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Join Association with the Cricket and you can share the same committee to cut costs.......

Oh sorry I didnt realise it was a debate that you had to agree with - Yes pathetic - England are the badboys of the world - the world would be a much better place without England

Not nearly as pathetic as deleting comments you dont like.

However i would rate the England Multicultural squad as 11 on the pathetic scale where 10 is most pathetic :D

uuumm thanks Dingbat .....I think

either way I think its been done to death hasnt it - Eng, NZ, Aus, and Wales have all been there amongst others - the world is small and rules is rules

Well ur quite welcome Lydneyian
Just think that deleting comments you dont like is properly childish.

And quite right, rules are indeed rules, still very funny tho.

Waldron i think was totally correct to come out and say it. i fear it will be the last time we see him in an england jersey at the very least under the currant management which is sad. His attitude is understandable.

An while other nations have been guilty of this in the past (none more so then NZ) England have raised the bar to a whole new level. Jeeez its got to the stage where the back-ups to the back-ups are foreigners.

But it is what it is and we have to accept it.

Whats that old Idiom: If you can't beat em, Join Em

Ireland (my team) have a program in place to facilitate this kind of thing now also, so i expect it will be straight after the WC when we see alot of Non Irish born but Irish Qualified players coming through. And if they are good, i guess most people won't be complaining.

This parent/granparenting qualification rule works both ways.
In rugby league (my chosen sport) the likes of Tonga, Figi, Samoa, PNG & New-Zealand to a lesser extent have to select Australian born children to form a competitive team. There parents or grandpraents may have moved here many years ago, but it is in Australia where they learnt how to apply there trade........some decide to stay an honour Australia whilst some decide to honour there homeland.

What other method can be put in place that is fairer, we can't bring in rules that prevents these up & coming players from representive footy or we have lost the entire point of sport all together.

Just because someone has a surname that doesn't sound familiar doesn't mean he isn't from that country.

southsydney

the grand parent thing is not the issue mate. the Issue is the residency rule. If you live in a country for just 3 years you are eligible to play for the national team. providing you have not been capped for another country previously.

Honouring your heritage of blood is in my opinion totally fine, but just because you been playing rugby in another country for 3 or more years should not make you a legitimate contender for a spot on the national representative team. Well not in my opinion anyway.

But as stated before. thats the rules so we have to accept it, but really... its a bit daft.

The point is that it could be that 9 of the 23 in the playing squad COULD be players born outside of England, does that fact sit well with english fans/supporters?

Here in Wales we have one, George North ( English born) and another Ben Morgan (English born) who may one day both play for Wales, I'm not happy with that, play for your own country I say.

Where do you draw the line though Ashes - if you were born in the military abroad - what then - if you were born on holiday? what if your parents are Irish (as are mine) but you were born in England (as was I) - what if I lived in england but were back visiting reletives in ireland - what would I be - I know its exaggerating the point - and understand the views - but as I said earlier Rules is Rules you have to draw them up somewhere or it would be unfair the other way - if your parents were rushing back from Eng to the royal gwent to get you born and they made it to Aust Services only - and you were told Sorry Mun - youre English according to the rules???

Unfortunately i don't draw the lines..........if i did you can guess where they'd be.

Not saying though that YOU should be unhappy, fine if you are, but I wouldn't be. To me there has to be som e connection with the country you play for, much more than 3 years plying your trade.

Lydneyian is it just you and me on this site?

Gosh feeling lonely.

Fair enough - the lines have been drawn wrong perhaps - my honest view is that it is representative sport - and these guys are representing us so I wish them the best - no matter what I think of how it came to be (and Im not really that bothered) - when they pull the shirt on - they are my team

Incidently - I believe Im as English as they come as far as supporting the team - but i i were good enough when I was younger - and couldnt get in the England side - and Ireland came along with my parents passports in their hands - I would bite their hands off - rather be a test player than a club player

It is lonely - but I think if we persevere it will get busier - Im happy on here for now

Well guys, my 2 cents for what its worth is that if you have blood ties thats ok, even if its distant i.e. Grand mother...

But the bloody 3 year residency rule is daft plain and simple.

Looks like richardt strauss will most likely play for us next year, atleast the IRFU seem to pushing it, but u know what, he has nothing to do with ireland apart from he's been living here for a while.
DAFT!

And i hate the Idea of a nice move coming off where you hear the commentators singing lovely names from your own country only to interrupt the sweet music(to my ears anyway) with "strauss" or on the bbc your likly to here some names i cant even spell.

There has to be a residency law somewhere though Ding - if you have lived somewhere for most of your life - I agree that 3 years is somewhat weak - but 8 years??? 10 Years??? went to school there for at least 3 years etc - I think we probably all agree that just jumping on a boat and working in a bar for 3 years is a bit uuuumm....

Lydneyian, In your caseing point, if you were born here in OZ whilst your Irish mum & dad were visiting or residing the choice is your's when the time comes for you to make an allegiance to whom you represent.......

In rugby league the problem then arises for the individual is he wants to play at the highest level he has to try to getting into an OZ jumper and play with and against the best in the world, where as to represent say Fiji or Tonga can be acheived without even having reached NRL standard (without wanting to sound to harsh)

So at the age of 15 if you are in the picture of getting selected in your first rep game, you have to declare your allegiance.

Lydneyian

Well i agree somewhat mate, and i could even stretch the residency rule to just 5 or 6 years, simply because the working/athletic life of a rugby player is so short, that 8 or 10 years is actually a long time, and indeed 10 is a career for some.

That said, when i think of Strauss who will qualify for us next season, i think well he's a good player and was the best hooker in ireland this season, won a HC winners medal with my beloved leinster, but right now, he has been in my country for 2.5 years and he has no other connection to us so why should he take the place of an irish hooker.

Its a massive quandary for me. on the one hand i want the best for my national team but on the other i want them to be properly qualified, and with a passion for the green jersey.

No disrespect to strauss but really, if he is not good enough to get a call up for his own country, (South Africa) why is he good enough for us? Considering we have beaten SA 3 out of the last 4 times, i feel strauss could be keeping a young irish player out of a jersey.

man i think i just bored my-self to death with that stuff but its just my thinking, and i hope im getting the point across clear enough.

I agree DingBatMan, There is no way a foreign player can give the passion that is sometimes required in the last 10 minutes of a game when a player is playing under duress and for the pride of his country & jersey.....

Will that be because they are thinking of "home"?
3 years is quite frankly ridiculous, and by citing North and Tuilagi as good cases there are plenty of others who've been in Britain for that shortest of times before pulling on the shirt. Devalues the whole concept of international rugby.

Its a good point southsydney - maybe upon registration at colts level on proffessional terms should be the cut off and you should then state your allegence - but with cause or reason - ie you couldnt be scottish and for no reason say - im gonna be an all black (as if ) - if you get picked earlier as you say - thats the point you state allegence. Residency rule be changed to 6 years.

Matin Johnson would of been lumbered with New Zealand - he wouldnt of been happy

MJ an All Black!!!
Nobody would have called them chokers though.

I think this article sums up most views from the world of common sense -

http://www.espnscrum.com/england/rugby/story/142208.html

Although I appreciate that it is currently - the best way to wind England fans up