Ex-Wallabies coach calls for change to 60-cap rule

Cape Town - Rugby World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer believes the Wallabies should change their 60-cap rule for overseas-based players in order to be more competitive. 

This comes amid growing pessimism around Australia's Japan 2019 Rugby World Cup hopes after they signed off their worst season in 60 years with a drubbing at the hands of England at Twickenham on Saturday. 

A number of capped Wallabies ply their trade overseas but are ineligible because they have not played 60 or more times for Australia, something which Dwyer feels is hindering the progress of the national team. 

“We’re not that well off in depth that we can afford to lose top line players,” Dwyer, who guided the Wallabies to their first World Cup triumph in 1991, told Australian Associated Press. 

“We probably need to look hard at who we can pick who is not playing in Australia, I know at the moment we’ve got the 60-test rule. 

“For me, we can change that any time we want to.” 

Indeed, it would open the Wallabies' talent pool significantly as players such as Japan-based loose forward Sean McMahon and Saracens' Will Skelton would come back in to contention.