Pichot talks sense on residency

Surely will face some stiff opposition from NH teams desperate for talent. Hopefully thought process extends to club level as well and youngsters have an incubation period where they must play domestic rugby for a period before becoming free agents to sign overseas.
From Planetrugby:

New World Rugby vice-chairman Agustín Pichot has called for the existing three-year residency rule to be changed.

Pichot was unveiled along with new World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont at a press conference in Dublin on Wednesday.

His new high-ranking role within in the organisation doesn't seem to mean that Pichot is going to bite his tongue when it comes to addressing the game's major issues.

Pichot addressed the impact of players qualifying for Tier One nations through residency and the damage the system was having on those Tier Two sides trying to breakthrough into the top level of the sport.

How soon any change might actually happen is another matter, but Pichot's passion regarding the issue can't be ignored.

"Somebody will kill me but we need to change it," Pichot said.

“I think it is wrong. It should be for life, like in football. I would understand a five-year [qualification period] and I think that will be on the agenda in the next six months.

“I think it is very important to keep the identity of our national teams. As a cultural thing, as an inspiration to new kids, I think having on your team players who have not lived [for long] in the country they are [representing] I think it’s not right.

“There are special cases where players moved when they were ten or twelve years old but just moving to a country, being taken from an Academy, like they are doing in Tonga, and put into play, say, in an Ireland shirt, I’m against it. I think it is not right.

“I would love him to play in Tonga and make money playing for Tonga and live well.

“When I see the national anthem and people not singing it, it confuses me a little bit. I don’t see in the near future Argentina having players from other countries.”

 “I think it is very important to keep the identity of our national teams. As a cultural thing, as an inspiration to new kids, I think having on your team players who have not lived [for long] in the country they are [representing] I think it’s not right".
“I would love him to play in Tonga and make money playing for Tonga and live well".
Well said. It will be hard to accomplish but it should be the goal.

 I say, make citizenship the prerequisite. Rugby is a job and you can't let different rules apply for sport than business. If you want to play for your country of residence hough, you should at least be a citizen.

 I have always had a different view about national representation. I am not sure if there are many other sports disciplines where the national teams have national contracts. It is not found in football, tennis, etc.

Football players play for their clubs as professional football players and they earn millions more than rugby players but you do not have anybody in Argentina complaining that Lionel Messi hasn't played in Argentina since he was 11 years old. The moment that he puts on those blue and white shirt he is as much an Argentinian player as any other player in Argentina. Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey hardly ever play in Wales but you would not hear a single Welshman complain because they are not playing in Wales.

Andy Murry makes millions of pounds playing tennis all over the world but the moment that he had the opportunity to represent GB in the Davis Cup and win it, he was British, no matter that he hardly ever play in the UK.

To represent your country should be a matter of honour and not a matter of a huge salary for doing so. The football players earn a tuppence for playing international games but yet they will give an arm and a leg to play for their countries. In fact, many of them donate their money for international games away. Many players have given their Fifa WC salaries away. As far as I know the entire German team gave away their WC salaries, including their winning bonuses to charity.

I'm glad to see that CJ Standers class of Baby Boks are the last that can play for another country. The fact that our Baby Bok side now constitutes our second side, precludes the likes of Kitshoff, Willemse and Jacques du Plessis from playing for France for instance.
The very reason Tim Swiel withdrew from the Baby Bok side two years ago, was so that he would not be tied into only being able to play for SA.....he wanted to keep his options open.