level in recent times, six of the eight World Cup quarter-finalists closing their borders and only working with squads containing players based at home with local clubs.
England, Ireland and New Zealand were among those who had long made it a stipulation that the only way a player would be selected for their national team was to be based in their home country.
With France, Japan and Australia all similarly selecting in this way for the recent finals in Japan, just two of the countries who made it through to the last eight had different rules governing player selection.
Semi-finalists Wales – who took four English Premiership-based players with them to Japan – still had some restrictive regulations in place. Look at how Toulon-based Rhys Webb was never in the mix for selection due to the 60-cap rule applicable to those earning their living away outside Wales.
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But what of new champions South Africa? They really broke the mould in the innovative way they went about selecting their Test side.
It was 2017 when former Springboks coach Allister Coetzee went along with a plan to only ever select overseas-based players with 30-plus caps. The stipulation was brought in to try and slow the drain of young players who had been leaving for lucrative contracts in England, France and Japan.
The policy’s genesis was understandable – protecting the integrity of the domestic game within South Africa. Come the start of 2019, however, it was unceremoniously scrapped, Rassie Erasmus insisting that when he came home from Munster to take over as SARU director of rugby in 2018 that everything was ripe for change.
The Springboks were head and shoulders better than England's players in the final, a performance reflected in the player-by-player ratings https://t.co/KQul8xLogx
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 2, 2019
His way proved to be the glory way as the Springboks lifted the World Cup in Yokohama with a matchday squad of 23 containing five players who played last season in the English Premiership and another two who were heavily involved in the French Top 14.
Having seven of a cup-winning 23 based overseas and beyond a national team coach’s control outside of the stipulated World Rugby Test window – eight when you include Cobus Reinach who wasn’t involved for the final – was quite a feat compared to the actively enforced no overseas policy of the likes of the All Blacks, England and Ireland.
Mention of Ireland: Erasmus took the reins in South Africa following a season and a bit at the helm in Munster, the club where two departures – Simon Zebo and Donnacha Ryan – became surplus to Test team selection when they decided their club futures were best served in the Top 14 at Racing.
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National boss Joe Schmidt wasn’t having that and he soon jettisoned them from his Test squad. The New Zealander claimed the difficulties he experienced in getting Johnny Sexton available for Ireland training during his two seasons in France drove him to distraction, especially the complications surrounding the player’s situation with concussions at the time.
As soon as Sexton was lured back into the IRFU fold in time for the 2015 World Cup, Schmidt had no interest in any player not attached to one of the local provinces. They were off his radar.
Having seen this Irish way in action at close quarters, Erasmus would have long pondered the value of its application in a South African context.
No scrum = no win #RWCFinal #RWC2019 #Scrum https://t.co/ycJQVTJ8Aq
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 2, 2019
His conclusion? It was pretty stupid to willingly weakening your Test squad when you could have the best of both worlds, a chunk of your squad who benefit from travel broadening the mind mixing in vibrantly with a pile of home-based players.
The fear of the protectionist countries – such as the likes of Ireland – is that once a player is attached to a club in England or France, they have no say in how much rugby he plays. The worry is that they will be flogged and won’t be in peak condition for Test duty, but what Erasmus has achieved with his Boks in recent months goes against the grain of that claim.
Looks at his Premiership six: between them, Vincent Koch, Franco Mostert, Francois Louw, Faf de Klerk, Reinach and the now Japanese-based Willie le Roux were involved in a combined total of 134 English/European club matches in the 2018/19 season before pitching up for World Cup camp in South Africa.
Similarly busy were their French-based duo from last season, Frans Steyn and Cheslin Kolbe involved in a total of 43 2018/19 club matches.
All that activity beyond South African borders and beyond the control of Erasmus did them no harm whatsoever in being at their best for a 2019 Test calendar that commenced on July 20 in Johannesburg with a Rugby Championship win over Australia and culminated 15 weeks later with England beaten in the World Cup final.
It starkly illustrated how Erasmus did this World Cup his way and having ultimately won the whole shooting match, will the protectionist countries be tempted to follow suit and give their Test players the green light to work away from home and still be considered for national duty?
After all, it’s now a proven winning formula. Just ask Rassie.
SPRINGBOKS OVERSEAS PLAYER ACTIVITY IN 2018/19
ENGLAND
Cobus Reinach – 30 Northampton outings (21 Premiership starts & 1 as sub, 2 Challenge Cup starts & 2 as sub, 3 Premiership Cup starts & 1 as sub)
Vincent Koch – 29 Saracens outings (15 Premiership starts & 3 as sub, 6 Champions Cup starts & 3 as sub, 1 Premiership Rugby Cup start & 1 as sub)
Faf de Klerk – 23 Sale outings (16 Premiership starts, 7 Challenge Cup starts)
Willie le Roux – Wasps 19 Wasps matches (15 Premiership starts, 4 Champions Cup starts) – now signed with Toyota Verblitz
Francois Louw – 17 Bath outings (10 Premiership starts & 1 as sub, 5 Champions Cup starts & 1 as sub)
Franco Mostert – 16 Gloucester outings (13 Premiership starts & 1 as sub, 2 Champions Cup starts)
FRANCE
Cheslin Kolbe – 24 Toulouse outings (16 Top 14 starts, 8 Champions Cup starts)
Frans Steyn – 19 Montpellier outings (14 Top 14 starts & 1 as sub, 4 Champions Cup starts)
WATCH: RugbyPass hears from some rowdy fans following South Africa’s World Cup final win
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments