EXPLANATORY GUIDELINES REGULATION 8 such adjudication, the Regulations Committee will always have in mind the rationale behind Regulation 8. The aim of the Regulations Committee in each case where clarification may be required, is to establish whether, in all the circumstances, a Player has, by reference to the eligibility criteria in Regulation 8.1, been able to demonstrate a genuine, close and credible national link with the country that the Player wishes to represent. It is anticipated that over time a body of rulings by the Regulations Committee may develop which may, in turn, assist in providing further guidance to Unions in relation to eligibility matters. 11. When should any uncertainty over a Player’s eligibility be clarified? It is essential that eligibility issues are clarified before a Player represents the senior or next senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team of a Union or a Union’s senior National Representative Sevens Team. This is particularly important in light of the one Union only rule. Accordingly, if a Union has any doubt over a Player’s eligibility status it must take all steps necessary to clarify the position before selecting the Player to play for its senior or next senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team or its senior National Representative Sevens Team. 12. What does place of birth mean? This should be the most straightforward criterion to apply. A Player’s place of birth shall be the country within whose geographical borders he was born. However, difficult scenarios can arise even in relation to this criterion. For example, where a Player was born within the geographical borders of one country, but in a part of that country deemed by the law of the country concerned, to be the sovereign territory of another, or where a Player was born in a military hospital. In such circumstances the matter should be referred to the Regulations Committee for a ruling. The Regulations Committee would need to establish the legal position together with other relevant facts and circumstances. In exceptional circumstances it may be possible for a Player to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Regulations Committee, that he is eligible to play for the Union within whose sovereign territory he was born, even though that sovereign territory may be within the geographical borders of another country. 13. What does Parent mean? The term “parent” in the Regulations is limited to either a blood parent or a parent that has formally adopted a Player in accordance with the applicable legal requirements of the country concerned. Unless a Player has been adopted in accordance with the formal, legal requirements of the country concerned, the application of this criterion will be based on a Player’s blood parent. When a Player has been formally adopted in accordance with the applicable legal requirements of the country concerned, the birth place of the Player’s blood parent will no longer be relevant for the purposes of establishing the Player’s eligibility pursuant to Regulation 8.1(b). The relevant parent will be the parent that has formally and legally adopted the Player. However in such circumstances, the relevant grandparents for the purposes of establishing a Player’s eligibility Last update: 14 January, 2015 142
World Rugby Handbook
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