Foreign Boks' quotas cut
This follows a decision by the Executive Council of SA Rugby in Cape Town on Friday.
The policy will come into force from July 1, allowing players with fewer than 30 caps to return to South Africa should they wish to be considered for Springbok selection after the Test series against France in June.
The policy – similar to the 50-Test limit employed by Australia – replaces the existing situation where any player eligible to play for South Africa could be picked at the discretion of the Springbok coach.
The coach will meanwhile retain the right in a World Cup year to select any player he believes is essential to the campaign -regardless of number of caps.
"We are sending a message to young players that if they wish to play for the Springboks, then they must remain in South Africa," said Mark Alexander, President of the South African Rugby Union.
"But we have also retained flexibility for the coach to select exceptional players who may be based overseas provided they have a proven track record of 30 Tests for the Springboks.
"How to balance the need to select the strongest possible team against the challenges of having such a large number of players based overseas has been a subject of long debate in our game.
"We have made this change in what we believe are the best interests of the Springbok team but we will review it periodically in conjunction with the national coach."
