Gateshead Thunder's new Australian recruits Kris Kahler, Nick Youngquest and Paul Franze have been cleared to face St Helens in the Carnegie Challenge Cup quarter-final, despite playing for French club Pia in an earlier round. www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... shead.html

Gateshead Thunder's new Australian recruits Kris Kahler, Nick Youngquest and Paul Franze have been cleared to face St Helens in the Carnegie Challenge Cup quarter-final, despite playing for French club Pia in an earlier round. www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... shead.html

Strange rules indeed ... not a surprise considering we are dealing with the RFL.

And here are the rules ....

B4:8 In respect of any Club playing in any Round of the Cup upto and including Round 5, only
players who are correctly registered and eligible to play for that Club under the Rules of
the Competition in which that Club usually competes are eligible to play for that Club in a
Cup Tie.
B4:9 Only Players on the Register of that Club at the close of RFL business on the Monday
immediately prior to the Quarter Finals of the Cup shall be eligible to play in any Quarter
Final, Semi Final or Final Tie.
B4:10 A player who plays for one Member Club in the Cup cannot, in that same Season, play
for another Club in the Cup.

Seems that there's a loop-hole in rule B4.10 in that Pia is not a "Member Club". Interestingly, the expression "Member Club" appears nowhere else. The rule is designed so that somebody who plays for an amateur club isn't later prevented from playing for a professional club. Whether or not you agree with that as a principle, I'm not that sure that a player from a French club should be granted that concession.

No they shouldn't.

I'm almost certain we couldn't play Rob Worrincy one year because he'd already played for Leeds Met Uni in the earlier rounds.

Yeh mate but Leeds met ain't French or Welsh are they? so no rule bending there then eh ?

The Club benefitting though is an English Club (rather than a French or Welsh one).

I still think it's nonsense though.

Amended for you.

Sacrificed for Hull just as Sheffield were for Huddersfield.

As far as i'm aware apparantly its because UTC are not a member of the RFL which seems pants to me.

No, it's Pia which is the Club involved. To me they have played in the competition - end of!