Rugby Australia have taken aim at French clubs for signing some of their brightest young talent and have duly urged World Rugby to step in.
Chairman Daniel Herbert was speaking after the governing body announced its 2024 financial results, revealing a deficit of AUS$36.8m, when he slammed the Top 14 outfits.
Those teams have much greater fiscal power than Australia and New Zealand, and they are able to lure some of the world’s best players to those shores.
While that is not an ideal situation for the trans-Tasman duo, Herbert does not necessarily have an issue with that, with his main complaint centred around signing youngsters to their academies.
French club signs 16-year-old
La Rochelle recently brought in 16-year-old Visesio Kite, while it is understood that highly rated teenager Heinz Lemoto was offered a deal in France.
“It’s something that we’re talking to World Rugby about, because there’s more than what’s been reported as well that we’re aware of, and our view is that France has the ability to produce its own players,” he said.
“They don’t need to come and talk to our player agents to try and poach ours at a very young age. So there’s going to be some discussions at World Rugby level around what is actually allowed to happen in that market.
“Because, you know, [France’s] population of 70 million without the major competition [rugby league] that we have and doesn’t need to go to other markets to try and poach players.
“So it’s a live discussion with World Rugby at the moment.”
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According to Kite’s father, his son only took up the contract at La Rochelle after not being offered anything by the Queensland Rugby Union, while he also accused RA of “obstructing” the move by “refusing” to provide international clearance in order to complete the deal.
The governing body later released a statement denying this, claiming that they were seeking clarity from World Rugby over the legal and ethical implications of such a move.
Rugby Australia have evidently taken this a step further and believe that the wider issue of ‘poaching’ young talent from abroad should be looked into.
‘Most other countries don’t do it’
“Well, I just think there has to be… a coming together on what is allowed and what isn’t allowed,” Herbert added.
“At the moment, it’s the French clubs, it’s not the French Federation, it’s the French clubs. They’re working directly with player agents here, and we don’t do it.
“Most other countries don’t do it, and so it’s something that we’ll take up with World Rugby.”
Australia have been stung in the past with Emmanuel Meafou signing for Toulouse after not being offered a deal in his home country.
Meafou then went on to play for France and has become a key part of their squad, helping them to the recent Six Nations title, and there are concerns that Kite, who is 6ft 7in and 23st (147kg), could follow in the same footsteps.
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