The Quarter Finals are this weekend and Euro Rugby is reaching its Zenith. My theme for the week has touched on eligibility and some other topics I will leave the nuts and bolts of the weekend to Hoss tomorrow.
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Spain cite Ireland and New Zealand’s use of foreign-born players in World Rugby appeal
For those who are unaware Spain have been ruled out of two World Cups on the spin.
From Stuff
This time on an eligibility technicality in a ruling that seems harsh.
Spain have cited Ireland, Scotland and New Zealand’s use of foreign-born players as evidence of inconsistency in World Rugby’s eligibility regulations as part of their appeal against a second consecutive World Cup exclusion for fielding an unqualified player.
The Telegraph can reveal that Irish backs James Lowe and Bundee Aki; Scottish prop Pierre Schoeman; and the Tongan-born halfback on the cusp of a first All Blacks cap, Folau Fakatava, have all been named as evidence in Spain’s appeal against their World Cup disqualification for fielding an ineligible player, Gavin van den Berg.
The Federación Española de Rugby submitted its appeal to World Rugby on Thursday night.
The FER has been left incensed by the decision of a judicial committee to disqualify it from a second successive World Cup for fielding an ineligible player, Van den Berg, a South African-born prop who was deemed to have represented Spain without fulfilling the requisite residency criteria following a hearing last month.
Van den Berg’s passport was found to have been tampered without his knowledge by his club, Alcobendas, who were relegated out of the Spanish top division last Thursday and fined €30,000 (NZ$49,300).
Spain’s punishment was a 10-point deduction, five for each of Van den Berg’s appearances against the Netherlands in consecutive years of the Rugby Europe Championship. They were also fined £25,000, but the points deduction allowed Romania and Portugal to overtake them in the Rugby Europe Championship standings, therefore ending Spain’s World Cup involvement.
An aspect of the Spanish appeal against their disqualification focuses on Guideline 15 in the verdict of Van den Berg’s initial hearing, in which the judicial committee stated that international teams “must be able to demonstrate the country in which [a player] has been Resident was, genuinely, the country that the Player treated as his home and is clearly the country in which the Player has his primary and permanent home”.
During his World Rugby hearing, Van den Berg was asked how long he had considered Spain as his “permanent primary home”. Despite having played there for three years, he admitted that he had only felt at home in the country for two. The judiciary committee noted Van den Berg’s “refreshing honesty in [admitting] it was not until the end of the 2019 year and then to the start of 2020 that he came to regard and decided that Spain was to be his permanent home.” The committee also stated that an Instagram post in which Van den Berg had referred to himself as a ‘Saffa’ was “not insignificant”.
An aspect of the Spanish appeal against their disqualification focuses on Guideline 15 in the verdict of Van den Berg’s initial hearing, in which the judicial committee stated that international teams “must be able to demonstrate the country in which [a player] has been Resident was, genuinely, the country that the Player treated as his home and is clearly the country in which the Player has his primary and permanent home”.
During his World Rugby hearing, Van den Berg was asked how long he had considered Spain as his “permanent primary home”. Despite having played there for three years, he admitted that he had only felt at home in the country for two. The judiciary committee noted Van den Berg’s “refreshing honesty in [admitting] it was not until the end of the 2019 year and then to the start of 2020 that he came to regard and decided that Spain was to be his permanent home.” The committee also stated that an Instagram post in which Van den Berg had referred to himself as a ‘Saffa’ was “not insignificant”.
While Guideline 15 was not the principle reason for the committee deeming Van den Berg as ineligible to represent Spain, Telegraph Sport understands that the presence of the sentimental, subjective concept of “home” in World Rugby’s official verdict has irked Spanish officials, leading them to present what they feel are valid eligibility inconsistencies to the sport’s governing body.
In an interview published in The Scotsman newspaper earlier this month, South Africa-born Schoeman admitted that it felt “tough being away from home” during his “first year” in Scotland.
Having moved to Scotland in 2018, and qualified on residency grounds three years later because of an administrative loophole introduced because of Covid, Schoeman made his debut against Tonga last October.
The loosehead has now won nine caps, having been selected by Gregor Townsend for all four fixtures of last autumn and becoming a mainstay of the Six Nations campaign.
