A Look at Changes to World Rugby Regulation 8 Governing Residency Requirements that Came Into Effect August 2024
Rugby Canada made a strange post on Instagram today that seemed out of character and out of date. It referenced an October 2023 World Rugby Council decision, that came into effect on August 1 2024, and it’s now September 17th. There was no corresponding World Rugby announcement except the one in August. The Rugby Canada article is posted below.
Upon closer examination though, the information is pertinent to BC Rugby, particularly the BC Premier league. World Rugby Regulation 8 deals with eligibility to play for a country. They’ve made a notable change to section 8.1(c) which now reads that a player is eligible if, “the Player has been registered exclusively with a Union or Rugby Body in the country for sixty months immediately preceding the time of playing”. Previously if a player had played in the BC Premier, for example, for 5 seasons but went home to NZ, for example, for the summer during that time, they were ineligible to play for Canada due to being out of the country for an extended period of time. Now, the way it reads, as long as they don’t register to play summer footy in NZ, and come back each season to play in Canada, they’re fine. That’s the way I’m interpreting the change.
So we have Aaron McLelland, for example, who should have been playing for Canada years ago but may have got tripped up by the Regulation 8 specifics on time spent back in NZ. There was the #10, Sam Malcolm, who was the starting flyhalf for the Toronto Arrows, he went back to NZ after each MLR season so wasn’t accumulating playing time in Canada, if he played exclusively in Canada for 5 years now, regardless of where he spent the off season, he would be eligible. I believe that is the fine point on changes coming into effect as of August 1st 2024.
It could be a selling point for BC Premier clubs when approaching overseas players. If a player returns for 5 sequential seasons, without registering in the off season in another country, they would become Canada eligible. When thinking of countries who would benefit from this, Japan comes to mind, they have import players who could accumulate 5 years in their top leagues. USA with MLR players accumulating 5 seasons, they would be big beneficiaries. Alex Goff wrote an article in August on how this would benefit the USA.
from Rugby Canada
Following the World Rugby Council decision in October 2023, an adjustment to World Rugby Regulation 8.1 (c) governing national eligibility has been adopted across the game.
From 1 August, 2024, any player with a genuine, close, credible and established link to a union is no longer required to complete 60 months (five years) of unbroken residency in the relevant country right up to the first time that player represents the union.
Under the revised approach ‘rugby registration” over a 60-month period will need to be demonstrated via registration with a rugby body, including a national union or club.
The amendment was approved by the Council following extensive consultation with unions and players and is aimed to address challenges that arise for unions within territories where recording entry and exit from a country is not straightforward.
The onus will be on the union and rugby body to demonstrate the relevant proof of unbroken registration when considering an eligibility case on rugby residency.
The full Regulation 8 can be found here.