Residency laws changed as 'Project Players' may be a thing of the past

Yesterday's Rugby World Cup Pool Draw in Japan slightly overshadowed the big news that World Rugby has changed the laws regarding players' eligibility for other countries. The ruling changes from 3 years to 5 years, however, this only takes effect in 2020. In recent years we have seen a huge number of players leave their country of upbringing to pick up lucrative contracts in the UK, Ireland and Europe. Those sometimes lead to playing Test rugby for those adopted nations. A host of players have qualified to play for countries based on just three years of residency. Now, the law is set to cha…