Leinster lock Kane Douglas, who arrived in Dublin earlier this season, has been linked with a move back to Australia to help the Wallabies World Cup bid. The second row is in his first season of a three-year contract.
An article in the Sydney Morning Herald reported that a push has begun to lure the second row back with former Wallaby great Simon Poidevin urging the Australian rugby Union to “re-engineer the return of Douglas who has started in 11 of his 16 games for Leinster.”
Re-engineer refers to the current Australia Rugby Union (ARU) policy of not selecting overseas players for their national squad. Prior to his arrival at Leinster, Douglas played with Australia and the Waratahs, Michael Cheika’s club side before he was promoted to the position of Australian coach.
It is understood that Cheika, also a former Leinster coach, has remained in contact with Douglas since the 25 year-old came to Ireland last year.
Leinster coach Matt O’Connor does not believe the ARU will change their rules regarding selection of overseas players but if they do, there is little Leinster can do to prevent Douglas playing with Australia inside the agreed international windows.
O’Connor added that he expects Douglas to see out the three-year contract he signed with the province at the beginning of this season.
“The world rugby regulations are, if selected by your national team in the international windows the club has to release guys to play,” said O’Connor this morning.
“That hasn’t changed. The ARU policy is that guys who aren’t playing Super Rugby and aren’t on Super Rugby contracts aren’t permitted to play for Australia so unless they change their policy Kane will remain with us for the next couple of seasons.
“I’m sure if they did change the regulations, which is incredibly unlikely, he would play and he would be selected and we would crack on as usual. If a player is selected to play for his nation be it Australia or South Africa or Fiji, there is nothing we can do because that is the word rugby legislation.”
Former Australian prop and Waratahs board member Al Baxter agreed with Poidevin, saying brokering a return of Douglas by the ARU and Waratahs “would be brilliant. I’m not sure how you do that but I’d love to see Kane available for the Wallabies.”
Baxter added that he understood the ARU’s position but wondered how ARU chief executive Bill Pulver will maintain it and still have the best Australian players available. He also said that under Cheika’s development Douglas left Australia as the best lock in the country.
“Changing the ARU policy has massive ramifications for Super Rugby,” said O’Connor, who is a former Australian player.
“Unless a lot of things change it’s not going to happen. He (Douglas) is certainly good enough to play Test rugby and for me he has demonstrated that for the Wallabies over a number of seasons.
“The fact he’s in that conversation means he’s a quality player and will be sorely missed by the Waratahs. But it doesn’t change anything.”
