Rugby Australia has formally lodged a complaint with World Rugby regarding the poaching of their young players by wealthy French clubs. This comes in the wake of La Rochelle signing 16-year-old Visesio Kite and 17-year-old Heinz Lemoto being targeted. Rugby Australia is seeking clarity on youth transfer rules, stating that France should develop its own talent rather than poach from Australia. Chairman Daniel Herbert stressed the need for clear regulations and pointed out that many violations are occurring, emphasizing this is a club issue, not a national federation problem.
Our view is that France has the ability to produce its own players. They don't have to poach our players at a very young age.
There has to be a coming together on what is allowed and what isn't allowed, as there are more cases than those publicly reported.
They're working directly with player agents here. We don't do it, most other countries don't do it, and so it's something that we'll take up with World Rugby.
The governing body's current rules prohibit unauthorized poaching of underage players across unions, mandating sanctions for violations.
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