Zambo wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2023 10:31 am
antdad wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2023 9:44 am
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.