Anybody that has paid dues to a governing rugby body, is likely to have scratched their head at some of the rules or applications thereof a few times. Yet, we have probably pointed to them at one time or another as a means to defend a point or position. So, while rules made by World Rugby, a governing body like the USAR, or local union can often be frustrating, they exist to maintain some sort of fairness. We just have to be careful of the unintended consequences that a policy change may bring.
To that end, World Rugby (WR) has tried to find fairness in national representation. Small Pacific nations have led the charge to allow players born on one of these islands to return, having played for New Zealand for example, and play for their birth nation. In its latest attempt to provide opportunities to emerging Tier 2 nations, WR has changed Regulation 8 which defines national team eligibility. One of the most significant changes is as follows:
Regulation 8.1(c) requires a Player to be registered with a Club, Union or Rugby Body for a period of 60 consecutive months immediately preceding the time of playing. There is no requirement for a Player to be remunerated for their participation with the Club, Union or Rugby Body but the player must be registered with that Club, Union or Rugby Body in order to establish eligibility pursuant to Regulation 8.1(c).”
How does this benefit Tier 2 Nations like the United States? It more clearly defines how a player can establish residency. For players that are committed to playing in the US, it makes it easier for them to return “home” without resetting their residency. Historically, international players have always had to be careful about how much time they spent outside the US each year if they wanted to put their hand up for the Eagles. For international college players, this was particularly difficult as they return home during breaks in the school calendar. The new iteration of Reg 8 creates a bit more clarity for international college players looking to throw their hat in the Eagles ring. Conceivably, a player attending a CRAA program for 5 years of their collegiate experience, would establish themselves as a domestic player. This is because CRAA programs register with USAR through the Rugby Xplorer portal. Navigating World Rugby’s Regulation 8: NCR vs CRAA Dynamics and Player Pathways
This could have very positive results for the Eagles. Young 23/24 year old players could be considered domestic out of the gate. One only needs to be reminded of the Wes White issue after his 2019 Senior Season. He was earmarked as a potential Eagle, if he could successfully navigate Reg 8. The problem was that it required him to be independent from his parents. How many college players, foreign or domestic, are independent? Hell… How many are independent after they graduate?! Unfortunately, it was determined that he was not independent at Lindenwood. As a result, he left the US to play in England. By registering for 60 consecutive months with a CRAA program AND not playing while home, the athlete is considered domestic.
On the face of it, this does not seem like a problem for the Eagles. The staff can scout the college ranks for budding talent who they may want to earmark as potential Eagles. For the MLR, it certainly creates an easier pathway for some of these talented young foreign college athletes… OR DOES IT?
One obstacle with this new change to Reg 8 is that it only applies to players that meet the 60 month registration requirement. This is SOP for CRAA teams like Cal, St. Mary’s, Life or Lindenwood. CRAA teams are sanctioned by USAR, as these programs register all of their players with the organization. For NCR teams, this is not necessarily the case. Without getting too deep into the weeds, NCR MAY BE a more attractive governing body than CRAA/USAR for a college program…. Depending on who you ask. But, it may not be as attractive for a player eyeing the MLR or higher honors.
The college rugby landscape has become more Bipolar. Programs are either Team NCR or Team CRAA. This dichotomy leaves NCR players to fend for themselves with respect to USAR registration. In order to meet the 60 month requirement, they will have to register for a domestic club team. Keep in mind that many of these players may opt to use the contact windows during the college season to train with an MLR team. Thus, they may register with their nearest MLR team as they are sanctioned. BUT… How many players are educated on this process? How many NCR coaches will explain this subtlety to their players? Will such players be willing to pay the registration dues to both governing bodies? All are reasonable questions. Regardless, these nuances place a lot of responsibility on a 18 or 19 year old foreign player who may not be familiar with the draft.
