Scottish Rugby today acknowledged that the game's worldwide governing body, the International Rugby Board, has approved a new regulation in respect of player release. The new ruling on international player release should provide much needed clarity and consistency. However it expressed its disappointment that that new ruling reduces access to International players by Unions.
Scottish Rugby has campaigned strongly to find support among other countries with the aim to ensure that "robust and enforceable" regulations governing the release of international players would be strengthened when the IRB met to discuss the issue in Dublin yesterday.
Scottish Rugbys Chief Executive Gordon McKie said: Yesterdays decision will have the potential capacity to diminish the pre-eminence of international rugby.
Our concern on this issue is one that is absolutely enshrined in the principle of best versus best and that international teams have adequate preparation time.
It was important for the worldwide game, for countries like Argentina, Italy, Georgia, Fiji, Samoa and Scotland among others, that the IRB approved robust and enforceable regulations enshrining international rugbys rights of access to exile players.
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