IRB Adopts New Player Availability Regulation for International Matches

The International Rugby Board Council today adopted a new regulation on player availability for international matches. The new Regulation 9 will apply from January 1, 2009 and follows extensive consultation with all stakeholders.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said, “Over recent years the IRB has been engaged in a detailed consultation process with its Member Unions to develop a player release regulation that is consistent with the needs of the modern Game and is fair and proportionate for all stakeholders.”

“I believe we have achieved an outcome that will now provide more certainty and clarity for everyone in the Game. The adoption of this new Regulation 9 follows on from various initiatives undertaken by the IRB recently to establish a global consensus on the Game and how its regulatory structure should meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving sport. The IRB is continuing to review all of Rugby’s regulations with relevant stakeholders to ensure they remain fit for purpose.”

“As a world governing body we are conscious of the need to create a defined framework and schedule for the organisation of international and domestic matches. This is reflected in the revised Regulation 9 which caps the number of international matches for which players must be released and identifies when they are released back to their clubs or provinces.”

“Due to differences in playing seasons and tournament structures the number of international matches is 11 for Northern Hemisphere Unions and 12 for Southern Hemisphere Unions. Furthermore, Council decided not to include fallow weeks in international tournament periods as part of the release periods,” added Mr Lapasset.

Regulation 9 will only apply to the following:

Release for Designated Events

* Rugby World Cup and Qualification
* Rugby World Cup Sevens
* British & Irish Lions Tour
* Olympic Rugby Tournament and Qualification

Global release periods

* June international window – the right to release for the senior national representative team, the next senior national representative team and the Under 20 national representative team. Three matches played in June.
* November international window – the right to release for the senior national representative team, the next senior national representative team and the Under 20 national representative team. Three matches played in November.
* There are no Global Release Periods in a Rugby World Cup year.

Hemisphere Release Periods

* Annual release period for Northern Hemisphere eligible players: Five weeks (matches) out of the seven weeks from the first weekend of February to the third weekend of March for the senior national representative team, the next senior national representative team and the Under 20 national representative team.

* Annual release period for Southern Hemisphere eligible players: Six weeks (matches) out of the nine weeks from July 1 to August 31 for the senior national representative team, the next senior national representative team and the Under 20 national representative team.

Release for pre-match assembly, training and squad sessions

* The Assembly period begins five days prior to the kick off of an International match
* The Rugby World Cup Assembly period begins 35 days prior to the start of the tournament during which warm-up matches may be played
* Three squad sessions per year are permitted, each session is for a maximum of three days for up to 30 players from the senior national representative team, to be taken as follows:

For all Unions, the Monday to Wednesday of the week preceding the Assembly period for the November window

For Northern Unions, the Monday to Wednesday of the week preceding the Assembly period for the Northern Hemisphere release period

For Southern Unions, the Monday to Wednesday of the week preceding the Assembly period for the Southern Hemisphere release period

The third session may be taken from a Monday to a Wednesday, subject to notification in advance of the relevant season

How about the non-professional players that can’t get leave from their employers … can we use this ruling to get time off.

-Ed-

Asia for 2015 World Cup

Rugby’s power-brokers would be foolish not to hold the 2015 World Cup in Asia, according to Japan coach John Kirwan.

Japan lost out to New Zealand for the 2011 tournament but former All Blacks winger Kirwan says an Asian country should get the nod ahead of England and other rivals for the next one.

“I think it would be very silly not to give it to Asia,” Kirwan told Reuters after returning from last weekend’s Bledisloe Cup clash between New Zealand and Australia in Hong Kong.

“People are probably talking about England getting the World Cup more than us (Japan) which I believe would be a mistake.

“Obviously, for (Britain) having the 2012 Olympics that would be the icing on the cake for them, to pay for the infrastructure they’ve already had to shell out for.

“But the strategy of the game going forward is what? To grow rugby or not? That’s the only question the people running this game have to answer.

“If we want to make this game a serious global contender for the sports market then it has to come to Asia.”

The former Italy coach insisted there was still work to be done to convince the International Rugby Board (IRB) to award the 2015 World Cup to cash-rich Asia.

He rejected the notion that IRB officials could feel Japan was “due” having missed out for the 2011 tournament.

“I don’t think it’s a shoo-in,” said Kirwan, who has just signed an extended contract keeping him in the Japan job until 2011.

“There’s plenty of support from the public but from a political point of view there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

OLD STEREOTYPES

Kirwan said his biggest hurdle was breaking down old stereotypes about Japan, Asia’s top rugby nation, among the game’s establishment.