Another issue that may emerge because of the Reg 8 change is a greater wedge being driven between NCR and CRAA schools. While the reason for the existing tension is a conversation for another day, this chasm may only become bigger. NCR is already not happy with CRAA/USAR for a variety of reasons: resources, officials, sanctioning, and education for starters. This may be seen as just another example of USAR throwing its weight around. This position may or may not be true. The reality is that CRAA programs can use this as a “selling” point for recruitment…. “Come join our program. We will provide a gateway to the high performance pathway and domestic eligibility.” Through no fault of its own, this recruiting advantage may draw even more of NCR’s ire.
On the CRAA side, collegiate foreign players cannot play for their home clubs when on holiday from school. The rule states that they may not register with another sanctioning body. While I can’t speak to every club’s commitment to compliance, this may place a bit of pressure on these collegiate athletes. They must either return home during the break with few options to continue their development or figure out how they can stay and play under USAR governance. For many student-athletes considering this pathway, it might be with a club team during 7s season. My son played at a CRAA program. We always opened our door to his teammates during these breaks, especially under Covid travel restrictions. But, how many of these kids will have the similar opportunities?
Finally, even if a collegiate foreign player is able to navigate this rubicon, it may not improve their chances of being drafted. In the first ever MLR Draft of 2020, Cameron Dodson was highly regarded to be the favorite to go #1. Hailing from Wolgarston High School in the UK, he had the size and IQ teams were looking for. The only problem was that he was from the UK. If drafted, teams would have to use a foreign player spot on game day AND he would require a visa. While the Reg 8 change would resolve the former, it does nothing to change the latter. I was reminded by Tom Kindley (GM of the Free Jacks) that a foreign draft pick that meets this new policy change would still need a team to pay for his visa to the tune of $4000 (USD). One thing that has not changed: Teams would rather pay for a visa of a proven player from a foreign league. In spite of all of these finer points, going undrafted didn’t prevent Dodson from signing with the now defunct Gilgronis as a Free Agent.
At the end of the day, I like the new Reg 8 wrinkle. But, I am very interested to see if this will bring about any real change to the MLR or Eagle’s pathway.
I don’t care where we work, play, or socialize; institutional policies govern every part of our lives. This isn’t always a bad thing. While pure libertarianism sounds nice in theory, Machiavelli was not wrong about human nature. Without some assemblance of law or rule, our lives would truly be “nasty, brutish, and short.”
Anybody that has paid dues to a governing rugby body, is likely to have scratched their head at some of the rules or applications thereof a few times. Yet, we have probably pointed to them at one time or another as a means to defend a point or position. So, while rules made by World Rugby, a governing body like the USAR, or local union can often be frustrating, they exist to maintain some sort of fairness. We just have to be careful of the unintended consequences that a policy change may bring.
To that end, World Rugby (WR) has tried to find fairness in national representation. Small Pacific nations have led the charge to allow players born on one of these islands to return, having played for New Zealand for example, and play for their birth nation. In its latest attempt to provide opportunities to emerging Tier 2 nations, WR has changed Regulation 8 which defines national team eligibility. One of the most significant changes is as follows:
Regulation 8.1(c) requires a Player to be registered with a Club, Union or Rugby Body for a period of 60 consecutive months immediately preceding the time of playing. There is no requirement for a Player to be remunerated for their participation with the Club, Union or Rugby Body but the player must be registered with that Club, Union or Rugby Body in order to establish eligibility pursuant to Regulation 8.1(c).”
How does this benefit Tier 2 Nations like the United States? It more clearly defines how a player can establish residency. For players that are committed to playing in the US, it makes it easier for them to return “home” without resetting their residency. Historically, international players have always had to be careful about how much time they spent outside the US each year if they wanted to put their hand up for the Eagles. For international college players, this was particularly difficult as they return home during breaks in the school calendar. The new iteration of Reg 8 creates a bit more clarity for international college players looking to throw their hat in the Eagles ring. Conceivably, a player attending a CRAA program for 5 years of their collegiate experience, would establish themselves as a domestic player. This is because CRAA programs register with USAR through the Rugby Xplorer portal.