Personally I think Spain have been stitched up.
Australia-raised trio named in Japan’s squad
Ben Gunter (BBC + Souths)
Australian-raised trio Jack Cornelsen, Ben Gunter and Dylan Riley have been named in Japan’s 34-man training squad for their mid-year rugby Tests against Uruguay and France.
No.8 Cornelsen, flanker Gunter and centre Riley are among 10 players included from the Saitama Wild Knights who clinched the inaugural League One final on Sunday, beating Tokyo Sungoliath 18-10
Go well young men I can tell you that there are a lot more Australiains playing in Japan than you think from University to lower Leagues.
Rugbypass Here
2022 Oceania Rugby U20 Championship Schedule (All games at Sunshine Coast Stadium)
Junior Wallabies v Argentina, Friday 1 July 2022, 7:00pm AEST
Junior Wallabies v Fiji, Tuesday 5 July 2022, 4:00pm AEST
Junior Wallabies v New Zealand, Sunday 10 July 2022, 4:00pm AEST
The squad is comprised of two ACT Brumbies, 12 NSW Waratahs, seven Queensland Reds, five Melbourne Rebels and four from the Western Force – either from within the Super Rugby squads, or their respective academies.
Those who know will point out that there are a few quality players who did not make the squad which is a good sign.
Siosifa Amone (Western Force, Associates)
Taj Annan (Queensland Reds, Easts)
Floyd Aubrey (Queensland Reds, GPS)
Nick Baker (Queensland Reds, GPS)
Jayden Blake (NSW Waratahs, Randwick)
Jack Bowen (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs)
Adrian Brown (NSW Waratahs, Eastwood)
Luke Callan (Western Force, Wanneroo)
Jamie Clark (NSW Waratahs, Sydney University)
Max Craig (Queensland Reds, Easts)
Ben Dowling (NSW Waratahs, Randwick)
Lopeti Faifui (Queensland Reds, Wests)
George Gibson (NSW Waratahs, Southern Districts)
Mason Gordon (Melbourne Rebels, Wests)
Mac Grealy (Queensland Reds, University of Queensland)
Zac Hough (Melbourne Rebels, Wests)
Darby Lancaster (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs)
Remsy Lemisio (Brumbies, Tuggeranong Vikings)
Daniel Maiava (Melbourne Rebels, Wyndham Rhinos)
Thomas Maka (NSW Waratahs, Gordon)
Titi Nofoagatotoa (Brumbies, Tuggeranong Vikings)
Henry O’Donnell (NSW Waratahs, Sydney University)
Lukas Ripley (Melbourne Rebels, University of Queensland)
Connor Seve (Western Force, Wests Scarborough)
Ned Slack-Smith (Western Force, Warringah)
Paddy Tagg (NSW Waratahs, Sydney University)
Kalani Thomas (Queensland Reds, University of Queensland)
David Vaihu (Melbourne Rebels, Wests)
Mitch Watts (NSW Waratahs, Randwick)
Teddy Wilson (NSW Waratahs, Eastern Suburbs)
Hollie Davidson to lead first all-female officials team in men’s rugby union Test
From The Guardian
This is very cool and I can tell you from experience there are some excellent female referees at all levels whose contribution to the game should be acknowledged.
The Scottish rugby union referee Hollie Davidson will make history when she leads an all-female team of match officials for next month’s Portugal v Italy men’s international.
Davidson will have Sara Cox (England) and Aurélie Groizeleau (France) as her assistant referees and Claire Hodnett (England) as the Television Match Official (TMO) for the match at Lisbon’s Estádio do Restelo on 25 June.
It will be the first time an all-female team have taken charge of a men’s Test match and the first time a female referee has officiated a men’s Six Nations team in a Test.
Davidson became Scottish rugby union’s first full-time professional women’s referee in 2017.
She has taken charge of four matches in the United Rugby Championship, most recently Glasgow v Edinburgh in March, while she has also refereed in the European Challenge Cup and will be on duty at the Women’s Rugby World Cup later this year.
“To be the first woman to referee a men’s Six Nations team is a tremendous honour and an achievement I am proud of,” said Davidson. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news as I didn’t think something like this would have happened so quickly in my career, but I’m really proud and looking forward to the summer.”
