Protectionist comments from France could set dangerous rugby precedent

Would you be happier if CJ Stander had his Irish passport next time he was making a ball carry? Would it ease your mind more as Jared Payne set himself up for a tackle that he had a gold harp on his passport?

Most rugby fans would not give a tap but others would loudly claim that Ireland players need to be Irish. The World Rugby three-year residency rule is now a major topic of conversation. It has been in heavy practice for about a decade now but World Rugby vice president Augustin Pichot is hoping to have it reviewed. Pichot is not a fan of countries calling on naturalised players while others, such as Brian O'Driscoll, want the rule switched to five years. Others, like the IRFU, are keen for the status quo to remain. One person keen to take control of his own country's fortunes is French head coach Guy Noves. The former Toulouse coach, in an interview with Midi Olympique, broached the subject of selecting only French nationals from now on. Noves touched upon comments from Serge Simon, vice president of the French Federation of Rugby, about revitalising the national team by cutting down, and eventually out, non nationals. Noves comments:

'Serge Simon presented the idea to me - From now on, all players who are not French nationals will no longer be able to play for France. Quite simply, you will need to have the French passport to be selected.'

Noves appears to be in agreement with the new direction. Simon's comments are in line with Bernard Laporte, the new FFR president, but this should only be for foreign players not already capped by France. In France's extended squad, named for the November internationals, there were a number of players included that were allowed to play under the current residency rules - Scott Spedding, Noa Nakaitaci, Sébastien Vahaamahina and Virimi Vakatawa. In keeping with this new thinking, the FFR will hope to limit imports to Top 14 sides in the coming years. France national team for French passport holders. Would you be in favour of the IRFU following suit?