Rugby: Former All Blacks locks Isaac Ross without a club due to strange Higher League citizenship rule

By RugbyPass

The future of rugby in Japan for Isaac Ross, a former All Blacks blocker, is seen further, as a result of an obscure Superior League rule that has cast doubt on the validity of his status as a Japanese citizen.

Despite holding a Japanese passport since 2017, Ross is still considered a foreigner under a Higher League law introduced in 2016 that prohibits foreign players who have obtained Japanese citizenship from being recognized as local players.

Anyone who has played rugby for another country and acquired Japanese citizenship before August 31, 2016 is considered Japanese in the Higher League. However, because Ross obtained Japanese citizenship after that date, his eight test appearances for the All Blacks mean that he is still a foreigner.

Consequently, the old Crusaders, Highlanders and Chiefs lock falls within the Top League foreign quota, part of which limits teams to fielding up to two international foreign players at any one time, and as a result, their NTT team. Communications Shining Arcs has decided not to renew its contract.

However, Japanese passport holders who have not played for another country are not subject to any of these restrictions, which has led to teams including up to 11 foreigners at any one time.

The impact of the constant push into the offshore player market is something Ross has not been immune to, with NTT Communications Shining Arcs hiring World Cup winning Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx and Wallabies playmaker Christian. Lealiifano for the 2020 season.

His additions meant that Ross’s playing time was severely limited earlier this year, as only two of the three foreign test stars were able to take the field at the same time.

Had he been considered a Japanese player, Ross would have been able to play alongside Marx and Lealiifano freely and without restrictions, but the implications of his foreign status now leave him without a club.

“NTT decided not to renew my contract because I am an internationalized foreigner, and they are looking in a different direction, and many other teams have the same mentality,” Ross told RugbyPass.

“However, they have alluded to the fact that … if I were Japanese, and if I could register as a Japanese player, then that’s a completely different ball game.”

Ross revealed that various teams across Japan have expressed interest in signing him for next season, provided the rule is changed to allow him to play as Japanese.

“You don’t want to look for the sad story, these times are difficult for many people, but that is the reality for us. We are no longer hired here in Japan,” he said.

“These guys [the Top League] I have not announced [if] A rule change is going to happen, and if they change, then we will have the ability to stay, but if they don’t, then our journey here in Japan will be over.

“When the rule was initially announced, I appealed the decision and it was rejected.

“We moved on from that, but in the last two years, they have continued to loosen other foreign player regulations while sticking with ours even though it no longer makes sense and infringes on our rights as Japanese.

“We renounced our citizenship of our own countries to become Japanese, and that is probably the most important thing for us,” he said, before adding: “It feels like we are the ones being punished for our loyalty.

“It’s a hard pill to swallow to have to represent your own country and then be punished for your loyalty [to] Japan.”

It is a problem that Deane Kebblewhite, a rugby fan and longtime Japan resident, calls for solved.

Kebblewhite created an online petition for the law, which it described as “discriminatory,” to be repealed earlier this year.

“The reason these guys are allowed to sign is because [they are] ‘currently eligible or future eligible for Japan’, so even if they move here today, they are classified as ‘future eligible’ because they have no limit abroad.

“They definitely add to the quality of the Top League, but most of these guys won’t be here long enough to meet World Rugby’s eligibility requirements.

“It’s all kinds of hypocrisy and discrimination. They are legally Japanese in every way, but the moment they put on that Higher League jersey, they are foreigners again due to a rule made up by the JRFU.”

It remains to be seen whether the Higher League will change the rule or not, with a spokesperson for the Japan Rugby Union telling RugbyPass that the issue is “still under discussion” and that a decision on the ruling will be made at a meeting of the Japan Rugby Union. put together “in due time.”

Regardless, Ross has taken a philosophical approach to what the final stages of his time in Japan might look like.

“If this is the time to end our journey, we feel comfortable with that,” he said.

“Once I was past 30, I was always considering that I was winning the bonus rounds, so each year has been a gift to us. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be here for so long.

“We have always been prepared to move on, nothing is long-term in rugby. We love Japan, we have raised our family here, the children are fully bilingual, and we made a commitment to this country by changing citizenship. Our children recently became granted Japanese citizenship.

“We are trying to give them a chance, potentially, if they want to go back to Japan later in life, they don’t have this problem.”

“At this stage, as an international foreign player, my rugby career in Japan has ended due to the rule. However, I have an incredible opportunity to move on the high seas, so the dream is not over yet.

“But for now, we are just trying to amend a rule so that we, and others like us, who obtain Japanese citizenship and wish to play in Japan at home, will not suffer the consequences after the honor of representing their previous countries to the highest level.

“We hope the JRFU and the Top League see it that way as well.”

This article first appeared on RugbyPass.com and has been republished with permission.