Kane Douglas Australia
International eligibility is quite a grey area in rugby. Each country has their own rules depending on where the player plays their club rugby. In New Zealand, they only allow players who currently play their club rugby with New Zealand. It's the same in England, but Wales and South Africa have no restrictions.
Ireland don't have a formal policy, but it's informally "Only Irish-based players will be included unless you're really really good like Johnny Sexton or Geordan Murphy".
Which brings us to the most confusing of them all - Australia.
Australia recently changed their rules from players only in Australia - to players only in Australia plus a very few select others namely "players who have already played 60 test caps or more, and seven years of domestic Australian rugby OR players who have signed pre-contract terms to come back to Australia". Simple isn't it?
Then there's Leinster's Kane Douglas. Douglas was recently called up by Australia this week despite not being eligible under Australia's own rules.
Leinster have agreed to a release Douglas under World Rugby's regulations that state all players must be released by their clubs for designated international periods (like the World Cup), and it looks like Australia would break their rules for the giant lock.
Leinster released a statement saying that they were happy to release Douglas for the World Cup, but that he would be expected back following the conclusion of the tournament:
We have been in discussions with the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and with Kane for a few weeks now and we have made our position very clear. Kane is contracted to Leinster Rugby for another two seasons and we look forward to welcoming him back when his commitments with the ARU come to an end.
This doesn't sit well with Australia, who are sticking to their guns and want Douglas to return to play his club rugby in his home country immediately so they can select him.
This can only happen if Leinster release him from his contractual obligations. Leinster have no intention of doing that for one of their marquee signings - leaving things at an impasse.
The only way Douglas can realise his dream and play for his country in the World Cup is if his Leinster contract is paid up - similar to how players move in football for transfer fees. Leinster are demanding a fee of 250,000 for them to release Douglas.
It doesn't seem likely that Australia are willing to pay that price, despite coach Michael Cheika being a big fan of Douglas. They were reluctant to pay a smaller figure (€150,000) to release Quade Cooper from his impending move to Toulon. Chieka broke his silence on the issue in speaking to the Courier Mail in Australia:
If he signs for a Super Rugby team then, of course, we’d be interested in him but otherwise he’s not qualified until he works out the contract he has with Leinster.
The latest reports in Australia suggest that the Queensland Reds could sneak in ahead of Douglas' former and home team the New South Wales Waratahs could fund the release of Douglas to ensure they sign the player for their Super Rugby team. The struggling 2011 champions are looking for a replacement to the departing James Horwill, and Douglas is the exact type of lock that all of Australia is missing.
Douglas, for his part is yet to join up with the Australian squad, and was a guest appearance at Kilkenny RFC for a Leinster summer camp yesterday
What this means for Leinster is unclear. It seems that Australia's current rules will ensure that Douglas either remains in Leinster and probably during the World Cup, which will be a boost for the province. Should the fee be paid for his release - Leinster will have a free NIQ spot open up and some money to spend. It's highly unlikely that a sufficient quality player will be able to be brought in at this late stage - and Leinster need reinforcements in both scrumhalf and second row.
Munster are also looking for a replacement at lock, but most players are already signed up.
[Sydney Morning Herald/ Courier Mail]
See Also: 7 Available Second Rows Who Could Replace Paul O'Connell At Munster
Picture credit: Seb Daly / SPORTSFILE
