Former Ireland international Tony Ward is not a fan of the residency rule, and expressed his wish for it to be scrapped entirely in his regular column for Independent.ie.
Ward praised the decision to extend the rule from three years to five years, but still feels it should not exist at all as he wants players to be eligible to play for Ireland by birthplace alone.
Bundee Aki is someone who will stil qualify to represent Ireland in October of this year despite the recent changes, as there will be exemptions for those who were close to eligibility under the three year rule, but there remains doubt over his test future with Ireland.
Aki has openly expressed that it would be wrong to call himself an 'Irishman' as he didn't grow up here, despite fully embracing the culture of Connacht since arriving in 2014, but this 'will he/won't he' situation has sickened Tony Ward, as he believes it is being used to entice him to stay.
Much though I admire Bundee Aki the player, I have found his 'who will I play for?' approach to international rugby puke-inducing.
A handy route to a green jersey should not be used as a carrot to sign a provincial contract - ever.
And with all due respect to Jared Payne, CJ Stander and others of that ilk, criticism of the madcap system that has prevailed up until now is NOT personalised criticism aimed at them.
It's a strong take from Ward, but many will agree with him as the residency rule has split opinion amongst rugby fans in recent times.
He continued to praise the work the IRFU is doing with the 'Irish Qualified' programme, where players with Irish heritage from around the world are being tracked and monitored, but when it comes to the residency rule it is very clear as to where he stands.
