Rugby world cup

[Zambo]

It is what it is and England have had their fair share of imports over the years. No one bats an eyelid at the antipodeans raiding the South Pacific Islands for players over the years.

It is what it is isn't good enough. Qualification for international sport should be based on country of birth, although there should be flexibility for possible family connections, but not abused. Some people would be happy if qualification was based on your aunty taking you to Dublin for a day out so you could play for Ireland, it's got to a ridiculous level.

Aki is a New Zealander, he's not Irish. Black and white.

[birdie]

It is what it is and England have had their fair share of imports over the years. No one bats an eyelid at the antipodeans raiding the South Pacific Islands for players over the years.

It is what it is isn't good enough. Qualification for international sport should be based on country of birth, although there should be flexibility for possible family connections, but not abused. Some people would be happy if qualification was based on your aunty taking you to Dublin for a day out so you could play for Ireland, it's got to a ridiculous level.

Aki is a New Zealander, he's not Irish. Black and white.

That brough a blast from the past and a good laff.
London Welsh always had a strict policy about who could play, a player either had to be Welsh born or have played for a Welsh club, which wasn't a problem as most of the players were Welsh born and worked in the Home Counties had played for Welsh clubs, which often had a Welsh born policy.
The problem occurred when a very good player wanted to play for them, only problem was he wasn't Welsh born and had never played for a Welsh club, in fact he was either from some place in Africa or Caribbean, don't recall which, sure as hell he wasn't Welsh or white.
By heck could he run.
So they got around it very sneakily, they got him to play one game for Colwyn Bay Seconds so qualifying by the Welsh club rule.
There was a standing joke that of course he was Welsh, he'd just come up from the pit and the pithead baths were closed so he was covered in coal dust.
London Welsh couldn't play their first game of the season at Old Deer Park because Richmond cricket club hadn't finished their season so the first home game was at Saracens. Chatter in the stand was, how could they prove that he wasn't qualified to play for LW and how could they get him.

[antdad]

Rugby used to have a one country for life rule but that proved to be impractical as the global finances of the game changed.

I'm okay with a 36 month residency to qualify after all it works both ways, a country then (usually) gets an exceptional player to represent them after they've settled into the culture, paid taxes and set down roots. Did Aki adopt a flag of convenience because it was unlikely he'd get into the All Blacks, I'm sure that was part of his thinking but then the world is grey.

[The Ghost of Alex Higgins]

The All Greys

[birdie]

https://shop.saracens.com/fashion/mens/ ... shirt.html
https://shop.saracens.com/siteimg/depthead/338.jpg


I must admit that I've always though the grey strip looks just the pyjamas the sprog had. :

[antdad]

Bloody horrible, ask Fergie...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -TIME.html

Now that Aki has had kids born in Ireland there should be a reverse residency rule, you have planted your flag so to speak.

[Zambo]

If they are going to allow other nationalities in, then at least limit the 'ringers' to say two per team.

[birdie]

Could be worse, Stade Francaise play in bright pink.
Eons ago a coach/manage/or whoever said that if they insisted on playing like girls they might as well dress like girls and pink it remained.

Or so himself told me

[birdie]

Bloody horrible, ask Fergie...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -TIME.html

Now that Aki has had kids born in Ireland there should be a reverse residency rule, you have planted your flag so to speak.

What's happened to courtesy. I recall when, if club colours clashed with the visitors colours the home team would change to an alternative strip and the visitors would wear their own colours, now, watching games at the weekend, I often see the visitors wearing 'away strip'. What a load of bollocks, it's just a way of selling more shirts to the supporters, nowt wrong with showing courtesy to the visitors and changing your own strip.

Just my thoughts entirely, dontcha know.

[antdad]

I don't know what the etiquet is nowadays or if any remains, whatever works in terms of not clashing I imagine.

Circa 2003 Woodward asked Nike to design England tight fitting shirts so they couldn't be grabbed (Jason Robinson) blame him for every Joe Public fan spilling his or her beer gut.

[birdie]

I don't know what the etiquet is nowadays or if any remains, whatever works in terms of not clashing I imagine.

Circa 2003 Woodward asked Nike to design England tight fitting shirts so they couldn't be grabbed (Jason Robinson) blame him for every Joe Public fan spilling his or her beer gut.

Glad to see you acknowledge that wimmen drink beer Reminds me of the first time we visited my ma after we got married, went to the local, well, the only pub, in the village and himself negotiated with the landlord that we liked out beer 'London style', much to the disgust of the locals, so having dispensed two pints of John Smiths best himself got handed a half pint glass. What's that for he asks, for the lady came the answer, so she doesn't have to drink out of a pint glass.

[Sunbeam Alpine]

Bloody horrible, ask Fergie...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -TIME.html

Now that Aki has had kids born in Ireland there should be a reverse residency rule, you have planted your flag so to speak.

What's happened to courtesy. I recall when, if club colours clashed with the visitors colours the home team would change to an alternative strip and the visitors would wear their own colours, now, watching games at the weekend, I often see the visitors wearing 'away strip'. What a load of bollocks, it's just a way of selling more shirts to the supporters, nowt wrong with showing courtesy to the visitors and changing your own strip.

Just my thoughts entirely, dontcha know.

That has been the way in soccer for decades.
Which has the advantage of the home fans of seeing their team in their "proper" kit.
Surely if they played at home in "second colours" regularly that too would promote shirt sales?
Not that soccer clubs are short of ways of making kits obsolete anway.

[birdie]

Bloody horrible, ask Fergie...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -TIME.html

Now that Aki has had kids born in Ireland there should be a reverse residency rule, you have planted your flag so to speak.

What's happened to courtesy. I recall when, if club colours clashed with the visitors colours the home team would change to an alternative strip and the visitors would wear their own colours, now, watching games at the weekend, I often see the visitors wearing 'away strip'. What a load of bollocks, it's just a way of selling more shirts to the supporters, nowt wrong with showing courtesy to the visitors and changing your own strip.

Just my thoughts entirely, dontcha know.

That has been the way in soccer for decades.
Which has the advantage of the home fans of seeing their team in their "proper" kit.
Surely if they played at home in "second colours" regularly that too would promote shirt sales?
Not that soccer clubs are short of ways of making kits obsolete anway.

Wasn't here a huge furore about some big club suddenly changing their strip sometime in December? I know it was all over the news, parents were furious, having spent shedloads on buying their kids the club shirts as Christmas presents only for those shirts to be 'last season'. Imagine the disappointment on a kids face when he opens his Christmas prezzy to find an obsolete shirt.

[antdad]

Poor little Smith, was absolutely ragged against Fiji so don't think he'll be appearing again.

[birdie]

Poor little Smith, was absolutely ragged against Fiji so don't think he'll be appearing again.

I don't know, depends whether he had concussion, but correct me if I'm wrong, did he go for a HIA of did he stay on.
These are rugger buggers, not soccer pansies. https://www.bing.com/th?id=OPE.2Pr2rweU ... 00&dpr=1.3