‘Fanning the flames of xenophobia’
World Rugby vice-chairman Agustin Pichot has sparked outrage among the home nations by sharing a list of the top international teams and adding what percentage of their squads include players ‘‘not born in their countries’’.
Pichot was voted rugby’s most influential person by the respected Rugby World magazine in August but his tweet posted this week, which features statistics for the top 11 rugby-playing nations, has led to calls for the former Argentina halfback to resign for ‘‘fanning the flames of xenophobia’’.
The 44-year-old’s post lists Scotland (46.3 per cent) on top for having the most ‘‘foreign-born players’’ in their squad for the November tests, while South Africa and Argentina are bottom (both with 0 per cent).
Scotland host Argentina in their final test of the year in Edinburgh on Sunday (NZ time) and some of the anger aimed at Pichot suggested his tweet was a subtle dig at the Scottish team.
Interestingly, New Zealand is listed second from bottom with 12.5 per cent, while Japan (37.1), Italy (29.7), Australia (29.4), England (27.7), Ireland (26.1), Wales (24.3), France (12.9) are ranked from second to eighth.
According to Pichot’s list, England, Ireland and Wales all have about double the number of New Zealand’s players born overseas in their respective squads.
Northern rugby scribes have traditionally criticised the All Blacks for pinching talent from the Pacific Islands, but Stuff revealed last year that England had been the home of poaching in rugby since 2005.
Only four of the initial 32-man All Blacks squad named for their northern tour were born overseas: Nepo Laulala (Apia, Samoa), Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Nukualofa, Tonga), Vaea Fifita (Vavau, Tonga) and Waisake Naholo (Sigatoka, Fiji).
As for Pichot, his offending tweet caused quite a stir and the post had drawn close to 3000 reactions by yesterday.
Twitter users accused Pichot of ‘‘total xenophobia’’ and said he was talking nonsense, pointing out that members of Wales’ squad were factored into their percentage of ‘‘foreign-born players’’ when born in neighbouring England.
Wales winger George North was born in King’s Lynn in England to an English father and a
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 Interim Force in Lebanon (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.