Rugby Australia relaxes ‘redundant’ limit on foreign-based players
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Australia celebrate their win over the Lions during the third Test match at Accor Stadium in Sydney on Aug 2.
PHOTO: EPA
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SYDNEY – Rugby Australia has signalled that more overseas-based players will be allowed to represent the Wallabies, shifting away from a strict policy that has heavily favoured domestic players.
The so-called “Giteau Law” – named after former fly-half Matt Giteau – has for years put restrictions on overseas-based players being selected for the Wallabies.
But with Test stars such as lock Will Skelton, flanker Tom Hooper and prop Taniela Tupou all joining an exodus to Europe, Rugby Australia has indicated that the Giteau Law has been dropped.
That gives head coach Joe Schmidt a free selection hand when he names his squad this week for the Rugby Championship.
“Joe’s got no impediment to select whoever he wants,” Rugby Australia head of high performance Peter Horne said in comments reported by rugby.com.au. “The Giteau Law, it’s kind of redundant.”
Schmidt is due to name his squad on Aug 7 for the Rugby Championship, which begins on Aug 16.
Scrapping the rule would also benefit incoming head coach Les Kiss, who will take over the Wallabies in 2026 and is tasked with preparing for the Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2027.
The Giteau Law was adopted by the Wallabies in 2015, allowing overseas-based players to be selected only if they had played at least 60 Tests for Australia and seven seasons of Super Rugby.
It enabled players such as Matt Giteau, who was then starring for Toulon, to be picked for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Before then, Australia had a blanket ban on overseas-based players representing the Wallabies.
In other news, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) will keep the legal tackle height below the sternum in the 2025-26 season after preliminary data showed a reduction in overall injury rates during the last two seasons, the IRFU said on Aug 5.
The ruling body joined a World Rugby trial of lowering tackle height below the base of the sternum in the community game in 2023, with the aim of reducing injuries, especially head impact exposure and concussion risk.
The rule was put to trial across Ireland in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, and analysis of the data collected is continuing.
“Preliminary findings show decreases in overall injury rates across the domestic game in Ireland. We also see decreases in tackle-related injuries and the rate of head impacts during the trial,” the IRFU said in a statement.
The English and Scottish rugby unions have introduced similar rules to lower the tackle height.
AFP, REUTERS
