What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

ENG v NZ @ ELLAND ROAD, LEEDS // Sunday 11 Nov - Monday 01h30 (AEDT) 03h30 (NZDT)

ZEROMISSTACKLES

First Grade
Messages
8,700
Technically so are Heighington and McQueen but I didn't want either of them anywhere near an England shirt especially when one of them is so English he barracks for Australia in an Ashes cricket series.
Those could actually be good for you guys. Theyre not that bad. McQueen was a former origin rep. Heighington goes alright.
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,641
The problem is that union hacks over here will ridicule RL for having one such player yet gloss over it when the RU team have several.

I posted on this during the world cup last year. There is just as much of this that goes on in Union. There have been some ''Japanese'' teams that were pretty dicey over the years, plus even established nations like Wales, Tonga, Samoa, Italy and Scotland use a fair percentage of heratige players to fill squads. It isn't highlighted as much in Union as it is in League.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,668
I posted on this during the world cup last year. There is just as much of this that goes on in Union. There have been some ''Japanese'' teams that were pretty dicey over the years, plus even established nations like Wales, Tonga, Samoa, Italy and Scotland use a fair percentage of heratige players to fill squads. It isn't highlighted as much in Union as it is in League.

Probably because in reality it is a minority mostly in Union, where as in league it remains pretty much 100%make up for some countries.
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,641
Probably because in reality it is a minority mostly in Union, where as in league it remains pretty much 100%make up for some countries.

Go and look up the squads mate, there are many more heratige players in Union than they would like to admit. You will be shocked at the percentage of them in teams like Wales, Tonga, Samoa, Italy and Scotland.
 

Matua

First Grade
Messages
5,132
Don’t forget that these are countries that have been playing union for more than a century or not far off and they still choose to select heritage players.
Samoa and Tonga can't really field a competitive team in either code without heritage players. It's just the way it is.
 

Matua

First Grade
Messages
5,132
Yep, Wales, Italy, Japan, Tonga and Samoa are in a similar boat.
You're reaching a bit with Wales there, most of their squad are Welsh born and most of the ones that aren't are born in England - but considering they're actually one entity in a political sense that's not surprising.
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,641
You're reaching a bit with Wales there, most of their squad are Welsh born and most of the ones that aren't are born in England - but considering they're actually one entity in a political sense that's not surprising.

Wales don't have as high a percentage as the other nations but I'm sure it raises a few eyebrows to know that a country with a century of history in a game that is their national sport uses heratige players to fill their squad. The point I was making is that way too much is made of RL doing this and way too little is made of RU doing it.
 

Matua

First Grade
Messages
5,132
Wales don't have as high a percentage as the other nations but I'm sure it raises a few eyebrows to know that a country with a century of history in a game that is their national sport uses heratige players to fill their squad. The point I was making is that way too much is made of RL doing this and way too little is made of RU doing it.
TBH, I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill - rugby teams that use heritage players get shit for it too (every RWC it's pointed out how many NZers are in the Samoan team, as one example).

But, I don't know why you keep returning to Wales, due to their political situation of course a high-ish number of them are going to be born in England ... even then of their current squad the numbers aren't really that high.
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,641
TBH, I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill - rugby teams that use heritage players get shit for it too (every RWC it's pointed out how many NZers are in the Samoan team, as one example).

But, I don't know why you keep returning to Wales, due to their political situation of course a high-ish number of them are going to be born in England ... even then of their current squad the numbers aren't really that high.

''a country with a century of history in a game that is their national sport uses heratige players to fill their squad''

That's why I'm going back to Wales. A country of 3 million people (not unsimilar to NZ) with RU as its national sport and they can't fill a full squad. Look, I'm fine with them doing so but just sick of the media lording RU as a ''global'' game when in truth it is not really that global as the Welsh RU amongst others can attest to.
 
Top