Under the new eligibility rules, Jean Kleyn, the Ireland international forward, has received clearance to represent South Africa.
Despite being born in Johannesburg, he qualified for Ireland through residency and participated in five matches, including two in the Rugby World Cup hosted by Japan in 2019.
However, he has not been chosen for the Irish team since then, which allows him to meet the criteria for South Africa under the newly established regulation.
In a recent update, it has been reported that players are now permitted to switch to their country of birth, or that of their parents or grandparents, as long as a minimum period of three years has passed since they were last selected for their adopted country.
With this in mind, SA Rugby confirmed that World Rugby officially endorsed Jean Kleyn’s fulfillment of the necessary requirements for a “birthright transfer” on Thursday.
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20 PLAYERS SWAPPING NATIONS (via Wales Online)
Fiji
- Seta Tamanivalu (New Zealand) – made Fiji debut during last year’s Pacific Nations Cup
Italy
- Dino Lamb (England)
- Paolo Odogwu (England)
