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Thread: Jones backs influx of 'foreigners'

  1. #1
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    Jones backs influx of 'foreigners'

    Jones backs influx of 'foreigners'
    By Wayne Smith (via Fox Sports)
    October 24, 2005

    EDDIE JONES has added his weight to moves to relax the ban on foreigners playing for Australian Super 14 teams - but only if they one day might become eligible to play for the Wallabies.

    International Rugby Board regulations restrict players from turning out for more than one nation during their careers, which means the "Jones proviso" would create an opening only for young footballers who have not represented their home country at either Test or A team level.

    Jones has long been a fierce opponent of any relaxation of the ban on foreigners, arguing that with Australia having only three professional teams, a Super 12 berth should not be wasted on someone who was ineligible to play for the Wallabies.

    But with the Western Force coming in as a fourth team, Australia's depth in some positions is being stretched to the point where some players not yet up to Super 14 standard might have to be used next year.

    "The policy we have had in place has been absolutely correct but I think we have to look at how we can improve our talent pool and this is one way of doing it without discriminating against the young (Australian) players coming through," Jones said.

    Unless a young immigrant has an Australian grandparent - like Clyde Rathbone - the present rules mean they cannot become eligible to play for the Wallabies until they have lived in Australia for three years.

    If the impending Australian Rugby Union (ARU) review of its Super 14 policy results in a relaxation of its ban, foreigners would have to serve the three-year qualifying period but they would now be allowed to serve it while playing for the Waratahs, Reds, Brumbies or Western Force.

    Force chief executive Peter O'Meara, whose team has been inundated with approaches from young South Africans willing to sit out the three-year qualifying period, supported the campaign to relax the Australians-only Super 14 rule.

    He revealed yesterday that before the Force began its drive to recruit a team from scratch this year, he had asked the ARU to extend an exemption to the new Perth team to allow it to sign overseas players.

    "I felt at the time it wasn't in the best interests of Australian rugby for us to rip prop forwards and five-eighths out of the east coast teams," O'Meara said.
    "I asked the ARU to relax the rules to let us sign two or three foreigners but they wouldn't do it because they reckoned they would have to give the same latitude to the other franchises."

    While the Australian teams all would be delighted to at least have the latitude to recruit foreign players, news of the policy review is certain to send a chill through the Pacific Islands.

    Eight players of South Pacific or Maori ancestry - George Smith, Mark Gerrard, Lloyd Johansson and Tatafu Polata-Nau (Tonga), Morgan Turinui and Leroy Houston (Maori), Lote Tuqiri (Fiji) and Digby Ioane (Samoa) - were named this month in the Wallabies side that will leave on Wednesday on its spring tour to France and Britain.

    All grew up in Australia, even if Tuqiri was born in Sigatoka, Fiji, but if the ARU lifted its ban, it would be possible for the four Australian provinces to recruit from islands, offering contracts none of the South Pacific nations could come close to matching.

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  2. #2
    (formerly known as Coach) Your Humble Servant Darren's Avatar
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    I don't think they need to be relaxed, if anything we should tighten them up. How are Australian players going to get the experience to play tier one rugby oif we give the places out to Islanders, Kiwis and Bok where rugby is the national sport?

    Suck it up Australia, with the popularity of the game increasing, and 4 Australian Super14 teams now - it won't be long till the player base increases and so too the skills of the players. I am sure there are a lot of good players in club rugby which just haven't been spotted yet, or just haven;t received the attention the need from coaching staff to show thier true colours. Given 'em time...

    My 2 cents : Only Australian citizens should be able to reprasent Australia, and given that the Super 14 does cross international borders, I think the same should apply to that league too.

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  3. #3
    The real worry about this is not what it does to Australian/NZ/SA rugby but what the damage would be to Island rugby. It would decimate Fiji, Samoa and Tonga as they would all obviously want to play S14. If the criteria is that when you play S14 you can only then be eligible to play for that nation then none will make themselves available for their home nation.

    You can't blame a lot of guys it makes good economic sense.

    Currently the players that represent these small nations have to ply their trade in Europe. The big money clubs there are putting increasing pressure on them to play for the club ahead of country (Sounds like the socceroos doesn't it).

    The high number of Islanders in the All Blacks is probably more of a reflection on Auckland being the largest polynesian city in the world than poaching directly from the islands. Its a tough balancing act keeping the smaller countries, that produce exception rugby talent, existing and viable vs the lure of players chasing a sound financial future.

    Maybe the new APC competition is a step in the right direction.

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    Here are last seasons Islander players as listed on the respective ZP and Celtic Clubs own websites.

    Seru Rabeni Leicester Fijian
    Mosese Rauluni Saracens Fijian
    Elvis Seveali'i Ospreys Samoan
    Zak Feaunati Bath Samoan
    Terry Fanolua Gloucester Samoan
    Junior Paramore Gloucester Samoan
    Tani Fuga Harlequins Samoan
    George Harder Harlequins Samoan
    Opeta Palepoi Harlequins Samoan
    Steven So'oailo Harlequins Samoan
    Ace Tiatia Harlequins Samoan
    Alesana (Alex) Tuilagi Leicester Samoan
    Anitelia (Andy) Tuilagi Leicester Samoan
    Henry Tuilagi Leicester Samoan
    Roger Warren Leicester Samoan
    Trevor Leota London Wasps Samoan
    Semo Sititi Newcastle Samoan
    Epi Taione Newcastle Samoan
    Dale Rassmussan Worcester Samoan
    Siaosi Vaili Worcester Samoan
    Seti Kiole Gloucester Tongan
    Maama Molitika Harlequins Tongan
    Tevita Vaikona Saracens Tongan
    Salesi Finau Llanelli Tongan
    Aisea Haili Llanelli Tongan
    Dave Tiueti Ospreys Tongan

    Perhaps it's the NH comps that should be letting in a PI team?

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    There has got to be a way of keeping these guys in the southern hemisphere, so they can play for their respective nations and have them playing rugby for money, come on guys think!!

    Maybe each PI nation provides 2 provincial teams and they play against the 4 Australian provinces in a 10 team tournament. They play each other once over a 10 week period and 2 weeks of finals.

    12 weeks + 16 weeks (Super 14's) + 8 weeks (IRB Super 6) + 10 weeks (Trinations/test matches) = 46 weeks - is this to much?

    Therefore the Islander can get up to 30 weeks of PI rugby and if the new rules are accepted they may even get in on the Super 14 in Australia - I have noticed there are some guys already playing in NZ and has Trevor Leota joined the Cheetahs?

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  6. #6
    Sounds feasible

    Note - RUPA I think only allows for 30 games per calender for a player.

    Mate, its so hard getting the ARU and the NZRFU to do anything that is outside their own interests. I think its about time that something substantial was put in place rather than just tokenism.

    Strong tip is that the APC has already agreed to terms with Japan and Tonga.

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  7. #7
    Champion Contributor no.8's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Redbull
    Sounds feasible

    Note - RUPA I think only allows for 30 games per calender for a player.

    Mate, its so hard getting the ARU and the NZRFU to do anything that is outside their own interests. I think its about time that something substantial was put in place rather than just tokenism.

    Strong tip is that the APC has already agreed to terms with Japan and Tonga.

    Japan and Tonga that would be a cool start!

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