Players may now be able to switch nationalities thanks to 7's addition to the Olympics

Following rugby's addition to the Olympics and the requirement to hold a passport of the nation you are competing for there, it is leading to some changes that could potentially see some players now able to switch nationalities through 7's.

Under Olympic eligibility rules, all players must carry a passport for that nation. This means that for 7's, a player may be left without being eligible to play for any nation at the Olympics.

Frank Halai would have been
unable to play Olympic 7's for
either New Zealand or Tonga 

Frank Halai or Luke Hume for instance, couldn't play for New Zealand or USA 7's as they don't carry a passport. However they are both fully capped, also meaning they are ineligible to play for other nations as well, leaving them unable to play for any 7's team.

That is seen as unfair on those players, unable to play for anyone based on decisions made whilst unaware of the Olympic eligibility criteria would be coming in.

So in the run up to the Olympics in the next 7's World Series, if a player hasn't played for an eligibility locking team (which would be a either a XV's or 7's national or designated "A" team) for a period 18 months there is potential they could switch nation, provided they have a passport for that nation and are named in a 7's squad.

If a player then switches nation of their 7's squad, to prevent the absurd possibility of a player potentially playing for different national teams at XV's and 7's then the eligibility for XV's is also switched too. Once they switch though, they cannot switch back.

If Fiji wanted Sivivatu for their
7's team, he could then be
available to face England and
Wales at the XV's World Cup

So to give an example. Sitiveni Sivivatu has not played for New Zealand (XV or 7's) for over 18 months. He also presumably has a Fijian passport, so if he was named in a Fiji 7's World Series squad and then also be eligible to play for his country of birth in XV's. However once he did that he could never switch back and play for New Zealand in any way again.

There are lots of interesting but rather unlikely possibilities that can be dreamt up. Technically, England could call up Harlequins fly half Nick Evans in the 7's series and he could be available for the World Cup next year. If he holds a passport then Tonga could technically pick Lifeimi Mafi or shoehorn prop Saimone Taumoepeau into a 7's squad and play them for the XV's side, same possibly for Samoa with Casey Laulala or Isaia Toeava if they have passport. The USA could in theory, even tempt Ronan O'Gara out of retirement to play a bit of 7's if he wanted to play in a fourth World Cup.

However this nation switching via passport for those who haven't played in 18 months will only apply in next year's world 7's World Series. After that 18 months will increase to 3 years since you last played for an eligibility locking team and the switches can only happen in an Olympics or an Olympic qualifying event. Making potential to switch only every 4 years, and to use it to switch the eligibility of players for XV's via 7's more unlikely unless you want to hurt your chances of actually reaching the Olympics.

The main winner out of this is potentially the Pacific Islanders, who could if they wanted find some European based eligibility locked ex All Blacks who've been inactive in international rugby for 18 months and play them in next year's 7's World Series and end up with a bolstered team for the XV's World Cup. That is if of course, only if nations want to use it to get new players for the sport's biggest event.