<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GimleyUK @ Mar 31 2009, 02:59 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gingergenius @ Mar 31 2009, 06:38 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GimleyUK @ Mar 31 2009, 12:46 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
is it not more important that the fans feel the team are a reflection of who represents them as a people..
the Scots and the Welsh were embarrassed to have token Southern Hemisphere players in their teams shirts. I for one felt like we were cheating.
I have always been surprised that People from other countries do not feel the same about MERCINARY players like Viankolai and Fulety...!
I often heard derogatory remarks about Shane Howarth and Brett Sinkinson from non welsh friends when they were in my team, even about Colin Charvis and Tom Shanklin![/b]
in which case why are there no Asians playing for England?
What is important is that whoever does get picked to represent an international side can feel pride in doing so.
Fact is that England, and to a lesser extent the other UK countries, have a huge reach across the globe, thanks to history. We may not still be the centre of an Empire, but we are the 'mother country' for a lot of the commonwealth, especially the white members who can trace their ancestry back to the UK. This is why we have so many foreign links... not just in rugby; Graeme Hick, Mike Catt, Kevin Peitersen, Matt Stevens, Dylan Hartley, Andrew Strauss, Geraint Jones and so on are all recent England representatives with links elsewhere. We have a massive pull on immigrants from the Commonwealth, and there are 100s of 1000s of Australians, Kiwis, SAs, Indians etc. etc. in the UK as a result. We always have, and always will for the forseeable future, have players represent us who have come from elsewhere. France is the same. Australia and NZ are like that with the Pacific nations.
That is what the modern English are, and it is reflected in wider society and not just the sports teams.
[/b][/quote]
The underwood brothers were malaysian thats asian
Geraint Jones plays for the ENGLAND AND WALES team, we are united in Cricket
Your reasoning sounds far more like an excuse for pillaging talent from smaller nations than giving an opportunity to select a side of English men
is this because there are so many foreigners playing in England now that you relate to kiwis south africans and south sea islanders than you do to English players ?
I do not think that players like Flutey, Vainkoali, Stevens, Hartley, and so on should play for England. Under the current rules in rugby preset by the IRB, England cheat the system to find better players than they have at their dissposal.
This should be stopped.
It is a mockery of international sport watching Italy versus Japan where over half the sides are imported rugby players.
Have these players got no pride in their origins....???
[/b][/quote]
Well I live in a city where 30% of people were born outside the UK and 42% are in an ethnic minority. So yeah I am used to having people of all types around me.
And it's hardly cheating the system. Flutey's switch has nothing to do with the RFU; Stevens has an English father; Hartley moved to England aged 16 and hence had most of his rugby education here plus 7 years residency; Vainikolo lived in England for 6 years and his children have English nationality, so he's like any other 1st generation immigrant.
And about pride... there are huge numbers of people who came to Britain from elsewhere and are proud to be British because it is a country that accepted them. It's not for you to decide which place they should be proud to be from.
