5 thoughts on “The Third Half: Why the residency rule must change”

1. A bit of pedantry, but Hardie qualified through his Fifer granny. Other than that I agree about 5 years. Although we (Scotland) would be struggling without Oor Wullie Nel. I think it’s ‘only’ MacVisser and Jock Strauss that we have on the books through residency otherwise.

2. Come on lads. You are terrible. Be more concise and stop all the ums and arrs. This should have taken 5 mins not 12. Who has time these days to listen to drivel.

   1. It’s meant to be a chat show, Brit, which is why it’s a bit longer (12 minutes). Without wishing to be too blunt, if you think it’s drivel, no-one’s forcing you to watch it!

3. While I certainly think the residency rule should be strengthened – at least four years for me, so it includes an entire World Cup cycle – I seem to be one of the few who thinks it’s more satisfying than the parent/grandparent rule. At least if you qualify for a country through residency you’ve committed to that country, built a career for yourself there and put down roots. Players like Anscombe, Te’o, Bent, Hardie et al who just walk off a plane and are shoved straight into the set-up annoy me far more.

   1. I agree – 4 years seems about right and as you say, that’s long enough to have committed to a new life and a new career in a new country

      The parent rule should be kept, perhaps with the proviso that a certain amout of time should have been lived in the relevant nation, but the grandparent one is just absurd. I think it was Michael Bent who had literally just stepped off a plane from NZ to play for Leinster and was immediately drafted into the international team courtesy of an Irish grandmother. He’d barely been in Ireland a month before he got his first cap.

      Things like this leave a bad taste in my mouth. As will Ben Te’o if EJ selects him. But then I can’t see EJ giving a monkey’s what the fans’ view would be on parachuting Te’o into the squad- his job is to win matches

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