Former Exeter Chiefs winger Matt Jess picks his best XV
The recent Rugby League World Cup showed just what a joke the 13-man game’s eligibility rules are – basically they’re not far short of simply telling a player that, irrespective of where he’s played in the past, he can choose which nation he’d like to represent. The worry is that Union is in danger of falling into the same trap.
It all went pear-shaped when Sevens became an Olympic sport, because the IOC has different eligibility rules. No matter which country a player has previously played for, as long as he’s not represented them in the preceding three years, he can play in an Olympic event. The problem is that the World Sevens series tournaments are qualifying events for the Olympics, so play in one of those and you’re able to ditch your previous ‘nationality’, and turn out for the nation of your birth – which is what many would say you should have been doing in the first place!
There’s a long list of players who’d like to exploit this loophole. Charles Piutau apparently fancies playing for Tonga, despite having 17 All Black caps and in a year’s time he’ll be able to play Sevens for them, so at the age of 27 he can become an international for a second nation. Let’s be frank, this stinks on so many levels.
He could have played for Tonga from the start, but he chose New Zealand, and has cashed in spectacularly on that, with a spell at Wasps, then his current province, Ulster, and next season a hugely valuable contract with Bristol. I can fully understand his decision to play for the All Blacks, but he made that decision and he should have to stand by it.
Apparently Ma’a Nonu would like to have a runout for Samoa despite his 103 All Black caps, as does last season’s Top 14 player of the year, Victor Vito, and they could both quali- fy early next year. Joe Rokocoko is qualified to turn out for Fiji in the first World Sevens tournament of 2018, and then after that in the 15-a-side game.
On one level it would be great to see the Pacific Island nations strengthened by having their native sons able to play for them, but if it’s allowed it opens a veritable can of worms. Equally, it’s hard to argue that Islanders were wrong not to capitalise on their talent, and make the sort of money they could only have dreamed about at home – it was playing for a Tier One nation that showcased their abilities and led to the lucrative offers.
That said, we have a ruling body in World Rugby that exists to tackle thorny problems like these, and it’s time they got their thinking caps on.
This afternoon Sarries welcome Clermont Auvergne against a background of having lost their last five matches. Two of those were in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and can therefore be excluded from the reckoning, but three Premiership defeats in a row is more serious. Not that Clermont are having things all their own way, and they languish in ninth place in the Top 14.
Of course, Sarries’ losses coincided with the international window, one of the penalties of being the best club in Europe. If you lose the likes of Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Mako Vunipola and George Kruis, no matter how strong your squad is, it’s going to hurt. That said, some of the talk this week about Sarries has bordered on the ridiculous.
Those three defeats were narrow ones against teams that were less affected by international call-ups: a last-ditch loss at Kingsholm against a resurgent Gloucester, by just two points at home against the champions Exeter, and a final-minute loss at the Stoop against Quins. Rather than getting too exercised about the significance of these setbacks, it’s probably best to think about the number of games Sarries won at the death last season, and accept that this simply comes into the swings and roundabouts category.
Also the Premiership simply seems to be an even more competitive league this season, illustrated by the fact that second to sixth is covered by just four points, and seventh to tenth by two. Apart from the gap Exeter have opened at the top, and the strugglers adrift in the bottom two, this is about as close a league as you can get, and one unexpected win can make a dramatic difference.
It’s long odds against Sarries finishing anywhere but in the top four, so rumours of their demise are greatly exaggerated.