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Opinion
The overseas selection rules recently tweaked demonstrate that Rugby Australia is out of touch and again condemns the Wallabies to be up against it at the 2023 World Cup.
Just three overseas players are considered if they meet other conditions? WTF!
The changes to the so-called Giteau rule are minor and were clearly only for appearances. Fiddling at the edges, not a policy change.
Rugby Australia just don’t get it. To other countries, rugby is a world game. European clubs recruit from everywhere. The French competition is peppered with players from just about every rugby country. It is a competition with players of high standard as a result.
The recent Six Nations success is their reward, and I suspect is a prelude to World Cup success. Strong competition breeds better players.
The assumption that a young player will forego an opportunity to make a decent income from playing rugby with an overseas club but play locally for paltry money so that he is available for Wallabies selection is a fallacy.
Further, it is arguably an unfair restraint of trade and a restrictive trade practice.
It is trite that many gifted youngsters just switch to rugby league because of the financial incentives.
Overseas clubs offer similar enticements, way exceeding the salaries that local clubs – who, in the main, are totally reliant on commercial sponsors – can offer.
Why should a young man or woman be forced to choose between earning money from a career in rugby or being available for selection by his country, especially when most careers end by the time they are 30 years old.
And players who have travelled to join overseas club will likely develop their own skills which they can pass on upon returning to Australia.
Rugby Australia has its head in the sky if it does not concede that the restrictions on overseas players ought be dumped completely. It is a failed policy.
It condemns the game of rugby in Australia to remain a game that is denied its best players and risks that Australia will increasingly become a rugby backwater.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.