RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL: The latest rift causing friction among nations, the ineligible future England star wanted by Premiership side and how Ilona Maher is already creating history
Concerns are increasing. The latest changes to World Rugby’s eligibility criteria are seeing more and more young players being poached by England and New Zealand.
Coaches in Wales have expressed concern that changes to Regulation 8 have opened the door to a drain of talent through expensive English state schools.
The governing body has relaxed the eligibility criteria for the national selection, meaning players will no longer have to complete 60 months of continuous residency.
Teenage hooker Kepueli Tuipulotu, born in Pontypool and educated at Harrow School, is the latest player Wales have lost to the English system.
A Welsh source said the changes will ‘ruin us’ as the proud rugby nation tries to get back on track after a disastrous year of results for Warren Gatland.
The new regulations stipulate that from 1 August 2024, rugby registration must be demonstrated over a period of 60 months through registration with a rugby organisation, including a national association or club.
Wales is one of the countries where the participation rules mean that more and more players are being poached
Teenage hooker Kepueli Tuipulotu has become the latest player Wales have lost to the English system
‘The amendment was approved by the Council after extensive consultation with trade unions and players and is intended to address the challenges faced by trade unions in areas where registering entry and exit from a country is not easy.’
Fears are shared across the Pacific Islands that New Zealand schools could find ways to swing the system to benefit the All Blacks at the expense of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
Harlequins are targeting a future England star who is ineligible
Harlequins have expressed an interest in signing young English Lock Junior Kpoku from Racing 92.
Kpoku, the 6ft tall teenager born in Britain, is under contract in Paris until 2027 but has already been sounded out by England coach Steve Borthwick.
Speaking to Mail Sport last week, Kpoku said: ‘Re-signing for Racing doesn’t mean I’ve stopped playing for Steve Borthwick. It’s about how I can improve here so that I’m at the level he wants me to be at, so that I don’t have to play catch-up when I go back to Britain – whether that’s next year, or the year after, or the years after that.’
If Kpoku activates a release clause in his contract, it appears that Harlequins are already the front runners for his signature.
Harlequins have expressed interest in signing English lock Junior Kpoku from Racing 92
Kpoku told Mail Sport that he wants to improve to the level Steve Borthwick expects of him
Eredivisie clubs are getting into the festive mood
Christmas festivities are underway at Premiership clubs, with a member of Sale’s team gifting a real parakeet in the team’s Secret Santa.
Northampton Saints held a carol service, while Danny Care and Marcus Smith got into the spirit by watching Cinderella at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
But perhaps the happiest face of all is Newcastle’s director of rugby serving the turkey at the team’s Christmas lunch on Thursday afternoon.
Danny Care and Marcus Smith watched Cinderella at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden
Calls to review the Champions Cup broadcast strategy
Champions Cup organizers are under pressure to overhaul their broadcast strategy after a lack of pass-through to traditional TV rugby viewers.
Some viewing figures distributed to clubs show that the average TV audience is under 15,000.
However, Premier Sports are confident they have achieved their targets and insist the TV figures are incorrect as the majority of their viewers come from streaming platforms which are not taken into account in the statistics.
After the opening rounds, there is increasing pressure on EPCR to reintroduce a free-to-air offering.
Business as usual for Gatland
It was business as usual for Warren Gatland, despite speculation about his future as Wales coach.
The WRU has ordered an independent investigation after the national team suffered 12 consecutive Test defeats.
But Gatland has continued with scouting exercises during the region’s Challenge Cup matches, while also attending an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the Millennium Stadium alongside the likes of Craig Bellamy and Joe Calzaghe.
Warren Gatland has carried on as usual despite speculation about the Wales boss’ future
The arrival of Ilona Maher should lead to a record attendance for Bristol Women next month
Bristol set a record attendance following Maher’s arrival
The arrival of American rugby star Ilona Maher has helped Bristol Women sell 5,000 tickets for their match against Gloucester Hartpury on January 5.
It is on course to be a record attendance for a women’s competition at Ashton Gate, with Maher set to make her British debut just weeks after coming second on Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles.