My housemate is Welsh, a footy and big RU fan who hates the English teams. He wasn’t happy when I pointed out that 9 of the Welsh footy squad that made the semis in last year’s Euros were English and 7 of the Welsh 6 Nations squad were English!

Just finished watching this game by the way, game of the weekend! Good entertainment

Absolutely correct. Sadly some RL “fans” like nothing more than to criticise and talk down RL.

Never really seen much of people moaning about the Aussies and NZ taking players in left right and centre from the Pacific nations over the years. Weird how people get the hump when its lesser nations.

That "Lebanese" team was an insult to France. It was full of grandparent rule choices. Not one member of the Lebanese team was born in Lebanon..

By contrast only one man, the full back, was picked for the French team on residency criteria. The rest were born in France.

Wasn't moaning when Luke Walsh was knocking them over for Catalan was you.


Hypocrisy at its finest

If Lebanon shared a border with Australia you'd have a point, but they don't and therefore neither do you!

Ireland's 23 man RU side v Scotland earlier this year featured 1 English Born player, 1 French Born and one born in Israeli Born......Ireland's 17 man RL matchday squad featured not one Irish born player......there opponents Italy featured not one Italian Born player....in fact, after the first round of matches played, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon and Scotland played a grand total of 6 players born in the country they were representing...or 95% heritage players.
Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying this World Cup but it is nigh on impossible to defend International RL from accusations of being contrived when the reality is that it is as contrived as it is possible to be!

That's a fairly damning statistic. Just have to hope that in future years the numbers of players born/brought up in those countries will increase.

Mickey Mack said it's the pinnacle of his career representing Ireland, to be able to honour the legacy of his late grandfather.

I have no doubt that all the players at this event are proud to pull on their countries shirts...the passion from the Lebanese players was very genuine.

My favourite example of how fluid international selection can be fluid.
Aku Uate lived in Fiji till he was 16.
At 17 he was selected to play for Australian schoolboys and they got him in front of a microphone at a Newcastle Knights function to talk about his selection, and after about a minute it became clear that he didn't speak enough English to understand the questions - he pretty much still spoke Fijian and a bit of broken English.

A Fijian born State of Origin player who has represented Australia and Fiji.....proof that the Aussies will bend and shape the rules to suit them!

So you're saying the rules have never been bent for the French?

Can Gutterfax not be banned again? He did this throughout the last World Cup and pretty much ruined the discussion for everyone here

I moderated a forum during the last WC in Australia, and we decided before the cup to have a "shoot on sight" policy for Union trolls.
They see the League WC as something they must ruin for as many people as possible.
Usually, union trolls are just conversation starters and fun to have around, but during a WC they can bring down the mood for everyone when we should be enjoying the game.