Spain have been kicked out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and will be replaced by Romania after it was determined that Los Leones fielded an ineligible player, allegedly with the help of a forged passport, in qualifying. Spain had reached the World Cup for the first time since 1999 after a dramatic win over Portugal in March but have been docked 10 points and dumped out of next year’s tournament in France.
An independent disciplinary panel appointed by World Rugby found that the South Africa-born prop Gavin van den Berg appeared for Spain in two matches, against the Netherlands in 2021 and 2022, without having qualified on residency grounds. The panel ruled that Spain should be docked five points a match and fined £25,000, paving the way for Romania to reach the World Cup and Portugal to advance to November’s repechage qualification tournament.
