Interesting, you have a FIR badge which I suppose means your support for Italy in 6N (a foreign team) yet you are a Spaniard who don't support players with Spanish heritage born abroad because they are considered foreigners. I am confused!
Well, I wasn't talking about my beliefs, but others Spaniards' beliefs.
Of course I fully support those players, especially after they have shown so much commitment with the team for the last two years, and last week in Russia. They fight for the Spanish colours bravely, and I can't ask for anything else.
But on the other hand, I think that given the possibility, without losing quality, anyone would prefer to have a team fully raised locally. Even in the greatest football teams, the most loved players use to be those who came from the development teams of the club. In that sense, Giboin (who played for Spain in u20 and I believe u18 as well) is not the same than Fuster, who has just joined the team now.
And I guess that for Italy's fans Parisse, McLean or Allan are not the same than Gower or Haimona, either.
Regarding my support for Italy, which has given me mostly missery, it comes from the previous attempt from the British media to kick them out from the 6N, around ten years ago. Italy answered winning in Murrayfield with three early tries and a desperate defense for the rest the match, and a draw with Wales later on the tournament. And I felt that a team with so much heart, fighting against better teams, and with everybody looking them over the shoulder, deserved my support.
I know that for most supporters of T2 nations Italy is like the protegee of the rugby stablishment, the one tho dethrone, but for me it has always been the first to fight against them and earn its place among them. A representative for countries like Spain which I thought would never be able to reach that stage. In the end, for me they are not so foreigner, in a way.
And they have made enormous efforts to raise local talent. The people saying that Italy do not improve use to be the one forgetting that they bashed them for being a "foreign legion", using it as a reason to remove them from 6N. Now it would backfire with Scotland being as "foreign" as Italy was, so the arguments are different.
Just an example, against England only four starters were not born in Italy: Allan, Parisse, Negri and Budd, and from the bench only Biagi and Hayward (all but Hayward and Budd have at least an Italian parent). Ten to fifteen years ago ago there were matches win only 5 starters born in Italy.
And though I fully support the current Spanish team with all my heart, I hope that in ten to fifteen years we can mantain or even improve their level with more homegrown players, as Italy is doing.
