'They don't have to poach': Rugby Australia blasts French clubs

NEWS: Australia has complained to World Rugby about cashed-up French clubs “poaching” teenage talent, with chairman Daniel Herbert urging the global governing body to beef up its rules.

It follows La Rochelle this year signing giant 16-year-old Queensland Reds forward Visesio Kite, with 17-year-old back row forward Heinz Lemoto also reportedly being targeted by wealthy Top 14 sides.

“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,” Herbert told Australian media on Thursday, adding that “there’s more than what’s been reported”.

“So there’s going to be some discussions at World Rugby level around what is actually allowed to happen in that market.

“There has to be a coming together on what is allowed and what isn’t allowed.”

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, several other global unions have urged World Rugby to tighten regulations around the issue.

Under World Rugby’s young players protocol, it is prohibited for “the unauthorised approach to and/or ‘poaching’ of young players either within a Union and/or between Unions”.

The regulations state that unions “impose appropriate sanctions” on anyone who does so.

Herbert laid the blame with French clubs, not the French rugby federation.

“They’re working directly with player agents here,” he said.

“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.”