As much as the process of giving autonomy to the “white” British colonies of the Southern hemisphere was arduous, the admission of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa into the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) as decision-makers was very challenging. Though the game of rugby flourished in these nations at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century to the extent that it became their national pastime, they could hardly alter the rules without the permission of the Home Unions. Furthermore, when in 1926, these three dominions officially joined the International Rugby Football Board, it was on an unequal footing with the British members of the Board, having only one seat each. Therefore, this article aims at outlining how they succeeded to become full members of the supreme rugby body while reaching the top of rugby performance. To this end, we shall first analyse the demands made by these dominions to the IRFB, at a time when the precise dominions’ sovereignty (Lyon, 1982) status was being discussed at a political level. Then, we shall focus on the rugby achievements secured by these former colonies which somehow allowed them to give shape to distinctive rules and laws of rugby. We shall finally examine the outcome of these requests and the consequences of granting them a status inside the Board with full privileges.