Ulster Team Talk Thread IV... Go On My Henderson...

Paul Smeenus · 16-06-2026 09:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556213#Comment_124556213

There's debates back and forth in loads of spaces online between fans. But Ulster, the IRFU and the press are reporting him as IQ.

I wouldn't have been surprised if Bryn Cunningham and John Petrie made that mistake. If Rory Best and Hugh McCaughey have brought him on board, they'll have been categorically assured by World Rugby he's IQ.

Former Former Former · 16-06-2026 10:54PM

I can't see how Knox is IQ unless I'm missing something.

Subject to Regulation 8.2, a Player may only play for the senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team, the next senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team and the senior National Representative Sevens Team of the Union of the country with which the Player has a genuine, close, credible and established national link in which:

(c) the Player has been registered exclusively with a Union or Rugby Body in the country for sixty months immediately preceding the time of playing;

From my reading, since he didn't play for us before he left Munster, he can't be IQ now?

awec · 16-06-2026 11:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556530#Comment_124556530

From my limited research, he moved to Ireland in 2017 to join the Munster academy. He stayed with Munster until 2023.

The residency / project player rule changed from 3 years to 5 years in 2021.

Based on these dates, he was already IQ before the rule changed. Nothing has happened in the interim to de-qualify him (i.e. no caps anywhere else).

So he remains IQ (and has been IQ since 2020). I am happy to be corrected, but I don't think there's anything in the rules to say you lose eligibility if you leave the country after you become qualified but before you get capped.

I think.

sydthebeat · 16-06-2026 11:30PM

Yeah seems to be pretty straightforward when reading the explanatory notes from world rugby:

How is the criteria at 8.1(c) satisfied?
Regulation 8.1(c) requires a Player to be registered with a Club, Union or Rugby Body for a period of 60 consecutive months immediately preceding the time of playing. There is no requirement for a Player to be remunerated for their participation with the Club, Union or Rugby Body but the player must be registered with that Club, Union or Rugby Body in order to establish eligibility pursuant to Regulation 8.1(c).
Breaks in registration will be dealt with as follows:
• Registration will be automatically broken if the Player registers with, or represents, a Club, Union or Rugby Body in another Union.
• Short administrative gaps in continuous registration may arise, e.g., where a Player transfers between clubs within the same Union or where a registration system automatically terminates registration at the end of a season prior to re-registration at the start of the following season. These types of administrative gaps do not break the Player’s registration. The key element is whether or not the Player has registered with any other Club, Union or Rugby Body. Should any uncertainty exist, a ruling should be sought from the Regulations Committee prior to the selection of the Player to represent the Union.

However there may be a loophole if that language doesn't exist under the previous regulation 8 at the point at which knox became IQ. I don't have access to that previous wording.

awec · 16-06-2026 11:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556615#Comment_124556615

Actually not sure I'm right here either…. confused.

RichieRich_89 · 16-06-2026 11:44PM

Would it come as a shock to anyone if Humphreys greenlit the signing just assuming he was IQ but got it wrong?

RichieRich_89 · 16-06-2026 11:57PM

It's happened before under Humphreys.

Connacht announce signing of "Irish-qualified" Piers O'Conor: https://www.connachtrugby.ie/news/piers-oconor-joins-connacht-rugby/bp3013/#:~:text=Connacht%20Rugby%20are%20delighted%20to,137%20appearances%20and%2035%20tries.

…who turned out not to be IQ after all:

https://www.tiktok.com/@otbrugby/video/7601150075716242710

Paul Smeenus · 17-06-2026 01:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556639#Comment_124556639

Oh that gosh-darn Humphreys! Ooooh he's such a rotter!

Are we under the impression that when a province goes to the IRFU saying "we're signing an IQ front rower as, hopefully, a dependable journeyman", Dave is personally despatched to Google to make sure that's the case and everything is above board? Just so we're clear, what do you think is the minimum reasonable time David Humphreys, Performance Director for the entire IRFU, needs to dedicate to any/every low-tier signing to ensure that everything is exactly as he's been assured it is by his very well-paid workmates?

