Quote: Muggins "Is there any point in reverting to GB for this tour?
How many of the team and squad would be Scots, Welsh or Irish? Are we going to play heritage players like those teams do at the world cup? If you're eligible for Scotland at a world cup then you're eligible for GB in 2019 on the same basis, right?
Wouldn't it be better to just keep the England set up as it is and play as England as much as possible, especially against the Australians because we won't improve unless we play regularly against the best?
I'm just thinking that suppose there were a couple of non-English players that made the GB team/squad, you'd then have the situation where two of the current England players would lose their place for one tour. So, they would play at this world cup, against the Kiwis in 2018, but then lose their place for 2019 when it's GB before, presumably, returning in 2020 when it's England again. Equally, those non-English players that were selected for GB surely wouldn't be keen to return to playing for Scotland and Wales where they get smashed most of the time (at least against the top teams). For example, a year after playing for GB and hopefully being part of a competitive team against the Aussies, they're back playing for Scotland or Wales in a warm up game when the Kangaroos come over in 2020. Losing heavily in front of one man and his dog in Cumbria or whatever.
This is a different scenario to the rugby union British and Irish lions. That team doesn't disrupt (replace) the international teams as much because the likes of England RU play so many games for it not to be an issue. For example, England this year played in the six nations (5 games), plus they've had the autumn internationals (3 games), so it's not a case of when the British and Irish Lions play there is no international matches that year for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. I think I'm right that those teams even play at the same time as the Lions are on tour, just obviously minus their Lions selected players.
If it's the case that the GB team is going to be exactly the same as the current England team, then what is the point? Is it just to sell a different shirt and as a nod to tradition?
I'll support whatever team we play as, but I'm just not sure there's much point in this change. Maybe they should just give up on Scotland, Wales etc. and play as GB all the time, including world cups. We weakened ourselves by splitting up for the 1995 world cup because we could have had the likes of Jonathan Davies and Anthony Sullivan had we played as GB.
As far as I can tell the only point in having Scotland, Ireland and Wales is to help beef up the number of teams for a world cup. That's maybe a bit harsh but when you look at how much they rely on heritage players, I do wonder if they will ever become competitive with mostly home grown players.'"
Well unless I am wrong Jonathan Davis and Anthony Sullivan played for G Britain and is dad Sullivan helped to win the last world cup in fact he was captain and lots of welsh players played for G Britain and a few scots has well G Fairbairn for one so what is your point I do not get it
