IRB to close Steffon Armitage loophole for nationality switch

Steffon Armitage’s bid to play international rugby for France will be blocked
if the International Rugby Board (IRB) cannot be convinced that he is
exploring a nationality switch for “bona fide sevens reasons”.



The IRB has created a window of opportunity for capped players to switch
countries to bring its regulations into line with those of the Olympic
Games, which stipulate all participants must hold a passport for the country
they represent.



Any player who has not played international rugby for 18 months can trigger
the switch by making one appearance for his second country in a…