Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Ben James

World Rugby chief controversially calls for Ireland star to complain about being dropped from World Cup squad

World Rugby vice president Agustin Pichot has caused another stir after claiming Ireland lock Devin Toner should complain to the governing body after being dropped ahead of the World Cup.

The Leinster second-row missed out on selection for Joe Schmidt's World Cup squad - with Munster's South African-born Jean Kleyn, who qualified on residency, travelling to Japan ahead of him.

Pichot has been one of the loudest critics of the three-year residency rule and was quick to express his thoughts on the matter once Toner had been excluded from the Ireland squad.

Having initially tweeted the wrong name, calling Toner David instead of Devin, Pichot tweeted: "If I was Devin Toner... I will be asking WR for answers.

"I feel sorry for him; nothing against for who was properly selected for the RWC19 by the way. But feel that way."

Many people have been critical of the former Argentina scrum-half, questioning whether someone so high up in the World Rugby hierarchy should be posting such thoughts.

This isn't the first time Pichot has ruffled feathers with his outspoken views.

Wales announce 2019 Rugby World Cup squad

Just last week, he slammed the 'ridiculous' world rankings system that had allowed Wales to usurp New Zealand at the summit - despite not beating them since the introduction of the rankings in 2003.

And last year, he drew the ire of Twitter with his views on foreign-born players - posting a list of foreign-born players in every nation.

However, many suggested the figures were misleading and that Pichot should resign from his position at World Rugby.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.