{"id":193146,"date":"2025-06-18T01:27:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T01:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/193146\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T01:27:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T01:27:08","slug":"world-rugby-have-changed-law-to-reduce-the-number-of-foreign-born-lions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/193146\/","title":{"rendered":"World Rugby have changed law to reduce the number of ‘foreign-born’ Lions\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lions legend Willie John McBride has hit out at the 2025 British & Irish Lions squad, blasting the inclusion of too many foreign-born players.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The iconic second-row, who famously captained the tourists to a historic series win over South Africa in 1974, didn\u2019t mince his words when speaking to South African publication\u00a0Rapport.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEight of them weren\u2019t born in Britain or Ireland. That\u2019s not how it was in my day,\u201d McBride said.
\u201cSixty years ago, you only played if you were a native. It\u2019s changed, and I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But here\u2019s the twist: a World Rugby law change may mean McBride\u2019s concerns could soon be outdated.<\/p>\n

Residency Rule Extended \u2014 Too Late for This Squad<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2024, World Rugby quietly extended the eligibility residency requirement from\u00a0three years to five<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 a significant shift that would have blocked many of the current Lions from ever qualifying.<\/p>\n

Had the rule been in place earlier, at least\u00a0five<\/strong>\u00a0players in Andy Farrell\u2019s 2025 squad wouldn\u2019t be wearing red this summer.<\/p>\n

That includes Ireland\u2019s Super Rugby quartet \u2014\u00a0Jamison Gibson-Park<\/strong>,\u00a0Bundee Aki<\/strong>,\u00a0James Lowe<\/strong>, and\u00a0Mack Hansen<\/strong>\u2014 all of whom moved to Ireland as adults to play professionally. Only Hansen was already eligible upon arrival. Together, they make up\u00a0half of the foreign-born Lions<\/strong>\u00a0this year.<\/p>\n

Scotland\u2019s contingent also has a southern flavour.\u00a0Pierre Schoeman<\/strong>,\u00a0Duhan van der Merwe<\/strong>, and\u00a0Sione Tuipulotu<\/strong>\u00a0all qualified via residency or ancestry after arriving from South Africa or Australia. Tuipulotu was eligible via his Scottish grandparent but made the switch after a career in Australia and Japan.<\/p>\n

Add in\u00a0Joe McCarthy<\/strong>\u00a0(born in the USA but raised in Dublin) and\u00a0Marcus Smith<\/strong>\u00a0(Philippines-born but a product of the English system), and the total of non-homegrown players hits\u00a0eight<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 exactly the number McBride takes issue with.<\/p>\n

Lions Breakdown: Who\u2019s Representing Who?<\/strong><\/p>\n