While the daily L’Indépendant announced this Friday morning that the Usap phenomenon, Posolo Tuilagi, could not be selected by Fabien Galthié for the next Six Nations Tournament, the vice-president of the FFR in charge of the teams of France denied this information.
Questioned by Midi Olympique, Jean-Marc Lhermet confirmed that Tuilagi, born in Samoa, did not yet have a French passport. But he has lived in France for… thirteen years and is therefore eligible under World Rugby rules. According to him, the condition of having French nationality, established by Bernard Laporte when he was president of the FFR, “was never validated by the steering committee”.
“Only World Rugby eligibility rules therefore apply. From there, it’s totally selectable.” Namely, in the absence of a passport, do not count on any selection for another country and reside for at least five years consecutively on French soil. Which is the case for the Perpignan player, who was crowned world champion with the French U20s last June.
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A clear position from the FFR confirmed at the start of the evening via an official press release. “Although under the presidency of Bernard Laporte an orientation was adopted to limit the selection of foreign players, except holders of a French passport, this policy was never formalized in the rules of the FFR. Therefore, no current provision compromises the selection of Mr Tuilagi or other players in similar situations. The process of selecting a player therefore remains exclusively dictated by World Rugby rules.
“The FFR remains committed to promoting players from training sectors while respecting diversity and supporting inclusion in rugby. Selection decisions are the exclusive responsibility of the coach of the XV of France. If the coach considers that Mr. Tuilagi has the necessary skills to represent France, the absence of a French passport will not be an obstacle to his selection. »
It remains to be seen whether the coach will retain him in his first list of 34 players for the opening of the Six Nations Tournament on February 2 in Marseille against Ireland. Response on Wednesday January 17 with the announcement of the selected group.