France tightens up Academy qualification rule to favour more local players

The Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) have ruled that foreign players signed to youth contracts will no longer be considered as JIFF players from next season.

JIFF players – joueurs issus des filières de formation, otherwise known as academy-trained players – are required to have either been registered with the FFR for five years by the age of 23, or to have spent three years in an FFR-approved training centre by 21.

Each team last season was required to have 55 percent of their matchday squad (12 out of 23) made up of JIFF players.

However the law change now means that the number of young French players featuring on a regular basis is set for a substantial increase, with those young players from overseas now set to be listed as foreigners rather than JIFF players from 2017, according to Midi Olympique.

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/major-rule-change-in-top-14-regarding-young-players/

Has anyone heard if this is an enforceable law or will they tie financial payments to it?

I know UK is leaving the EU but British players could sue on the right to work until such time the situation changes.

Are the financial payments coming from the FFR high enough to have any effect?

I remember they have been saying they will limit the numbers of imports for about th elast 10 years but never seam to follow through, this time I think they will.

The Jiff regulations will have a big impact in Europe, not just France.

French teams may not dominate the H-cup from next season on.

But in the shorter term for fans of non Top 14 teams, it means there are going to be a lot of Non Jiff players released from their clubs next season and will become available for us to snap up.

Most will go to England, but I expect that the Pro 12 teams will be able to up the standard of their N/SIWI/Q players.

Look at Montpellier's 38 man squad
15 French 23 Non-French (some of these may count, but its only an example)

From next year they will need 12 French in a 23 match day squad so will really need more French players, and will have to release a lot of the Non French players.

If 14 teams have to do this, some more than others, it will result in a number of good (the clubs will keep the best) Non Jiff players being made available, and since there will be a lot of them, it means their value will have decreased.

I fully expect, that the standard of N/SWII/Q players in the Pro 12 next year to increase.

The players don't have to be French they just have to have been developed in the French system. Expect the French clubs to start looking to nick promising youngsters in order to get them in to the system early enough for them to count as French developed.

Just have a look at what the French clubs are doing, it's disgusting:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/fiji/11854929/Rugby-uncovered-Despicable-abuse-of-young-Pacific-talent-is-huge-stain-on-game.html

http://www.rugby365.com/article/61082-brive-set-up-shop-in-fiji

In fact, just put this in and take a long look at all the stories, some of these are quite disturbing:-

https://www.google.nl/?ion=1&espv=2#q=french+rugby+academy+fiji

formerly known as Sam wrote:The players don't have to be French they just have to have been developed in the French system. Expect the French clubs to start looking to nick promising youngsters in order to get them in to the system early enough for them to count as French developed.

That was the old rule. The new proposal is for young foreigners to not count as JIFF anymore. In which case no more incentive to bring young Fijians, Georgians etc
The JIFF quota is sort of in a grey area as far as EU rules are concerned as despite this being a barrier for other EU citizens it is also seen as a protection of locally bred players (a sort of cultural exception like others in a way).

LordDowlais wrote:Just have a look at what the French clubs are doing, it's disgusting:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/fiji/11854929/Rugby-uncovered-Despicable-abuse-of-young-Pacific-talent-is-huge-stain-on-game.html

http://www.rugby365.com/article/61082-brive-set-up-shop-in-fiji

In fact, just put this in and take a long look at all the stories, some of these are quite disturbing:-

https://www.google.nl/?ion=1&espv=2#q=french+rugby+academy+fiji

LD, do you read the Daily Mail?

whocares wrote:

formerly known as Sam wrote:The players don't have to be French they just have to have been developed in the French system. Expect the French clubs to start looking to nick promising youngsters in order to get them in to the system early enough for them to count as French developed.

That was the old rule. The new proposal is for young foreigners to not count as JIFF anymore. In which case no more incentive to bring young Fijians, Georgians etc
The JIFF quota is sort of in a grey area as far as EU rules are concerned as despite this being a barrier for other EU citizens it is also seen as a protection of locally bred players (a sort of cultural exception like others in a way).

Good luck defending that position from legal challenges. Once you start differentiating players by their nation that's not going to go well.

Well cultural exeption has been a way to defend many things from cheese to French music and movie production on French medias but agree that extending that to French rugby players is a bit of stretch. Could have been challenged before anyway, don't think anyone outside France and Boujellal would do it though.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

whocares wrote:

formerly known as Sam wrote:The players don't have to be French they just have to have been developed in the French system. Expect the French clubs to start looking to nick promising youngsters in order to get them in to the system early enough for them to count as French developed.

That was the old rule. The new proposal is for young foreigners to not count as JIFF anymore. In which case no more incentive to bring young Fijians, Georgians etc
The JIFF quota is sort of in a grey area as far as EU rules are concerned as despite this being a barrier for other EU citizens it is also seen as a protection of locally bred players (a sort of cultural exception like others in a way).

Good luck defending that position from legal challenges. Once you start differentiating players by their nation that's not going to go well.

Isn't that what the English clubs are doing?

profitius wrote:

formerly known as Sam wrote:

whocares wrote:

formerly known as Sam wrote:The players don't have to be French they just have to have been developed in the French system. Expect the French clubs to start looking to nick promising youngsters in order to get them in to the system early enough for them to count as French developed.

