And then there were two. After a backflip by Australia, just New Zealand and England now make foreign-based players ineligible for international rugby. Every other country welcomes back these players, a situation that acknowledges the big money on offer in the Northern Hemisphere, and their belief that a continuing stand on a point of principle will simply undermine their test prospects.
But, according to Steve Tew, of New Zealand Rugby, matters are not about to change here. "You never say never but our policy is that to wear the All Black jersey, you have to play your rugby in New Zealand," he said this week.
That policy has, to an acceptable degree, worked until now. The chance to wear the All Black jersey has enticed most of our best players to spend their best years in this country.
But the Australian Rugby Union, in announcing its change of heart, pointed to "the changing dynamics of a global rugby market for professional players". That was a reference to the television-sourced millions now available to pay overseas recruits, particularly in France.