Players can now play for a second Test nation if they have “a close and credible link to that union via birth-right,” according to a January 2022 amendment to rugby’s eligibility rules approved by World Rugby.
We look at 15 other players who could make the same change in the year of the tournament, in addition to Charles Piutau, Jack Dempsey, Fritz Lee, Steven Luatua, Israel Folau, and George Moala.
Before we get to the players, let’s go over how a player would move from one Test nation to another under the new regulation 8 of World Rugby.
For a period of 36 months, the player must withdraw from international rugby.
The player must either have a parent or grandparent who was born in the nation to which they want to move.
A player can only change union once under the revised Regulation 8 criteria, and the World Rugby Regulations Committee must approve each case to maintain integrity.
For instance, Piutau fulfilled these requirements by playing nine Test matches for New Zealand from 2013 to 2015. However, he only played Test rugby once more when he made his Tonga debut in 2022.
Piutau is qualified to represent Ikale Tahi because he was born in New Zealand, but his parents were born in Tonga.
Before naming his 2022 Six Nations squad, Italy head coach Kieran Crowley spoke with Saracens back Lozowski, but the player ultimately decided not to switch teams before the tournament.
The 29-year-old has played multiple times for Britain, acquiring the remainder of his Test covers in 2018. Through his Italian grandparent, he is eligible to move to Italy.
Although Lozowski declined Italy in 2022, the team’s upward trajectory and the possibility of participating in a World Cup may sway his decision. The Italian team would really benefit from his quality and versatility.
Cooney has played for Ireland, his home country, 11 times, his most recent appearance being in the defeat to England in the 2020 Six Nations.
He can switch from Ireland to Scotland on February 23 of next year, meaning he won’t play in the first two rounds of the competition but will play against Ireland and Italy and make his debut against France.
When he appeared on the BBC’s Ulster Rugby Show earlier this year, the 32-year-old did not rule out the possibility of making the switch, stating: My dad is a proud Scotsman, and half of my family lives in Scotland. In terms of the contract and such, I must ensure that everything is in order with Ulster.
Ardie Savea won the All Blacks player of the year award in 2022 for his efforts, but Julian Savea has not represented New Zealand since the British and Irish Lions series in 2017.
While Savea served in Toulon’s testing program, he appeared to be back playing his best rugby for the Hurricanes this year. However, his performance was insufficient to persuade the All Blacks coaches that he deserved to play in the Test.
Savea is eligible to move to Samoa through his parents after scoring 46 tries on 54 All Blacks appearances.
Parra has played in 71 Test matches for Les Bleus, three Rugby World Cups, and 71 Test matches for France. He also may play in a fourth World Cup for Portugal.
Due to his Portuguese father, Antonio, he could switch to the Os Lobos after playing the final Test match during the 2019 World Cup.
The 34-year-old did quit playing international rugby, but again, the prospect of participating in a second Rugby World Cup—Portugal’s first since 2007—could tempt him out of retirement.