Rugby World Cup hopefuls Spain have been booted out of next year's tournament after they were found guilty of breaching rules on player eligibility.
Specifically, Santiago Santos' side have been sanctioned for playing prop Gavin van den Berg before he qualified to represent his adopted nation through residency. Spain were runners-up in the Rugby Europe Championship to qualify for what would have been just their second Rugby World Cup appearance, having made their debut in 1999.
However, Romania filed an appeal under suspicion their rivals had fielded an ineligible player, which was found to be accurate. As a result, Spain have been fined £25,000 and docked five points per qualification match in which Van den Berg played (10 points total), bumping them down to fourth in the standings.
