Steve Shingler is a Welsh player as per the IRB – Rugby News Update
Steve Shingler, the 20-year-old fly-half of immense promise has been in a tug-of-war between the Scotland Rugby Union and the Wales Rugby Union, with both Unions claiming that the player belongs to their respective countries.
However, a ruling by the International Rugby Board has upheld their original decision, which stated that Shingler is eligible only for Wales.
"Council, having considered all the facts and having heard submissions from the SRU and WRU legal representatives, dismissed the appeal and upheld the decision of the IRB regulations committee," the IRB said. "The Council therefore determined that Steven
Shingler is tied to Wales in accordance with IRB Regulation 8 and therefore is ineligible to represent another Union."
Shingler represented Wales' U20s side against France in 2011, having declared their U20 side as the second best XV that they have, they effectively tied all the players at that level to the country. Shingler who has a Drumfries-born mother makes him eligible
to play for Scotland as thought by the head coach, Andy Robinson, who called him up to Scotland’s Six Nations team for the tournament.
The WRU subsequently complained to the IRB once his name was announced in the Scottish team. However at that time the IRB decided on the matter and the statement at the time read: "Under IRB Regulation 8 a player is tied to a country if he or she has played
for the senior national fifteen-a-side national representative team or the next senior national representative team or the senior national representative Sevens team against opposition of the same designation.”
This rule also applies to the Under 20 teams, and this is exactly what Wales and France had done, which makes him eligible for Wales.
A three-man regulations committee panel, chaired by Peter Boyle, which also included the Italian Giancarlo Dondi and Tim Gresson from New Zealand, gave a verdict again in March, which was reiterated again at the Dublin today at the annual meeting of the
IRB.
With this final verdict going in favour of Wales, the issue has been put to rest forever.
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