South Africa’s rugby team, the Springboks, have selected former Ireland international Jean Kleyn for their squad after a change in eligibility laws. Kleyn, who was born and raised in South Africa but qualified for Ireland through residency, earned five Test caps for his adopted country in 2019. However, he hasn’t been selected for the national side since then, despite performing well for Munster. After returning to South Africa, Kleyn was named as the 41st member of the Springboks’ Rugby Championship training squad, pending approval from World Rugby on an application filed by SA Rugby regarding his eligibility.
In January 2022, a change in rugby’s eligibility laws came into effect after being approved by World Rugby’s members. Under the new rules, players can represent a second Test nation if they have a “close and credible link to that union via birth-right.” In Kleyn’s case, he became eligible to play for South Africa again after a three-year stand-down period from international rugby with Ireland. Despite voting against the change in eligibility laws, South Africa decided to take advantage of it to strengthen their squad. Rassie Erasmus, the boss of the Springboks, explained that they had been monitoring Kleyn and immediately put him on their radar when they saw the regulation change.
Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber had worked closely with Kleyn during their time at Munster. The 29-year-old lock had an impressive season with the province, featuring in all of their United Rugby Championship matches, including their victorious final against the Stormers. Erasmus highlighted Kleyn’s physicality and familiarity with the South African structures and players as reasons for his selection. He also mentioned the need for additional depth in the lock position, citing previous instances where injuries affected their performance in important matches. With Kleyn joining locks like RG Snyman, Marvin Orie, Franco Mostert, and Lood de Jager, the Springboks’ squad has been bolstered.
Kleyn expressed his excitement about being called up to the Springboks squad in an interview with Afrikaans newspaper Rapport. He described it as an overwhelming opportunity and an honor he never expected to receive. Kleyn is not the only player who has taken advantage of the change in eligibility laws. Other players like Charles Piutau, Israel Folau, George Moala, Vaea Fifitia, and Jack Dempsey have returned to international rugby with their respective countries or made switches to other nations.
It’s worth noting that Rassie Erasmus remains tight-lipped over Johnny Sexton’s misconduct.
