Clermont's Fijian flyer now eligible for France
NEWS: Fiji-born wing Alivereti Raka could feature for France in the 2019 Six Nations and at the World Cup after his application for French nationality was confirmed earlier this month.
The name of the Clermont star, who has scored four tries in three matches this season, appeared on the list of French naturalised persons of the Official Journal of November 10, AFP has confirmed.
Under current World Rugby rules, which demand a three-year residential period for a player before he can play for a country, 23-year-old Raka could have played in the ongoing round of November Tests.
But Bernard Laporte, president of the French Rugby Federation, declared in December 2016 shortly after his election, to have “made the political decision not to play foreign players in the national team.”
Laporte insisted that possession of a French passport was a requirement for the national team.
From January 1, 2021, players will only be allowed to represent a foreign country after they have been living and playing there for five consecutive years.
Raka joined the Clermont Academy in 2014, going on to make his first-team debut during the 2015-16 Top 14 campaign.
Agence France-Presse
