Serious risks in changing RFU overseas player rule

The debate over the Rugby Football Union’s policy of refusing to choose players who play abroad was given fresh impetus last week when the Australian Rugby Union amended its similar rule to state that in respect of Australian-qualified players who had achieved 60 caps or more would still be considered for selection.

Advocates of amending or scrapping the RFU’s rule have portrayed the ARU move as forward thinking and the RFU antediluvian.

First of all let us nail the claim that the ARU has had a Damascene moment on this issue.

It had no choice given the number of senior players who indi…