Is it a day? Is it a week? Is anyone allowed to help him?

Humphreys officially succeeded David Nucifora in June 2024. @RichieRich_89 is terribly cross with him for travelling back in time in his DeLorean and approving the signing of Piers O'Connor in April 2024, presumably explicitly against the wishes of the all-wise, then-responsible David Nucifora, who finished as Perfomance Director on 31st May 2024, and actually had to sign it off.

These are the parties to blame for that mess, in order of culpability.

Connacht Rugby (NB - RichieRich doesn't care)
Daviid Nucifora (NB - RichieRich doesn't care)
DAVID BLOODY HUMPHREYS! (NB - RichieRich: Yes! And to hell with your old-fashioned concept of linear time!!)

Jesus Christos.

RichieRich_89 · 17-06-2026 01:44AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556743#Comment_124556743

😂

Relax there, chief. I was thinking Nucifora finished up after the last World Cup instead of after the last Olympics.

The Performance Director is ultimately responsible for all contracts, so of course a mistake of this nature would be on whoever it is at the time.

Former Former Former · 17-06-2026 02:55AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556616#Comment_124556616

Well, Ulster's announcement refers to him as "Irish-Qualified through residency" so maybe there's some angle we're not seeing, but I don't understand how that can be the case

FtD v2 · 17-06-2026 06:41AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556616#Comment_124556616

I read that piece on the broken registration as if it happened within the 60 months?

If you think of it - we could have capped him or picked him while he was playing for Bourgoin or Nevers? Once he became IQ (which it seems he did) he was still permitted to move surely and retain eligibility?

The complication in the language is the “immediately preceding” bit I guess.

sydthebeat · 17-06-2026 06:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556854#Comment_124556854

Yeah I don't think there's any question around whether he became IQ before the change to the regulation, it's around whether that eligibility remains valid if the player registers with another union.

The closest example of knox case that I can think of is the fakatava case. If the argument is that once you're eligible you're always eligible, then the fakatava case wouldn't have happened. As it DID happen, doesn't that mean that you lose eligibility??

Either way, I would be highly surprised if ulster and the IRFU haven't gotten a clear indication on this from world rugby one way or the other, and the move to happen or not based on that advice.

Paul Smeenus · 17-06-2026 08:26AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556755#Comment_124556755

Unless the Performance Director is David Nucifora, in which case its on... <checks notes>... David Humphreys.

OldRio · 17-06-2026 08:58AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556941#Comment_124556941

David, sorry Paul relax.

FtD v2 · 17-06-2026 09:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556858#Comment_124556858

Wasn't the argument the NZRFU made though in the Fakatava case that "once you became eligible you don't lose that eligibility" - unless of course you play for someone else etc?

Paul Smeenus · 17-06-2026 09:45AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124556991#Comment_124556991

Just getting frustrated by the tide of forum histrionics - and easily verifiable inaccuracies - about the man. It's going to swamp this place, especially if Leinster don't win the URC.

I have no doubt in six months this forum will have placed him firmly both at the head of Cromwell's army and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

sydthebeat · 17-06-2026 10:02AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124557007#Comment_124557007

that was part of it, well the main crux of it, but there were other arguing points as well.

IIRC the argument was around the fact that that Fakatava became eligible before the regulations changed to 5 years, but as he hadnt played for the ABs by the time of the regulation change, he lost eligibility, which he did.

NZRU players association argued successfully that as there was no NZ games scheduled between the time he became eligible, in late 2020, to when the regs changed, plus his hamstring injury that season ruling him out of any possible games, that he was unfairly screwed over by the regulation change. They argued that 'once eligible, then always eligible unless you play for another nation'

The fact though that the had to bring that case forward to WR does show however that eligibility was lost.

It was reported after the case that Fakatavas eligibility was 'restored' which indicates something lost but gained again.

Maybe WR sent out something to all unions after this to clarify that that eligibility unde rthe old regs would remain, i dont know.

Ive seen some people try to equate it to the Meafou case, which wasnt successful, but i think that is disingenuous as Meafou hadnt completed the requisite 3 years before 31 Dec 2020.

