Rugby Australia to scrap the 'Giteau Law'

Desperate times for the Wallabies have led to Rugby Australia announcing that they will be scrapping the ‘Giteau Law’ in an attempt to bolster their player stocks. 

The ‘Giteau Law’ states that overseas-based players may be picked for the Wallabies only if they already have over 60 international caps.  

The Wallabies were given a thorough hiding by the All Blacks over the weekend and subsequently missed out on the Bledisloe Cup once again. 

“When you look at the pool of talent from which we are selecting in comparison to our biggest rivals; be it New Zealand, be it South Africa, be it Argentina, be it England – they have access and the ability to choose their very best players no matter where they’re playing,” Rugby Australia chief executive, Andy Marinos, said. The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that the rule-change is set to occur at the conclusion of the Wallabies' end of year tour. 

“We do need to look into eligibility. I’m not saying it’s going to be alpha and omega. But it will certainly bring a lot more experience and a lot more depth across the board. 

“I’ve lived through this and I’ve seen this movie before, when I was in the director of rugby role in South Africa. We were faced with exactly the same scenario. 

“I’m not saying what worked in South Africa is the recipe for here. But we have to look at the eligibility piece to make sure we have the best players available to play week in, week out.”