International Rugby League has voted to extend Test eligibility to great-grandparents, meaning players will be able to represent a nation if any of their eight great-grandparents was born there, 7NEWS and AAP have reported.
The IRL board voted unanimously for the change, 7NEWS reported. Under the current rules, players can only qualify through a parent or grandparent if they wish to represent their heritage.
The move is aimed at ensuring smaller nations have a deep enough player pool, according to AAP, which said it was unclear how many players would become eligible under the new structure. Most other sports, including football and rugby union, use a grandparent rule.
The change is expected to come into effect in time for next year’s autumn internationals, All Out Rugby League reported.
“This is all about the legitimacy and the passion and pride that players bring to their nations,” IRL chair Troy Grant told The Daily Telegraph, as reported by All Out Rugby League. “The reality is we live in a multicultural world and you’ve got to respect that.”
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Hunt’s push for the Cook Islands
The decision follows a call from Cook Islands coach Karmichael Hunt for broader eligibility, with the nation’s population having fallen from above 20,000 in the 1970s to below 14,000 now.
“There are a lot of great grandparents that have Cook Islands kids playing in good systems in Queensland and NSW and we’d love to get access to those and hopefully we can get a decision in our favour,” Hunt said last week.
“By being able to call on their great-grandparents, it future-proofs the game,” Channel 7’s David Riccio said on the network’s World Cup coverage, adding that Hunt had been a “massive, massive part” of the change.
Kiwis great Shaun Johnson backed the move. “If we’re serious about wanting to grow the game we need these nations to be strong,” he said, according to 7NEWS.
2030 World Cup decision looms
AAP reported that International Rugby League officials were expected to announce the USA as the host of the 2030 World Cup on Monday.
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