Agustin Pichot wants residency rules tightened

Agustin Pichot insists that the residency rules allowing foreign players to represent different countries must be changed, however, the new vice-chairman of World Rugby will face stern opposition to do so.

Ireland have already profited from the regulation that allows uncapped players to qualify for a different country after three years of residence with CJ Stander (South Africa) and Jared Payne (New Zealand) anchoring Joe Schmidt’s team in the Six Nations while Connacht centre Bundee Aki qualifies in November 2018.

However, many observers believe that the three-year term for foreign-born players is not enough and Pichot, the former Argentina scrum-half, believes there is a fundamental issue with the regulations. “We need to change it. Somebody will kill me [for saying it], but we need to change it. This is my personal opinion: it’s wrong,” Pichot said. “I understand maybe a five-year [qualification period] and it has been discussed and I think it will be on the agenda in the next six months.