Australian rugby officials have announced the removal of the so-called "Giteau's Law", which had previously limited the number of overseas-based players Wallabies coaches could select.
The Wallabies avoided the whitewash on Saturday as they fought through weather delays to beat the Lions 22-12 and gaining some positives from their Test series.
Australia faces stiff competition for domestic talent from Aussie Rules and Rugby League clubs, which has contributed to a lack of depth and consistency in recent years, resulting in a drop to sixth in the world rankings.
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Peter Horne announced the abolishment of The Giteau Law
Giteau’s Law has restricted Australia to a certain number of overseas players being allowed to join the Wallabies, but now Rugby Australia’s director of high performance, Peter Horne, has revealed they will be scrapping the law.
He confirmed: "Joe Schmidt’s got no impediment to select whoever he wants. That's always been the case. The Giteau Law's kind of redundant."
"But we've also made a choice that we select domestically if the players are of equal calibre, it's important that we invest in our premier competition in Australia,” he reaffirmed after the loss to the Lions.
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Until 2015, Australia had a strict policy prohibiting overseas-based players from representing the Wallabies.
Due to high-level players, like Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, and Sekope Kepu, having their heads turned by big contracts overseas, Giteau’s law was introduced to allow a limited number of overseas players to represent the two-time world champions.
They were allowed to represent the Wallabies if they had served time in Super Rugby and the national team.
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Joe Schmidt will now have free reign to bring in overseas Australian players
|Reuters
Over recent years, the law had been relaxed, as players who made a commitment to return to play rugby in Australia were not counted towards the overseas quota.
Players likely to gain from the removal of the law include Will Skelton, Taniela Tupou, Tom Hooper, and Langi Gleeson, who are set to play for a variety of overseas teams next season.
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The Wallabies have taken a huge hit in recent days as hooker David Porecki retired just days after the win against the Lions.
The 32-year-old played in the second Test that saw the Lions edge out a 29-26 victory, but he missed the first and third tests with a concussion and a cut heel, respectively.
David Porecki announced his retirement just days after the final Lions Test match
|PA
He won his first cap for Australia in 2022 and captained the team for three of the matches during the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
In a statement, he said: "Rugby has given me so much to be thankful for and has been such a massive part of my life for so long, but it feels like the right time for me to turn the page.”