That was the old rule. The new proposal is for young foreigners to not count as JIFF anymore. In which case no more incentive to bring young Fijians, Georgians etc
The JIFF quota is sort of in a grey area as far as EU rules are concerned as despite this being a barrier for other EU citizens it is also seen as a protection of locally bred players (a sort of cultural exception like others in a way).

Good luck defending that position from legal challenges. Once you start differentiating players by their nation that's not going to go well.

Isn't that what the English clubs are doing?

The RFU financially incentive selection of EQ and inclusion of EQ youngsters but there's no restrictions if you didn't want the free money or extra salary cap space.

Well, how do all the other teams outside England and France get away with it?

formerly known as Sam wrote:

whocares wrote:

formerly known as Sam wrote:The players don't have to be French they just have to have been developed in the French system. Expect the French clubs to start looking to nick promising youngsters in order to get them in to the system early enough for them to count as French developed.

That was the old rule. The new proposal is for young foreigners to not count as JIFF anymore. In which case no more incentive to bring young Fijians, Georgians etc
The JIFF quota is sort of in a grey area as far as EU rules are concerned as despite this being a barrier for other EU citizens it is also seen as a protection of locally bred players (a sort of cultural exception like others in a way).

Good luck defending that position from legal challenges. Once you start differentiating players by their nation that's not going to go well.

Both Fiji and Georgia are outside the EU so they can be legally 'discriminated' against unless they have an EU passport.

formerly known as Sam wrote:
The RFU financially incentive selection of EQ and inclusion of EQ youngsters but there's no restrictions if you didn't want the free money or extra salary cap space.

Which is exactly how the JIFF system works.

So this talk of Montpellier having to get rid of players etc. rather misses the point. Clubs can employ who they like, but they will just forgo a payment if they do so.

Maybe not the best source
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/international-rugby/neil-francis-french-quota-system-to-shake-up-game-in-europe-34363116.html

But rather than the carrot of the English System, it appears they are waving the stick

"Next year it will be 14 French nationals in a squad of 23. Huge fines for non-compliance and the threat to go to 16 is being proposed."

Kingshu wrote:Maybe not the best source
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/international-rugby/neil-francis-french-quota-system-to-shake-up-game-in-europe-34363116.html

But rather than the carrot of the English System, it appears they are waving the stick

"Next year it will be 14 French nationals in a squad of 23. Huge fines for non-compliance and the threat to go to 16 is being proposed."

I think that contravenes European law though. EU and Kolpak players can't be discriminated against. What the FFR are effectively proposing is a "tariff on imports", which is not promoting the free movement of labour - as clubs are fined. I can see a legal challenge forthcoming if they try to impose a fine, especially if they a team were to have (say) 12 French nationals and 2 Italians.

Kingshu wrote:Maybe not the best source
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/international-rugby/neil-francis-french-quota-system-to-shake-up-game-in-europe-34363116.html

But rather than the carrot of the English System, it appears they are waving the stick

"Next year it will be 14 French nationals in a squad of 23. Huge fines for non-compliance and the threat to go to 16 is being proposed."

Not really.

The RFU call it a payment. PRL get money for meeting the figures.

LNR get the money regardless and then get it called back as 'a fine'.

It's exactly the same system once it washes out.

If you want further evidence on this, look at how Wasps lost out on £380,000 as they failed to meet their England qualified player target.

those new JIFF rules are part of the new convention signed between the FFR and the LNR till 2020. Amongst other things you will have :
- the creation of a new "Elite" French players list (30) which will not be allowed to play 8 weeks in a row during the summer break and will be made available for French training session twice a year. Noves will also be able to call his Internationals 2 weeks prior the AIs and 6Ns instead of 1 now
- the creation of a new "development "list with constraints similar to the ones above. mainly composed of U23 players who do not get much game time anyway (or in pro d2 teams), not sure if this mean that France will have a A team again.
- only one team from the T14 will get automatically relegated from 17/18 onwards. the club ranked 13th will have a play off game with the 2nd of the pro d2 (or rather losing finalist).
- whilst the LNR will still pay 6 M€ to the FFR during that period (TV rights) they will also receive 3.3M€ from the FFR to compensate clubs who have "elite" players In their team for the longer period spent with the national team. so In effect that's 2.7M€ more for the LNR compared to the previous budget. am not entirely sure but think those clubs will also have a bigger salary cap to spend.

you can tell there is a FFR election coming up soon!

whocares wrote:those new JIFF rules are part of the new convention signed between the FFR and the LNR till 2020. Amongst other things you will have :
- the creation of a new "Elite" French players list (30) which will not be allowed to play 8 weeks in a row during the summer break and will be made available for French training session twice a year. Noves will also be able to call his Internationals 2 weeks prior the AIs and 6Ns instead of 1 now
-  the creation of a new "development "list with constraints similar to the ones above. mainly composed of U23 players who do not get much game time anyway (or in pro d2 teams), not sure if this mean that France will have a A team again.
-  only one team from the T14 will get automatically relegated from 17/18 onwards. the club ranked 13th will have a play off game with the 2nd of the pro d2 (or rather losing finalist).
- whilst the LNR will still pay 6 M€ to the FFR during that period (TV rights) they will also receive 3.3M€ from the FFR to compensate clubs who have "elite" players In their team for the longer period spent with the national team. so In effect that's 2.7M€ more for the LNR compared to the previous budget. am not entirely sure but think those clubs will also have a bigger salary cap to spend.

you can tell there is a FFR election coming up soon!

And LNR get €1300 per day per player for the 120 days of the year the Elite will be with Noves.