This could have very positive results for the Eagles. Young 23/24 year old players could be considered domestic out of the gate. One only needs to be reminded of the Wes White issue after his 2019 Senior Season. He was earmarked as a potential Eagle, if he could successfully navigate Reg 8. The problem was that it required him to be independent from his parents. How many college players, foreign or domestic, are independent? Hell… How many are independent after they graduate?! Unfortunately, it was determined that he was not independent at Lindenwood. As a result, he left the US to play in England. By registering for 60 consecutive months with a CRAA program AND not playing while home, the athlete is considered domestic.
On the face of it, this does not seem like a problem for the Eagles. The staff can scout the college ranks for budding talent who they may want to earmark as potential Eagles. For the MLR, it certainly creates an easier pathway for some of these talented young foreign college athletes… OR DOES IT?
One obstacle with this new change to Reg 8 is that it only applies to players that meet the 60 month registration requirement. This is SOP for CRAA teams like Cal, St. Mary’s, Life or Lindenwood. CRAA teams are sanctioned by USAR, as these programs register all of their players with the organization. For NCR teams, this is not necessarily the case. Without getting too deep into the weeds, NCR MAY BE a more attractive governing body than CRAA/USAR for a college program…. Depending on who you ask. But, it may not be as attractive for a player eyeing the MLR or higher honors.
The college rugby landscape has become more Bipolar. Programs are either Team NCR or Team CRAA. This dichotomy leaves NCR players to fend for themselves with respect to USAR registration. In order to meet the 60 month requirement, they will have to register for a domestic club team. Keep in mind that many of these players may opt to use the contact windows during the college season to train with an MLR team. Thus, they may register with their nearest MLR team as they are sanctioned. BUT… How many players are educated on this process? How many NCR coaches will explain this subtlety to their players? Will such players be willing to pay the registration dues to both governing bodies? All are reasonable questions. Regardless, these nuances place a lot of responsibility on a 18 or 19 year old foreign player who may not be familiar with the draft.
Another issue that may emerge because of the Reg 8 change is a greater wedge being driven between NCR and CRAA schools. While the reason for the existing tension is a conversation for another day, this chasm may only become bigger. NCR is already not happy with CRAA/USAR for a variety of reasons: resources, officials, sanctioning, and education for starters. This may be seen as just another example of USAR throwing its weight around. This position may or may not be true. The reality is that CRAA programs can use this as a “selling” point for recruitment…. “Come join our program. We will provide a gateway to the high performance pathway and domestic eligibility.” Through no fault of its own, this recruiting advantage may draw even more of NCR’s ire.
On the CRAA side, collegiate foreign players cannot play for their home clubs when on holiday from school. The rule states that they may not register with another sanctioning body. While I can’t speak to every club’s commitment to compliance, this may place a bit of pressure on these collegiate athletes. They must either return home during the break with few options to continue their development or figure out how they can stay and play under USAR governance. For many student-athletes considering this pathway, it might be with a club team during 7s season. My son played at a CRAA program. We always opened our door to his teammates during these breaks, especially under Covid travel restrictions. But, how many of these kids will have the similar opportunities?
Finally, even if a collegiate foreign player is able to navigate this rubicon, it may not improve their chances of being drafted. In the first ever MLR Draft of 2020, Cameron Dodson was highly regarded to be the favorite to go #1. Hailing from Wolgarston High School in the UK, he had the size and IQ teams were looking for. The only problem was that he was from the UK. If drafted, teams would have to use a foreign player spot on game day AND he would require a visa. While the Reg 8 change would resolve the former, it does nothing to change the latter. I was reminded by Tom Kindley (GM of the Free Jacks) that a foreign draft pick that meets this new policy change would still need a team to pay for his visa to the tune of $4000 (USD). One thing that has not changed: Teams would rather pay for a visa of a proven player from a foreign league. In spite of all of these finer points, going undrafted didn’t prevent Dodson from signing with the now defunct Gilgronis as a Free Agent.
At the end of the day, I like the new Reg 8 wrinkle. But, I am very interested to see if this will bring about any real change to the MLR or Eagle’s pathway.
