Former Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper has urged Rugby Australia to follow the Springboks’ blueprint for success.
The Wallabies coach can currently only pick overseas-based players if they have a minimum of 30 Test caps for Australia or at least five seasons of Super Rugby experience.
However, Joe Schmidt has been reluctant to make use of this regulation, with several stars left out of training camps earlier this year after signing deals abroad.
Cooper says it’s time for a rethink.
“South Africa have won two World Cups by embracing overseas-based players. Meanwhile, Australia’s refusal to go down the same path has cost the Wallabies immensely,” Cooper wrote in his Courier Mail column.
“If we want to compete with the world’s best, we need to select the world’s best players, regardless of where they play.
“Look at South Africa. They’ve won the past two World Cups and dominated the global stage not because they’ve kept their stars locked at home, but because they’ve embraced a smarter model.”
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Having played in Japan for the past six years, Cooper argues that SA Rugby benefits from letting its players sharpen their skills in elite competitions while foreign clubs pay the salaries.
“Australia is trying to hold players here with limited funds and a domestic competition that simply isn’t the strongest anymore,” he added. “We keep a few, lose many, and the ones we lose, we can’t even select. It’s a double loss.”
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