CONNACHT SIGNINGS: CONNACHT, THROUGH the IRFU, are in the process of seeking clarification from the IRB with regard to the eligibility of their new signings Matthew Jarvis (20) and James Loxton (21) to play for Ireland.
The talented duo played age-grade rugby for Wales at under-18 and under-20 levels but assumed that did not preclude them from transferring allegiance to Ireland on the strength of family connections.
Jarvis’ grandmother hails from Cork while Loxton’s mother is from Crossmolina, Co Mayo. Their agent, the 6ft 10in former Welsh secondrow Derwyn Jones, brokered the agreement that would see them sign for the Irish province this summer.
Connacht chief executive Gerry Kelly put in a request to sign the players to the IRFU and it was duly sanctioned.
The province agreed contracts in good faith, the players agreed in good faith but no one involved in the process seemed to be aware of a certain International Board (IRB) regulation that is threatening to scupper the deal.
A player who plays for a national team at senior, A or sevens levels is no longer eligible to play for another country: an example of each would be Isa Nacewa coming on as a replacement for Fiji in a World Cup match for two minutes; London Irish flanker Declan Danaher, born to Irish parents playing at A level for England and Paul Warwick lining out for the Australia Sevens team.
However, IRB Regulation 8.3 (a) stipulates that a player is ineligible to switch allegiance from one country to another, if he has played for the second-string team of a union, against the second-string team of another union. Several countries determine that their under-20 team is the second-string side and Wales is one of them.
The regulation reads: “For the purposes of this regulation, a player is deemed to have played for the senior fifteen-a-side national representative team or the next senior fifteen-a-side national representative team of a union if: (a) He is selected for such team to play in an international match against the senior fifteen-a-side national representative team or the next senior fifteen-a-side national representative team of another union (or in a fifteen-a-side international match against another union’s senior or next senior touring squad during an IRB-approved international tour) and is present at the match played by that team either as a replacement, substitute or a playing member of that team and has, at the time of the match, reached the age of majority; or (subsections b and c are not relevant to this particular case).”
Jarvis and Loxton played for the Welsh team in an under-20 international against France in February of last year, scoring 17 points and a try respectively. In the ensuing summer of 2010 France A played in the Churchill Cup along with Uruguay, Canada, USA, England Saxons and Russia.
The kernel of this matter appears to be whether the French union deems their A or under-20 teams to be the second-string referred to in the IRB regulation. If it is the A team then the two players are eligible to play for Ireland; if it is the under-20 team then they are not.
Kelly has been in contact with the players’ agent and the relevant details have been forwarded to Gordon Black at the IRFU. He confirmed yesterday that he has been in contact with the IRB.
A spokesperson for the IRB pointed out that until they were provided with all the relevant information and asked to adjudicate they would not be in a position to rule on the matter.
If the players are deemed not to be eligible to play for Ireland then they are classed as foreigners by the IRFU and would take up two overseas contracts, a scenario that would greater hinder Connacht in both their recruitment and limit them when it comes to non-Irish qualified personnel on European match days.
