Strongman Queensland prop Massimo De Lutiis was the latest Aussie to be targeted by a rival union – with Ireland and Ulster seeking to take advantage of the 22-year-old qualifying for Ireland through his grandmother.<\/p>\n
Watch the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season with every match streaming live and on demand<\/strong><\/em> on the home of rugby, Stan Sport<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Melbourne product Sione Tuipulotu is now captaining Scotland, Canberra's Mack Hansen is a star for Ireland\ufeff, Louis Lynagh is lighting up the Six Nations for Italy and giant Emmanuel Meafou has long been locking powerful France scrums.<\/p>\n The Sydney Morning Herald reported<\/a> there are currently 30 Australian players aged between 17 and 23 in French academies, including star NRL target Heinz Lemoto.\ufeff<\/p>\n "World Rugby and I are very passionate about this issue and the importance of supporting the foundations of the game at a school, at a club, at a community level, and how that flows through into the system to support international rugby," Robinson told WWOS at the Hong Kong Sevens.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Chiefs fume at Johnston for breaking bogus signing news\ufeff<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Tigers insiders 'aren't concerned' with Luai's Chiefs move\ufeff<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Football world in awe of one of the greatest games ever\ufeff<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n "And we have to, as a game, be very respectful of that system because it underpins everything we do."<\/p>\n Robinson said he had held some "wonderful meetings" in February and March with the French Rugby Federation\ufeff and the National Rugby League, which manages France's professional clubs.<\/p>\n "And (French chairman) Florian Grill absolutely believes it's a significant issue for us collectively to tackle, and the LNR (La Ligue Nationale de Rugby) actually understand it's an issue that we need to tackle together.<\/p>\n https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/between-two-posts-1\/super-round-special\/embed?style=Cover&media=Audio&size=Wide<\/a><\/p>\n "So there's some open minds, and currently we are kicking off as a part of the new strategic planning process, the review of regulation 4 and 5. To investigate the mechanism, the friction costs, and how do we properly compensate for players that are developed in other countries.<\/p>\n "And probably the other bigger issue for us as a game is this ever increasing focus on underage athletes who are at school or school age, and those athletes being taken away from their families and to other countries.<\/p>\n "It's something that we all are collectively and ethically connected to… are well aware of, and as a part of our review, we're really now going to look to take those things head on."<\/p>\n The issue has been bubbling away for 12 months since RA chairman Daniel Herbert complained to World Rugby<\/a> about cashed up French clubs poaching teenage talent after losing a battle for giant Reds forward Visesio Kite.<\/p>\n The 204cm, 147kg Kite starred for Queensland and Australia at under-16s level before opting to move to France in February to take up a contract with La Rochelle.<\/p>\n "Our view is that France has the ability to produce its own players. They don't need to come and talk to our player agents to try and poach ours at a very young age," Herbert said.<\/p>\n "A population of 70 million, without the major competition that we have in other markets, doesn't need to go to other markets to try and poach players. So it's a live discussion with World Rugby at the moment."<\/p>\n RA want World Rugby to beef up its rules in line with football's robust world transfer market.<\/p>\n \ufeff"We do have a regulation. It's just that it doesn't really have the teeth that it needs to have to properly do what it'it's meant to achieve," Robinson said.<\/p>\n "So that's something that everyone acknowledges, and we are – through Yvonne Nolan, who is our chief regulatory officer at World Rugby _ we're kicking off a project which Rugby Australia will be in the middle of. So tell Herbie (Herbert) it's on the agenda."<\/p>\n Sam Worthington travelled to the 2026 Hong Kong Sevens \ufeffthanks to the<\/strong><\/em> Hong Kong Tourism Board<\/strong><\/em><\/a> and<\/strong><\/em> Cathay Pacific<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n