After a chastening 26-point defeat against South Africa last week in Brisbane that could have been worse, one of the most frequently asked questions in Australian rugby grew a little louder.

Can the Wallabies still afford to play a predominantly domestic-based squad and ignore their talented and growing international brigade of eligible players? Like most things in Australian rugby, the answer is never simple.

Five years ago, South Africa Rugby decided to scrap their 30-cap eligibility selection rule and welcome the best available overseas players into the Springbok fold. The decision was not made lightly, given there were significant fears that it could lead to an exodus of domestic talent.

“We have been agonising over how to keep players in the country since the game went professional more than 20 years ago and the bottom line is that the rand is too weak and the economy of South African rugby too small to compete,” coach Rassie Erasmus said at the time of the decision.

The loosening of eligibility criteria helped to bank the Springboks back-to-back World Cups in 2019 and 2023. The freedom to select the best players has also given South Africa perhaps the greatest depth chart in world rugby.

Former Springbok and World Cup winner Bob Skinstad played overseas and club rugby in South Africa, and feels that the new open selection policy has hugely helped the Springboks thrive and also grown rugby.

Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper before a Test against South Africa in 2015.Credit: Getty

“I do have a view that where possible, you need to have those best players,” Skinstad said. “You need to play the best rugby players available for your international representative teams.

“Because winning at that [international] level makes people excited about winning at the domestic level, which makes people excited about participating in the game, which helps the participation numbers.”

“I think Rassie Erasmus and South African rugby have erred on the side of finding ways to win as a national team and made that the most important thing and I think it’s working for us, so maybe that’s something that would work for Australia.”

The Wallabies’ problem isn’t necessarily the strength of the........

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