A former Canada Test player will qualify to play for the Springboks later this year.
Sharks scrumhalf Ross Braude, who earned 14 Test caps for Canada, becomes eligible for South Africa again in September under World Rugby’s Regulation 8, which allows a player to switch countries after a stand-down period of 36 months, provided they qualify by birth or direct ancestry.
“I regret pulling the Canadian jersey over my head, because it was never my dream to play for them,” the 26-year-old admitted to Rapport.
“It started to eat away at me more and more that I had always wanted to be a Springbok,” Braude said. “When that rule came out, I told my agent I had to come back to South Africa.”
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Braude starred for the Pumas in the Currie Cup last year before being signed by the Sharks where he has featured in the Investec Champions Cup and Vodacom URC.
Lock Jean Kleyn became the first South African to switch nationalities under Regulation 8 when he swopped Ireland for the Boks in 2023.
Braude was included in the Junior Boks squad in 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. With limited opportunities during lockdown, he opted to go abroad and played for the Toronto Arrows before making his Test debut for Canada, for whom he qualified through his father.
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“It was like a lifeline to keep playing rugby. It was an incredibly difficult decision and when I made that decision, I knew I was sacrificing my chance to become a Springbok,” he said.
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
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