No change to rugby eligibility rules

A move by New Zealand to ease rugby's eligibility regulations to allow mainly Pacific Islands players to switch national allegiance late in their careers has been rejected by the International Rugby Board.

New Zealand sought to amend nationality rules to allow players of Pacific or other ethnic backgrounds to switch from tier one to tier two nations after a 12-month wait, but the IRB, meeting in Dublin, opposed the move.

The change would particularly have benefited Pacific Island nations such as Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, who would have been able to call on players who might have ended international careers for Australia and New Zealand. Current IRB regulations require players to commit to one country for life.

The current All Blacks team includes several players either born in the Islands or who have Pacific heritage through parents or grandparents. New Zealand sought to allow players who wished to switch allegiance to be made available to the island nations by the time of the 2011 World Cup.

Under the rule change, a player such as All Blacks winger Joe Rokocoko would be available for Fiji, flanker Jerry Collins for Samoa and No 8 Sione Lauaki for Tonga.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said today the rule change might also benefit national teams in Europe and further afield as rugby became more global and players crossed borders.

Tew said the IRB had expressed concerns about the legality of the move, which appeared to favor players of some ethnicities over others.

"The optimists thought we might get it through. The reality is there is a group of northern unions that is very nervous about strengthening the island nations," Tew said.

"There are also people who are rightly nervous about a regulation that could be discriminatory, even if it is a positive discrimination."

Tew said the New Zealand move had not been entirely defeated and would be referred to the IRB's regulations committee for further examination.

"It has been sent back to the regulations committee. There are a number of legal rows around whether or not it is discriminatory to select someone based on their heritage and it needs more work, but I stress we have not lost it," he said.

"It is unlikely to happen before the next World Cup, although you never quite know."

-AP