Grannygate
From Free net encyclopedia
Grannygate was a scandal in rugby union over the eligibility of international players in March 2000.
The players involved were:
- Shane Howarth former New Zealand fly-half who played for Wales despite being ineligible.
- Brett Sinkinson, New Zealand born Welsh player, who later revealed his grandfather Sydney Sinkinson was born in Oldham in England instead of Camarthen in Wales as had previously been indicated by him.
- Colin Charvis, English born Welsh player of Jamaican (?) descent who played for Swansea RFC
The IRB later changed the eligibility rules so that a player could only play for one country. This led to problems with the Pacific Islanders and the All Blacks, who had previously treated one another's players as interchangeable. (New Zealander Stephen Bachop, for example, played for Samoa in the 1991 World Cup before becoming an All Black, but later switched back to Samoa).
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