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World Rugby's quiet rule change is now a serious problem for Wales

Warren Gatland, head coach of Wales
-Credit:2024 Getty Images


It seems like everyone has an opinion on whether young Bath hooker Kepu Tuipulotu should represent England or Wales.

The fact of the matter is the 19-year-old, who was born in Pontypool but educated at Harrow School, has a choice and has chosen to represent England which is his right. But the Tuipulotu situation could cause the Welsh Rugby Union serious problems further down the line.

Following the World Rugby Council's decision in October 2023 to amend the eligibility criteria, Tuipulotu is allowed to represent England at senior level with immediate effect. Prior to last August, time spent in school or higher education did not count towards residency because the 60 months required to qualify to represent another nation needed to be unbroken.

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The recent law amendment means the 60-month qualification period does not need to be unbroken. From now on,years spent in school could count towards residency, although World Rugby will deal with it on a case-by-case basis.

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WalesOnline understands the RFU were at the forefront of this consequential change but quite why some of the under-resourced nations voted for it is baffling. There are many within the upper echelons of Welsh rugby who are of the opinion this eligibility law change could have a devastating impact on the game in Wales.

The amount of Welsh teenagers who accept scholarships in English fee-paying schools and are often signed up by the academy of a Gallagher Premiership club is relatively high. Take a look at recent England U18s and U20s sides and there are a host of players born in Wales.

This is unlikely to stop moving forward because Wales does not have a private school system to compete with what is on offer across the border. To the average person who has been born and brought up in Wales the thought of representing England is unlikely to go down too well.

But for someone who has spent their formative years in the English schools system and is ingrained in a set-up which has invested heavily in them, then all of a sudden what seems like an easy choice for you or I becomes a complicated one. On top of this, it is written in the contracts of many Welsh-qualified players in Premiership academies that England have first refusal on the player at age grade level.

Of course, just because they represent England at age grade doesn't mean he or she can't switch back to play for Wales at senior international level but it does make things significantly more difficult for the WRU. Over the past year or so the WRU have been hammered for not doing enough to persuade Cardiff born Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to represent the country of his birth over England.

But to their credit, both the Wales age-grade staff and the senior national coaches have worked tirelessly to persuade Tuipulotu to wear red at Test level, but he choose not to. Those close to the Bath hooker insist the main reason England won a tug-of-war with Wales for his services is due to the fact the English system has invested in him over a number of years, making him captain of England Under-18s.

Kepu Tuipulotu of Bath Rugby
Kepu Tuipulotu of Bath Rugby

If Wales had a private schools system which could compete with England there is a good chance Tuipulotu would be on the verge of wearing red in the Six Nations. The law change is a crippling blow to the smaller nations who do not have such an affluent school system.

It is not just Wales it affects but it will make things even harder for the Pacific Island nations. Previously, players would typically become eligible to represent another country on residency grounds when they were 23 but now it is likely to be 21 assuming they took up scholarships in England at the age of 16.

Those two years are significant. As far as the WRU are concerned it is vitally important they start thinking outside of the box and continue to forge strong relationships with Welsh-qualified players who have moved across the bridge, even those who are playing for England at U18s or U20s level.

Both the WRU's exiles department and those working within the pathway have made it a priority to keep on top of dual-qualified players. There are a few historic examples where this could have worked in Wales' favour.

For example, Alex Dombrandt represented Wales at U20s level because he attended university in Cardiff. If this law amendment was in place back in 2017 he could have represented Wales at senior level on residency grounds if both parties were in agreement, so there is some scope for the WRU to be creative.

But on the whole, this specific change has the potential to be extremely damaging to Welsh rugby.