Rennie opposes picking overseas players

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has warned selecting an unlimited number of overseas-based Australian players for national duty could prompt a mass exodus and says he doesn’t want to follow the strategy adopted by South Africa two years ago.

Days out from picking his first Wallabies squad of 2021, for three tests against France in July, Rennie has indicated all players will be Australianbased or have signed contracts in Australia for 2022.

Rugby Australia rules state that players who have future overseas contracts, such as Queensland Reds hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who is France-bound later in the year, can play until they are required to head abroad.

But earlier this week former Wallaby Drew Mitchell called for those moving overseas or based beyond these shores to not be forgotten.

‘‘Where we are in this country and up against different sports, we need wins,’’ Mitchell said on Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven programme.

‘‘We need to win against this French team . . . so pick the best team.

‘‘You can’t disregard someone because they have chosen to go overseas. We do it for coaches, coaches come from overseas.’’

At present, Rennie is able to call in two overseas-based players with fewer than 60 tests to their name – with Rugby Australia board approval – but has reiterated a desire to pick local talent.

Top rugby nations have different policies. World champions South Africa pick players from anywhere in the world, having scrapped an eligibility rule requiring players to have played 30 tests if they wanted to come back and represent the Springboks.

Coach Rassie Erasmus believes this tweak helped South Africa win the 2019 World Cup. But on the flip side there has been a major player drain, exacerbated by Covid-19 and the game’s elite chasing higher wages in Europe and Japan.

Dozens of world-class Australians are plying their trade overseas but Rennie believes selecting those here is a more favourable strategy.

‘‘It’s the dangers of doing that and the effect it’ll have on our local game,’’ Rennie said. ‘‘I honestly believe if we open the gates ... that will have an effect on our game here on Super Rugby teams.

‘‘It’s what happened in South Africa. They had a mass exodus of their top players. If we open the gates and pick wholesale then the lure of the yen and the euro [is huge] and the difference in money is phenomenal.

‘‘Players will go in their droves because they can get three times the amount of money. It’d be difficult to keep people here.’’

Covid-19 makes bringing back overseas players a tricky process and Rennie is more than happy with the 38 players he will announce tomorrow.

He says roughly 20 per cent of the group hasn’t been confirmed in his mind, with this week’s final Super Rugby Trans-Tasman matches serving as final auditions for Wallabies hopefuls.

Meanwhile, French officials have expressed frustrations at quarantine conditions that will be imposed when they arrive in Australia, but Rennie believes it is simply posturing.

Players will be granted a set amount of time each day to train but be confined to hotel rooms for the remainder of their early period in Australia.

‘‘They’ll be able to train normally and prepare normally,’’ Rennie said. ‘‘I’m pretty confident that whatever small negotiations are going on the series will go ahead.’’

Regardless of what calibre team is sent to Australia, Rennie assured there was excellent depth even if players competing in the Top 14 final wouldn’t be available for the first test and possibly others.

‘‘The depth at the moment they have is phenomenal. They’re as good as I’ve seen in French rugby for a couple of decades,’’ Rennie said.

‘‘Players will go in their droves because they can get three times the amount of money.’’

Dave Rennie

Wallabies coach