FtD v2 · 17-06-2026 10:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124557119#Comment_124557119

There does seem to have been some sort of World Rugby update on this aspect in August 2024:

https://www.world.rugby/news/950466/amendment-to-world-rugby-regulation-8-national-team-eligibility-from-1-august-2024

But it's still not very clear.

Even from a fresh read of the guidance to Reg 8 I still can't see definitively how they're hoping to claim this, but would imagine Ulster/IRFU have made some sort of approach to World Rugby around this.

sydthebeat · 17-06-2026 10:26AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124557145#Comment_124557145

i guess by reading that Knox clearly fulfilled the 60 month residency period and hasnt played for another nation, therefore its as simple as he is eligible under the regs that exist currently.

The problem is the wording of reg 8 which says "immediately" preceding the player playing for the nation.

Knox has 6 years unbroken (72 months) residency, just not immediate to playing for ireland, should he be selected.

OldRio · 17-06-2026 10:28AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124557084#Comment_124557084

Haha. I understand where you are coming from.

Pete_Cavan · 17-06-2026 08:46PM

Right now, isn't this only an internal rule imposed by the IRFU on themselves (i.e. who they will allow their provence s to sign)? If they decide he can play for Ulster, isn't that what matters as there are no WR rules against him playing for Ulster.

Obviously the WR qualification rules come into play if AF decides he wants Knox to play for Ireland. I can't see him being considered by AF ahead of the WC and after the WC, he's probably too old to be considered for building towards the next WC (assuming he is even remotely good enough).

FtD v2 · 18-06-2026 09:04AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124558660#Comment_124558660

I dunno if he'd be too old post the RWC, he'd be turning 29 that season. That's plenty of time to be there for another full cycle if he was good enough.

TBH - with the age profile of Furlong & Bealham, and the injury profile of both, if he shows up well for Ulster next season, it's not necessarily the case he couldn't make the '27 RWC either. Have heard decent to good things about his scrummaging over the past season or two, so will be interesting to see how he goes.

awec · 18-06-2026 10:35AM

29 is like prime time for a prop.

He would need to have an unbelievable season to get himself anywhere near Ireland contention though. I don't see us bring any new caps to the RWC so he'd need to be so good he's getting into Ireland squads in November and the 6N.

A big ask.

FtD v2 · 19-06-2026 09:28AM

Mahon Ronan, a lock, who was announced as being cut from Leinster’s Academy a few weeks back is joining Ulster’s Academy as a Yr 2 player.

He’s a good abrasive player. Played really well against Ulster A (which probably put him on the radar here), maybe lacking a little bit of height to be an elite lock (he’s around 6ft 5ins) but think he could still be a very good player for Ulster in time.

Paul Smeenus · 19-06-2026 10:07AM

The Academy is announced -

Year 1: Tyrese Abolarin (Prop), Blake McLean (Prop), Connor McVicker (Scrum-Half), Charlie O’Connor (Fly-Half), Tom Bell (Back), Jed Findlay (Back)

Year 2: Josh Gibson (Back), Rynard Gordon (Back), Daniel Green (Back), Flynn Longstaff (Prop), Connor Magee (Hooker), Ronan Mahon (Lock), Tom McAllister (Prop), Paddy Woods (Lock)

Year 3: Clark Logan (Scrum-Half), James McKillop (Forward), Jonny Scott (Centre/ Wing)

Year 4: Jacob Boyd (Prop), Tom Brigg (Back Row)

McVicker is obviously the most exciting prospect. What I'm astonished about is no Owen O'Kane, who I watched starting for the A team and was better than James Humphreys.

Locke_Lamora · 19-06-2026 10:37AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124562647#Comment_124562647

Had to google Jed Findlay - played u20's with Scotland, part of Exeter Chiefs academy. With Rynard Gordon brought in last year as well, we are clearly looking elsewhere for back three players right now.

Same with 2nd rows - Mahon Ronan goes straight into year 2 after leaving the Leinster setup along with Paddy Woods.

Ulster Team Talk Thread IV... Go On My Henderson...

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