“There are three pretty big misconceptions out there about Japan,” he said. “Firstly, there is an incredible infrastructure here — we’ve got the stadiums, we’ve got everything.

“Second (the misconception) that Japan is expensive for tourists. That’s wrong. You can really live cheaply here. If you want to have $6 noodles for dinner you can.

“Third, will an Asian World Cup make money? Well that’s just ridiculous.”

South Africa and Italy have also expressed in hosting the 2015 World Cup but Kirwan insisted Japan was the logical choice for the IRB.

“They are really concerned about making money but I keep saying this is the second richest economy in the world — tell me there the problems are,” said the 43-year-old.

“We have the biggest companies in the world sponsoring our game — why wouldn’t you want to marry us?.”

More news on the final

From Brunei Times

LAST NIGHT’S Darussalam Cup Championship final between defending champions Belait Pythons and 2006 winners Bandar Blacks was touted as the Brunei Rugby Football Union Grand Final, and it certainly lived up to its name.

With the scores tied at 9-9 after the final whistle at the raucous Belapan Track & Field in Berakas, no points were to be scored in the extra time which totalled 15 minutes, and the match had to be decided with a drop-kick contest.

Five players from each team had to take a drop-kick each, and for the Bandar Blacks, Man of the Match Ahmad Faiz and Nobel Lee successfully converted two of them to grab the title from the Belait side.

The Pythons had only managed to score one drop-kick and failed to score on the last attempt to tie the game, but even if they did, the Bandar Blacks would have had the upper hand as they had another drop-kick to complete.

The last four games between the two sides had ended in wins for the Pythons, though it had never been a championship match.

Naturally, the Bandar Blacks camp was jubilant to come out tops in what was undoubtedly the closest final in Brunei rugby history.

“I feel exhilarated and relieved at the same time because it was a close game which could have gone either way,” said Bandar Blacks manager Clifford Chin.

“I think this is the best ever final and not for one second did we doubt that we could hold them off,” said Chin, adding that the team played an excellent game in defence.

The Belait Pythons captain Petrus Tuan understandably painted a less joyful picture, but felt that his team had nothing to be ashamed of.

“This is the first time a final has reached drop-kicks and though I am a bit disappointed we lost, I feel it was an achievement we were able to stretch the match this far,” said Tuan, who is also the national team’s stand off.

It was his penalty kick late in the second half which gave the Pythons a 9-6 lead, their first in the game and one which they hoped would carry them through.

However, a foul on the other end of the pitch moments later saw the Bandar Blacks hit back with a penalty kick of their own, setting up for a tense extra time and an unprecedented drop-kick contest after that.

The Bandar-based team took the lead in the first half with a penalty kick early in the match, and though the Pythons would reply with another of their own, the Bandar Blacks regained the lead to set the scores at 6-3 heading into the locker room.

The Pythons went on to equalise in the second half before Tuan’s penalty kick gave them a short-lived lead.

-Jason Thomas 0f Brunei Bulletin-

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From Sunday Bulletin

Bandar Blacks prevented the Belait Pythons from achieving a double in this year’s Brunei Rugby Football Union Interclub Tournament when they beat them in a 2-1 drop kick in the final of the Darussalam Cup after both teams were tied 9-a-piece at regulation time.

The Belait Pythons who had already won the Dr Haji Kamaruddin Cup are looking to take their second silverware of the year.

The final at the Balapan field last night saw Bandar Blacks took the lead with a penalty converted by No 11 Quan. However, Belait Pythons’ Petrus levelled the score 3-3 through a penalty conversion on 23rd minutes.

Just before the interval, Bandar Blacks regained the lead through Quan again when he converted his second penalty of the night to lead 6-3.

The seesaw game continued in the second half when No 10 Petrus was again on target to convert another penalty to tie the score 6-6.

Thirty-two minutes after the interval, Quan converted his third penalty of the night for Bandar Blacks to lead 9-6 but the celebration was shortlived as No 11 Dinlee of Belait Pythons scored another penalty conversion to draw 9-9.

The score remained the same until regular time and then overtime and to sudden death.

In the drop kick, Belait Pythons managed only a kick passed the crossbar while Bandar Blacks managed to hit two kicks over to win.

of Royal Brunei Land Force, Colonel Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Rosli bin Pengiran Haji Chuchu as the guest-of-honour presented the prizes to the winners.

Player of the final award went to Izzy (Faez) of Bandar Blacks while the player of the tournament was Petrus of Belait Pythons. The award for most improved team of the tournament went to Royal Brunei Armed Forces Team.

-James Kon of Brunei Press-

Check for more photos at Anak Brunei’s Site

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