Let stars go abroad AND play for their countries
It seems to be part of rugby’s culture that the Unions like to flaunt their muscle and tell players that they can only play for their country if they are based there: England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand all do it.
In Wales and Australia they make a bizarre exception in that if a player has 60 caps, he can head overseas to earn big bucks and build his pension pot, but still be selected for the international side. I’ve always found this an odd rule, and every time a player sticks up two fingers to the blazers and decides to make the decision not to be restricted to playing in his homeland, I rejoice.
This all hinges on the Unions betting that players will be prepared to place a greater value on international caps than higher salaries, something I believe will change.
However, a crack in this wall seems to be appearing in Australia, where voices are calling for a change to ‘Giteau’s Law’ – an amendment to a blanket ban on selecting players based overseas was announced in 2015 so that Matt Giteau could be selected for the RWC. The problem for the Wallabies is that gradually players have been opting to go abroad, and the likes of Will Skelton, Richie and Rory Arnold, and quite a few others, have decided that for the sake of their futures, earning more money in France and England is what’s best for them and their families.
New Zealand is the place where this policy will survive longest, and they have done a superb job of building and maintaining the mystique that surrounds the All Black jersey. It’s easier to do that when you’re in a small country on the other side of the world, where rugby is the biggest game in town, and All Blacks are feted for the rest of their lives once they’ve won a few caps. Just because it works for them doesn’t mean it will work for everyone.
Surely the Unions want to perpetuate the myth that international matches are the pinnacle of the game, and to do that would want to have the very best players available for selection? Every time Australia lose to New Zealand they are accused of stupidly ignoring world-class players. Opinions are split on this within Rugby Australia, but there is a movement towards slackening Giteau’s Law, and once that happens it’s inevitable it will be slackened again and again, until it disappears.
I cannot see why they don’t leave it to players to negotiate a contract involving a release clause that allows them to still play for their country if that’s what they want to do, even if they’re based abroad, but the Unions’ culture is one of treating players like children rather than grownups, and of threatening rather than respecting.
Their players will be improved by being exposed to stronger competition, and working with better coaches! The Welsh say their policy is in part designed to stop a flow of talent from their regions, but if that’s the case it has hardly been a success – despite keeping their stars at home, they’ve managed one Champions Cup quarter-final in the past nine years!
t’s not long until the new Premiership season starts, but if you’re expecting to see much of your international players you might be disappointed. If your club had players on the Lions tour you probably won’t see them until midOctober. After that, if they’re needed for the Autumn internationals then the clubs are obliged to release them for three weekends in November – longer if they play for England as there will be training and mandatory rest.
The Six Nations kicks in on February 5, and runs until March 19.
In other words, for the first 20 rounds of the Premiership you might see a Lion on five or six occasions at most and an international on possibly ten, but maybe only seven or eight if they play for England. Let’s hope your club has strength in depth they’re going to need it.