‘fanning flames of xenophobia’
At a glance
Welsh mother before moving to Wales when he was two.
Walesonline said North, Jonathan Davies, Dan Lydiate, Ross Moriarty and Jake Ball were all key players in the Welsh squad who were born in England, while Kiwis Gareth Anscombe and Hadleigh Parkes were born in New Zealand.
One Twitter user said: ‘‘When talking about multi-cultural societies, we generally don’t consider people who moved to England as kids as foreign. That’s how xenophobia and racism spreads.’’
Another added: ‘‘The list is absolute nonsense and you should be ashamed of yourself for propagating it. George North isn’t really Welsh because he only moved there aged two despite having a Welsh mother. Jamie Heaslip shouldn’t be considered Irish because his dad was on duty with the UN peacekeepers?’’
Former Ireland No 8 Heaslip was born in Tiberias, Israel, while his father was working there for the United Nations Initial 32-man All Blacks squad for northern tour (where they were born – overseas in bold): Dane Coles (Paraparaumu), Nathan Harris (Tauranga), Codie Taylor (Levin).
Owen Franks (Moteuka),
Joe Moody (Christchurch), Karl Tu’inukuafe (Auckland),
Scott Barrett (New Plymouth), Brodie Retallick (Rangiora), Patrick Tuipulotu (Christchurch), Sam Whitelock (Palmerston North).
Dalton Papalii (Auckland), Kieran Read (Papakura), Ardie Savea (Wellington), Liam Squire (Palmerston North), Matt Todd (Christchurch).
TJ Perenara (Porirua), Aaron Smith (Palmerston North), Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (Rotorua). Beauden Barrett (New Plymouth), Damian Mckenzie (Invercargill), Richie Mo’unga (Christchurch).
Ryan Crotty (Nelson), Jack Goodhue (Whangarei), Anton Lienert-brown (Christchurch), Sonny Bill Williams (Auckland).
Jordie Barrett (New Plymouth), Rieko Ioane (Auckland),
Ben Smith (Dunedin). Interim
(UNIFIL).
It’s not the first time Pichot has spoken out about the subject of players opting to represent a nation they were not born in.
The Argentinian said rugby was ‘‘losing something’’ when former Hurricanes captain Brad Shields was first pictured in an England shirt.
Masterton-born Shields qualifies for England via both his parents who moved to New Zealand in their childhood and he made his international debut against South Africa in June.
Pichot, who made 71 appearances for Argentina from 1995-2008, was instrumental in having World Rugby extend the qualification period for players to switch countries from three to five years living in their new country.
It has been something of a crusade for Pichot, who voiced his concerns over the subject when he was elevated to the vicechairman role of the sport’s governing body in 2016. Force in Lebanon A$25,000 (NZ$26,560) next week to donate to a worthwhile cause. While it may pain Australian rugby fans to have the New Zealand and South African Super Rugby teams included in the study, Darwin said the Canterbury team’s achievements had been remarkable.
‘‘In 2011 they did something we’ve never seen before, they basically played the entire season away from their home ground because of the earthquake and they still made the final. To pull that off is pretty extraordinary, particularly with all the extra things that come with earthquakes, like family stress and constantly changing environments,’’ he said.
‘‘They’ve also punched above their weight geographically, representing an area smaller than Newcastle or Geelong, but they have consistently recruited internally from the local area, and produced extraordinary results.’’
The Broncos and Geelong came in second and third, while National Water Polo League team the Fremantle Mariners and Women’s National Cricket League side the NSW Breakers rounded out the top five, edging out higher profile sides such as the Queensland Bulls (sixth), the Storm (eighth) and the Roosters (10th) in the top 10.
The study, launched in partnership with equities fund Platinum Asset Management, used competition stability, size and longevity to compare teams across the 14 eligible national or Australasian leagues, before ranking them according to consistent performance. The methodology meant that no A League team made the top 25.
Hookers:
Props: (Apia, Samoa),
(Nukualofa, Tonga). Locks:
Nepo Laulala
Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Loose forwards: Vaea Fifita (Vavau, Tonga),
Halfbacks:
First five-eighths:
Midfielders:
Outside backs:
(Sigatoka, Fiji),
At a glance
Waisake Naholo
Australasia’s best sporting teams, top 10:
Crusaders (Super Rugby) 1, Brisbane Broncos (NRL) 2, Geelong Cats (AFL) 3, Fremantle Mariners (National Water Polo League) 4, NSW Breakers (Women’s National Cricket League) 5, Queensland Bulls (Sheffield Shield) 6, Sydney University Lions (National Women’s Water Polo League) 7, Melbourne Storm (NRL) 8, Perth Wildcats (ANBL) 9, Sydney Roosters (NRL) 10.