Tonga’s Prime Minister said this year’s Rugby World Cup will not be a real competition because unfair eligibility rules prevent Pacific nations from fielding some of their best players.
Lord Tu’ivakano said the International Rugby Board rules barring a player who has represented one country from ever taking the field for another, protected the game's traditional powers from being challenged.
The law is a sore point for Pacific nations, whose best players are often lured to New Zealand or Australia as youngsters, but cannot represent their homeland even after their career with their adopted countries are over.
Tu’ivakano said if the IRB is going to have a real World Cup, then they need to give the other countries the chance to have their own players.
He added Tonga had players in top international competitions who could not represent their country at the World Cup.
Tu’ivakano said rugby league allowed players to switch nationalities but the IRB had proved inflexible in November when it rejected a New Zealand sponsored move to relax eligibility rules.
Story by: Dhanjay Deo
