Cape Town - World Rugby may reconsider its eligibility protocols that allow players to represent a country other than that of their birth.

According to the ESPN.co.uk website, World Rugby vice-chairperson Agustin Pichot is to lead the inquest into the make-up and design of the protocols.



The former Argentina scrumhalf and captain is against the existing rules, that allow a player to represent a country if they have lived there for three years.

According to Pichot, the period is too short.

"There are special cases where players moved when they were ten or twelve years old," he said.

"But just moving to a country, being taken from an academy, like they are doing in Tonga, and put into play, say, in an Ireland shirt, I'm against it. I think it is not right."

Fiji, Samoa and Tonga have suffered from talent drain for many years and a few of the top tier northern hemisphere nations as well as Australia and New Zealand regularly field players born in the Islands.

Several South Africans have also represented adopted countries in recent years.

Ireland, who are currently touring South Africa, boast three South Africa-born players in their touring squad, namely flank CJ Stander, hooker Richardt Strauss and lock Quinn Roux.

During last year’s Rugby World Cup in England, there were no fewer than 15 South African-born players who represented their adopted nations.