IRFB rules on player qualifications for national selection

These are the rules issued by the International Rugby Football Board that a player must meet to be qualified for selection in a national team. They were revised in March 1994 and again in 1995. (I don't have the exact wording of the latest changes but believe that what follows incorporates their intent. Various countries may have additional rules, e.g. Wales have a 6 year residency requirement.)

They are gazetted as resolution 1.8 of the IRFB Council.

1.8 Qualifications of players, and those playing for more than one Union:

1.8.1:
A player may play for the Senior National Respresentative Team or the next Senior Team below the Senior National Representative level of the Union of the country in which
(a)
he was born or
(b)
one parent or grandparent was born or
(c)
in which he has been granted permanent residency or citizenship (permanent residency is defined as a status granted by the government of that country permitting a person to live indefinitely in that country as his intended permanent home; citizenship must be evidenced by the possession of naturalization papers or a passport of the adopted country) or
(d)
he has completed three consecutive years of residence immediately preceding the time of playing. [This was increased from the 12 months set in March '94.]

1.8.2:
Notwithstanding the above a player who does not qualify under Clause 1.8.1(d) may play for the Senior National Representative Team or the next Senior Team below the Senior National Representative level of the Union of a country where
(a)
that Union is significantly disadvantaged as to player eligibility by reason of the particular circumstances appertaining in that Union and

(b)
the specific consent of the Council has been first obtained.

1.8.3:
Subject to Clause 1.8.1 and 1.8.2 above and any additional qualification requirements of the relevant Union a player may not play for the Senior National Representative Team or the next Senior National Representative Team of that Union where he has within the immediately preceding 3 years been selected for the Senior National Representative Team or has played for the next Senior National Representative Team of another Union.

Once a player has been selected or played as above for more than one Union he is not thereafter eligible to be so selected or play for another Union.

1.8.4:
A player who has qualifications to play for more than one Union who is nineteen years of age on or before 1st January in any year who then plays for or is selected in the Senior National Representative Team of a Union or plays for the next Senior Team below the Senior National Representative level is deemed to have opted for that Union.