BREAKING: World Rugby APPROVES Test eligibility change!

[Ymx]

Was just looking at a documentary Oceans Apart.

The PI rugby really need World Rugby
- Eligibility changes - done
- Equal voting - rejected
- % of gate fees
- rejected by WR to intervene
- unions gave lip service to the idea then went quiet.
- take action over corrupt officials (real corruption - not just Erasmus types who create offensive remarks)

And anyone know what’s going on with Pacific Nation's Cup? It’s not happened since before covid.

[Kawazaki]

Was just looking at a documentary Oceans Apart.

The PI rugby really need World Rugby
- Eligibility changes - done
- Equal voting - rejected
- % of gate fees
- rejected by WR to intervene
- unions gave lip service to the idea then went quiet.
- take action over corrupt officials (real corruption - not just Erasmus types who create offensive remarks)

And anyone know what’s going on with Pacific Nation's Cup? It’s not happened since before covid.

You highlight the first problem that must be solved - corrupt PI unions. There's no point giving them more money for rugby if none of it goes into rugby.

edit: maybe instead of money the PI nations could be paid in credits. These credits could be used to pay for things like coaches, rugby pitches, equipment etc etc which World Rugby pays direct to the individual/contractor/OEM etc? It would appear very patronising though and of course it would cost WR more to administer it. And it might still fail to cut out the corruption anyway.

[Raggs]

... It doesn't really. I bet if you added up how many test caps PI players have accumulated in total whilst contracted to an English or French club and then added up how many caps had been missed because a contracted PI player was selected but made himself unavailable the differential would be huge. At least 20:1, probably nearer 50:1.

My specification which sparked this off was World Cups.

For decades it has enraged me how the French clubs blackmail their various PI contingents into declaring unavailability for each WC, and to me this repeated insistence has more to do with fear of a World Cup defeat from a PI nation than it has to do with club competitions.
So many times France itself has had enormous problems with PI nations during the Cup, including the indignity of shock defeat.

I might be wrong but I seem to recall that the French team that knocked the ABs out in that Cardiff forward-pass Wayne-Barnes semi-final only escaped an earlier quarter final defeat (to perhaps Fiji) in very controversial circumstances.

And of course Fiji dumped France in a memorable Paris test only a few years back.

... and then there was the lament of the Welsh crowd at the Arms Park during a World Cup defeat at home: "Thank God we're not playing the whole of Samoa."

You really think the privately owned French clubs give a shit about whether the French international team have to face slightly better PI teams? They don't even release their French players if they can help it!

[Ymx]

... It doesn't really. I bet if you added up how many test caps PI players have accumulated in total whilst contracted to an English or French club and then added up how many caps had been missed because a contracted PI player was selected but made himself unavailable the differential would be huge. At least 20:1, probably nearer 50:1.

My specification which sparked this off was World Cups.

For decades it has enraged me how the French clubs blackmail their various PI contingents into declaring unavailability for each WC, and to me this repeated insistence has more to do with fear of a World Cup defeat from a PI nation than it has to do with club competitions.
So many times France itself has had enormous problems with PI nations during the Cup, including the indignity of shock defeat.

I might be wrong but I seem to recall that the French team that knocked the ABs out in that Cardiff forward-pass Wayne-Barnes semi-final only escaped an earlier quarter final defeat (to perhaps Fiji) in very controversial circumstances.

And of course Fiji dumped France in a memorable Paris test only a few years back.

... and then there was the lament of the Welsh crowd at the Arms Park during a World Cup defeat at home: "Thank God we're not playing the whole of Samoa."

You really think the privately owned French clubs give a shit about whether the French international team have to face slightly better PI teams? They don't even release their French players if they can help it!

No, exactly, they wouldn’t care less. They just want their players they pay for to stay put and away from international rugby

[convoluted]

^^^ Yes, have to agree that to the club owner his team's performance ranks higher in importance than that of the national team, but it doesn't mean the National Federation isn't giving sly thanks come World Cup time.

Re. Kawazaki's post below, it is that World Cup period when the club owners really put the foot down.
Though yes, that might be because with the other clubs weakened by World Cup callups, specifically to the French team, they see a chance to get a points table leg up on their rivals and so put the squeeze on the PIs who would obtain minimal monetary benefit anyway from representing their countries in the Cup.
And of course if you released your PIs but other teams didn't then you'd be at a disadvantage.

I bet if you added up how many test caps PI players have accumulated in total whilst contracted to an English or French club and then added up how many caps had been missed because a contracted PI player was selected but made himself unavailable the differential would be huge. At least 20:1, probably nearer 50:1.

[convoluted]

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/sport/other/p ... hp&pc=U531

[Sinkers]

Denny Solomona leaves Sale Sharks with immediate effect apparently because he wants to return to the Southern Hemisphere

Coincidence or looking for a Samoa cap?

[Ymx]

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/sport/other/p ... hp&pc=U531

I doubt Nonu would be someone who wants to play more international rugby. He must be close to 40??

[Ymx]

Though I’d like to see SBW prove he’s not just a money whore and turn out for Samoa, live up to the role model he pretends to be.

[convoluted]

^^^ Think that as with Israel Folau, SBW's eligibility is for Tonga, not Samoa.

[Tichtheid]

^^^ Think that as with Israel Folau, SBW's eligibility is for Tonga, not Samoa.

Wiki says his dad is Samoan, his mum is an Ozzie (half), he could turn out for them.

To be honest, at 36 I doubt if he'll be playing international rugby again.

[convoluted]

^^^ Yes, you are right.
A Guardian headline had said he was eligible for Tonga, but when I actually read it just now the text never even mentioned him.
Seems the Samoan league team tried to recruit him for their last World Cup campaign.

[Ymx]

He’s 36 but played not much test rugby.

From 2010-2019 he only played 58 tests.

[JM2K6]

Though I’d like to see SBW prove he’s not just a money whore and turn out for Samoa, live up to the role model he pretends to be.

He's retired, dude.

[Kawazaki]

Though I’d like to see SBW prove he’s not just a money whore and turn out for Samoa, live up to the role model he pretends to be.

Nah, he can only offload with his right arm. He's easy to defend when teams know this.