Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will be allowed to pick overseas-based players who have less than 30 Test caps if he gives valid reasons for their selection.
According to Rapport newspaper, the executive committee of SA Rugby has given him the necessary approval.
‘Rassie spoke to us about it,’ said re-elected SA Rugby president Mark Alexander. ‘The [30-Test cap eligibility] rule remains, but we will consider every request by Rassie on its merits.
‘The Boks are SA Rugby’s flagship and we will do everything we can to give them the necessary support.’
In an interview in SA Rugby’s online magazine, Erasmus said they were working on a plan to manage overseas players.
‘I’ve said before that all players who are eligible for the Boks should be considered, but we have to look at our home-based players first – and we have some wonderful talent playing here.
‘Having said that, I believe some of the more experienced players from overseas clubs can still add value, but they must be utilised correctly.
‘In a World Cup year, we can use players with fewer than 30 caps, so we will probably have to test those players at some stage before the tournament in Japan next year. We are working on some plans to manage just that, while we also can’t neglect the players based in South Africa.’
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