England V France

[Churchill]

For you, maybe, for me, no.

What does it mean to you then Mich? You're not good enough to play for England but the Dutch may have you?

[Mich the Tester]

Have to go with Troll on that Mich.

A nations pride and all that....

A nation's pride is all very well, but it doesn't put points on the board. In reality, top level sport is a business just like any other and the sooner people learn to live with that the better; they might then stop blowing all their hard-earned on overpriced season tickets for overblown 'clubs' that are actually companies, and start investing their time and money in their local sportspeople.

[Mich the Tester]

What does it mean to you then Mich? You're not good enough to play for England but the Dutch may have you?

Yes. The Dutch offered me a chance to play at a level I probably wouldn't otherwise achieve, and I'm grateful for that; grateful to the point that I now put in quite a lot of work to support the Dutch mens and ladies sevens teams.

When they play in the Olympics in 2016 I'll be cheering like mad, not because of any 'national pride' but because I know the players and have worked in the system that's developing them.

[Churchill]

Yes. The Dutch offered me a chance to play at a level I probably wouldn't otherwise achieve, and I'm grateful for that; grateful to the point that I put in quite a lot of work to support the Dutch mens and ladies sevens teams.

Oh well, rules is rules.

[Troll]

Talent's sometimes 'homegrown', but real top performances will often be imported anyway; coaches are hired from all over the world, promising sportspeople are sent around the world to train and play with the best in their game, equipment is purchased from around the world, athletic training methods are researched all over the world; all this is about importing sporting improvements and of course gives the richer countries or clubs an advantage over the poorer. That's high level sport; the old fairy tale of a great from just down the road practising every day in his back garden and then taking on the world and winning is exactly that in most sports nowadays; a fairy tale.

Nowt wrong with Alf Tupper

[Arturo Bassick]

Talent's sometimes 'homegrown', but real top performances will often be imported anyway; coaches are hired from all over the world, promising sportspeople are sent around the world to train and play with the best in their game, equipment is purchased from around the world, athletic training methods are researched all over the world; all this is about importing sporting improvements and of course gives the richer countries or clubs an advantage over the poorer. That's high level sport; the old fairy tale of a great from just down the road practising every day in his back garden and then taking on the world and winning is exactly that in most sports nowadays; a fairy tale.

Sorry Mich, but it has to be home grown (even if stretched a bit) for international. I could not support a bought in team the same.
I can just about accept Tuilaga, but could never support, for instance, Zola Bud. There are a number of imports in our team for the Olympics that is making me feel that I do not want to watch it, nor do I care how well we do.

I will still be supporting the real team GB.

[Mich the Tester]

Sorry Mich, but it has to be home grown (even if stretched a bit) for international. I could not support a bought in team the same.
I can just about accept Tuilaga, but could never support, for instance, Zola Bud. There are a number of imports in our team for the Olympics that is making me feel that I do not want to watch it, nor do I care how well we do.

I will still be supporting the real team GB.

Your choice. I'll be watching because I want to see the best athletes in the world.

[Arturo Bassick]

Your choice. I'll be watching because I want to see the best athletes in the world.

You can see them compete week in week out at events all over the world. There is extra meaning when it is a true national team event. A nation can get behind their team.

It would be a sad loss if a nation could buy its team from anywhere. The poorer nations would never have a hope of winning and would bleed talent (and probably funding) making it even harder to produce world beaters.

[d000hg]

But that sort of defeats the concept of National sport though doesn't it? & means the richest countries can just import the talent rather than nurture the home grown

The richest countries can also invest in training centres, scholarships and so on to find and nurture their youngsters the best.

Although, I think a player should have SOME link other than living there.

[Mich the Tester]

You can see them compete week in week out at events all over the world. There is extra meaning when it is a true national team event. A nation can get behind their team.

It would be a sad loss if a nation could buy its team from anywhere. The poorer nations would never have a hope of winning and would bleed talent (and probably funding) making it even harder to produce world beaters.

It's already the case. Why don't Samoa beat New Zealand and why don't Georgia or Morocco (or the Basques for that matter) beat France?