NPR

NZ'er at 9,11,12

Saffer at 4,6

The bench:

English in jersey 22

Scot in jersey 19

Saffer in jersey 16.

Ozzie in jersey 18


Farcical

Yeah that is nuts. Surely it is time to do something about it

It's ok if they get beaten.

If that's acceptable to them, then it should be acceptable to the rest of us.

They've obviously satisfied the residency criteria.

who doesn't want to be Irish

Must suck to be an Irish kid coming through the ranks with the regional pro teams.

Niegs wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:06 pm Must suck to be an Irish kid coming through the ranks with the regional pro teams.

Sandstorm wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:00 pm It's ok if they get beaten.

Does anyone in tier 1 have the moral high ground on this anymore?

tc27 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:00 pm Does anyone in tier 1 have the moral high ground on this anymore?

Don't think so no. Around the time of the "Scottish United Nations" jibes, did we ever go as far as to put 5 project players in the starting XV?

International rugby is such a bastardised sport nowadays, its sad. The credibility of the sport has been devalued by lax eligibility requirements.

Steve wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 1:35 pm Scot in jersey 19

If I had my way I’d have coaches from the country as well

Slick wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:45 pm If I had my way I’d have coaches from the country as well

They all poach the bloody English for them too!
https://www.alexander-dennis.com/produc ... n-coaches/

Meh, have boots, will travel. Immigration works!

Wales have 5 in their 23 tomorrow too mind, 4 starting

Imagine James Lowe trying to give the Pablo Matera speech to the ref this week

“ I’m not playing for my country, this is not respect“

How many of the English team were born outside of England?

C69 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:09 pm How many of the English team were born outside of England?

Quite.

Eddie being Eddie I think we are supposed to say...

C69 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:09 pm How many of the English team were born outside of England?

To English parents or otherwise?

Big Nipper wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 1:42 pm Yeah that is nuts. Surely it is time to do something about it

They already have. Five year residency kicking in next year.

SaintK wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:25 pm

C69 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:09 pm How many of the English team were born outside of England?

To English parents or otherwise?

Only a relevant comparison if you change the Irish team to the same measure.

Hugo wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:32 pm International rugby is such a bastardised sport nowadays, its sad. The credibility of the sport has been devalued by lax eligibility requirements.

Not sure any sport is much different. It's what it is, do you make someone play for where he happens to be born or where he chooses to live? I do believe you need residency rules ie 5 years etc, but if you spend the first 6 months or few years of your life, should you have to play for that country.

Well, I remember one Zola Budd.

That went well.

Dan54 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:45 pm

Hugo wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:32 pm International rugby is such a bastardised sport nowadays, its sad. The credibility of the sport has been devalued by lax eligibility requirements.

Not sure any sport is much different. It's what it is, do you make someone play for where he happens to be born or where he chooses to live? I do believe you need residency rules ie 5 years etc, but if you spend the first 6 months or few years of your life, should you have to play for that country.

The 5 year rule hasn't kicked in yet, once it does I think most of these issues will go away. 5 years is a long time for a professional rugby player, usually three contracts. It does actually require a significant commitment.

Steve wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 1:35 pm NZ'er at 9,11,12

Saffer at 4,6

The bench:

English in jersey 22

Scot in jersey 19

Saffer in jersey 16.

Ozzie in jersey 18


Farcical

It's farcical enough without you having to make shit up!

And for what its worth, Burns, Herring and Bealham have all been qualified since birth.

Thankfully we wont be seeing this level of shenanigans into the future.

Ian Henderson my apologies . Wiki’d the wrong bloke of same name


Although Northern Ireland .............that’s England innit

SaintK wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:25 pm

C69 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:09 pm How many of the English team were born outside of England?

To English parents or otherwise?

No just born outside England.

Steve wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:34 pm Ian Henderson my apologies . Wiki’d the wrong bloke of same name


Although Northern Ireland .............that’s England innit

Just outside England

C69 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:34 pm

SaintK wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:25 pm

C69 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:09 pm How many of the English team were born outside of England?

To English parents or otherwise?

No just born outside England.

Just the Vunipolae afaik.

sockwithaticket wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:57 pm

C69 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:34 pm

SaintK wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:25 pm
To English parents or otherwise?

No just born outside England.

Just the Vunipolae afaik.

Really, I know Underhill was born in the USA from when he played for the Ospreys.
So there are probably a few more

Dan54 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:45 pm

Hugo wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:32 pm International rugby is such a bastardised sport nowadays, its sad. The credibility of the sport has been devalued by lax eligibility requirements.

Not sure any sport is much different. It's what it is, do you make someone play for where he happens to be born or where he chooses to live? I do believe you need residency rules ie 5 years etc, but if you spend the first 6 months or few years of your life, should you have to play for that country.

A Mike Catt type scenario where someone with eligibility from birth (through a parent) who then emigrates to that country seems reasonable. No-one in the RFU was deviously pulling strings to get him into the country so that he could get an England cap. He wasn't poached.

It's the situations where the player has absolutely no genetic or historical connection to their adopted nation and qualifies solely as a consequence of having lived there for x number of years that to me undermines the point of international rugby.

The likes of O Gara ( Miami ) or Heaslip ( Israel ) are fine obviously . born abroad as daddy had a job on . The project player stuff is vomit inducing .

The likes of James Lowe are not ok. It’s silly. I seen him doing the haka in a Maori Allblacks jersey for fuck sake.

He’s of Maori descent ! He played for NZ schools .

Talk about having cake and eating it too

C69 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 8:00 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:57 pm

C69 wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:34 pm

No just born outside England.

Just the Vunipolae afaik.

Really, I know Underhill was born in the USA from when he played for the Ospreys.
So there are probably a few more

Because the Quins - Exeter game isn't particularly stimulating I just quickly googled them all and Underhill and the Vunipolae are the only ones.

Found out the Joseph was born in Derby. Quite the surprise given how RP his accent is.

LOL at the marketing geniuses who decided "finishers" looks cooler than "reserves", "replacements" or "substitutes".

Ireland sponsored by Vodafone

#teamofus


Hahahaha . Most of them are foreign .

Steve wrote: Fri Nov 20, 2020 8:04 pm The likes of O Gara ( Miami ) or Heaslip ( Israel ) are fine obviously . born abroad as daddy had a job on . The project player stuff is vomit inducing .

The likes of James Lowe are not ok. It’s silly. I seen him doing the haka in a Maori Allblacks jersey for fuck sake.

He’s of Maori descent ! He played for NZ schools .

Also the likes of Shields and Heinz are a joke

I agree that the ones who are so called project players, but I don't see ie as anymore crap than the Grandparent rule, FFS if your greatgrandparents were visiting some country, and had a kid born there that makes him able to play for them, and I don't even like the parent rule much, it should be where you live or have lived the majority of your life. Grandparent rule still means someone can play for any of up to 7 countries!!

Dan54 wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:55 am I agree that the ones who are so called project players, but I don't see ie as anymore crap than the Grandparent rule, FFS if your greatgrandparents were visiting some country, and had a kid born there that makes him able to play for them, and I don't even like the parent rule much, it should be where you live or have lived the majority of your life. Grandparent rule still means someone can play for any of up to 7 countries!!

The grandparent rule is an absolute farce. It exists solely to benefit the Home Nations. It effectively means that almost every white male in NZ or Australia would be eligible for one of the Home Nations. I'm Samoan and half New Zealander and I'd be eligible for Scotland because my mum's Dad was part Scottish. Never been to Scotland or felt in any way Scottish but I could pull on a Scottish test jersey tomorrow if I was good enough. That's a farce.