Page 144

World Rugby Handbook

EXPLANATORY GUIDELINES REGULATION 8 applied to avoid abuse of the Residency criteria. For example, a Player that acquired/leased property in a country and who nominated that property as his permanent and primary home (even though he may only be present at that property and in that Union on a short term/temporary basis) would not satisfy the Residency test. 16. Will short breaks interrupt a period of Residence? Short breaks in Residence, for example, for holidays, attending family/friends in other countries who may be ill etc, are unlikely to change the place/location of a Player’s primary and permanent home and are, therefore, unlikely to interrupt a Player’s period of Residence. By way of a guideline, however, as a minimum requirement, it is likely that, save in exceptional circumstances, at least 10 months actual physical presence of the Player in the country concerned throughout any qualifying year of the Residency period, will be required to demonstrate that the country is the place where the Player has his primary and permanent home. 17. Does the 36 month period of Residence have to immediately precede playing for a Union? Save in exceptional circumstances, the 36 months Residence will be expected to have been completed consecutively and be achieved immediately before the Player represents a Union. This is designed to create a contemporary national link with the country of the Union concerned. This factor will be particularly significant if a Player has moved to make a “new” country his Residence having been Resident in another country previously. In essence, in such circumstances, the Player, as well as demonstrating his commitment to a new country, must also be (and seen to be) relinquishing his ties with the country in which he lived previously. For the avoidance of any doubt, seeking to rely on short periods of Residence as a child in a particular country, combined with a short period of Residence in that same country prior to playing for a Union, is likely to create a link that would be too tenuous to satisfy the underlying intentions of establishing a contemporary, permanent, national link with a Union. However, each case will be assessed on its overall merits to establish if a Player is able to demonstrate a genuine, close, credible and established national link by reference to the amount of time the Player can demonstrate that he has treated the “new” country as his home and other relevant factors. 18. What is the position of students? As far as students are concerned, particularly those that are not financially independent, being resident, as a full time student, in another country, is likely to be considered as a series of temporary absences from the parental home. It is anticipated that in the majority of cases involving students the parental home is likely to continue to constitute the student’s permanent and primary home. Accordingly, attendance at college/university in such circumstances is unlikely to break a Player’s consecutive period of Residence. However, as in all matters of eligibility, the overriding concern of the Regulations Committee in assessing any Last update: 14 January, 2015 144


World Rugby Handbook
To see the actual publication please follow the link above