Australia’s overseas-based rugby players will have to put country over money if they want to play in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie said he would not consider for World Cup duties any player who was not signed with a Super Rugby club from the start of the 2015 season.

Georgina Robinson – Sydney Morning Herald

This will force many Europe or Asia-based players to decide whether to return to Australia midway through the year because of the mismatch between the northern and southern hemisphere seasons.

Country comes first: Berrick Barnes, Digby Ioane, James O’Connor and Drew Mitchell will need to return to an Australian Super Rugby team to be in World Cup contention

Anyone who’s not in Australia playing Super Rugby, they have to get into a Super franchise by the end of next year,” McKenzie said. “We’ve advertised that fact pretty well, so guys now understand that if you’re not running around in Super Rugby in 2015 you won’t be in the World Cup.”

His hardline stance came the same day the Wallabies learnt they would play England and Wales at Twickenham in the final two fixtures of the pool stages, and just four days before second-rower Sitaleki Timani parts ways with the Wallabies to join French Top 14 club Montpellier.

It would appear to rule out a George Smith-like mid-season return. The now 111-Test Wallaby rejoined the Brumbies in March and went on to play in the Test series against the Lions.

It would also affect many former Test players based overseas, including Digby Ioane (France), Berrick Barnes (Japan), James O’Connor (England) and Drew Mitchell (France).

“You can’t have guys cherry-picking their way through and grabbing all the trinkets along the way, you’ve actually got to make a commitment,” McKenzie said. “We need people to invest in Australian rugby, so they’re around promoting the game, pressing the flesh, doing the coaching clinics, developing the game on and off the field.”

“We as a union need to invest in those people. Guys who aren’t in Australia are obviously doing other things; that’s their decision, and if they want to come back and represent their country then they have to fit in with the program.”

Former Test halfback Luke Burgess was released early from his contract with Toulouse this year and joined the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the Super Rugby season, but did not gain Test selection for the Lions series.

South Africa have a different system. Their players may take up contracts in Europe and Asia while remaining eligible for Tests. Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer picked several overseas-based players this year, including Bryan Habana (France), Bakkies Botha (France), Francois Louw (England) and Morne Steyn (France).

McKenzie backed the Australian Rugby Union’s stance on the issue, which stipulates that a player must be contracted in Australia to play for the Wallabies.

“In the end, you want committed blokes,” he said.