Narrow minded continue to inhibit minnow nations like Samoa

[nickdnz]

Well i'm eligible for New Zealand so.. There we go.

Show off.

Dont players who look to be stars in years to come(ages like 8 years old plus) get taking over from other island to NZ and then developt as well as posssible and thats how they are so good aswell? i know they get taking at older ages to but what about younger ages? im just wondering for information

None of it is true. The All Blacks have Pacific Island player because New Zealand has the most Pacific Islanders out of any country, including the Pacific Island nations. There are no talent scouts who go out to the islands, the players who play for the All Blacks are usually born in New Zealand or immigrated here at a very early age. Either way they learn to play rugby in the best rugby youth system in the world. It's a bit of a myth that the AB's poach or "cherry pick" PI players, infact it's very much the opposite, with much of the Samoan rugby team who were born in New Zealand and played for NZ clubs, and qualify for Samoa on ancestory.

 

[smartcooky]

Dont players who look to be stars in years to come(ages like 8 years old plus) get taking over from other island to NZ and then developt as well as posssible and thats how they are so good aswell? i know they get taking at older ages to but what about younger ages? im just wondering for information

No, this does not happen at all.

It would just pay for you to not make stuff up out of your own head.

There are over 275,000 Pacific Islanders living in NZ. Do you think the NZRU paid the billions of dollars it would have cost to bring them here on the off chance that they might get a half dozen good players out of it?

 

[UilamOsa]

Just thought I'd say that I feel there should be some sort of clause that covers extreme circumstances, that would allow a player to play for another country.

Such as if a former Zim player got chased out of Zim during the farm raids and such, or other xenophobic/ racial/ political/ etc forms of oppression make it impossible to play for their 'former' country, and then you get other circumstances, like what if Tendai Mtwarira had his application for SA citizenship declined? He would no longer be able to play international rugby, not ofany wrong choice or such, but simply because of new legalities and rules regarding eligibility which he could not forsee

And, going to other less likely circumstances, what happens when a country splits, and two unions are formed? What if a union were to be disbanded, due to something strange like an island country 'sinking'/ other natural disaster.

I lay claim to being the most diverse TRF member, being elligible for 6 countries ( Scotland, SA, Germany, Zambia, Zimbabwe and unfortunately England). Who can top that?

I lay claim to New Zealand, Samoa, Australia - Confirmed. German, Chinese - likely but to be confirmed. Tongan - To be...dear god i hope not, i would rather be an Aussie...confirmed. But you win - hands down I think.

Dont players who look to be stars in years to come(ages like 8 years old plus) get taking over from other island to NZ and then developt as well as posssible and thats how they are so good aswell? i know they get taking at older ages to but what about younger ages? im just wondering for information

It's done all the time. We've now advanced our DNA profiling, so we can limit the number of rejects that don't fit the AB's profile, we've also changed our Immigration laws so that those not required can be deported. (See Quade Cooper, Shontayne Hape, Sekope Kepu etc)

 

[cimbomjubi82]

From my experience, i find that young kids in Samoa would play for the AB's over Samoa. It's kind of the pinnicle for them. Most Samoans move to NZ at a young age, and as they are already well into rugby, many of them find themselves in the AB arena at some stage. Many of them don't get close. At the last RWC, Samoa fielded 12 'foreigners' in a game i recall. These are players who are born in NZ, and haven't made the AB's but are uncapped and qualify for Samoa.

I do find though at 7's level dual-nationals that are rising talents get a game for NZ then seem to disappear and then can't represent the islands. You can also argue that none of the AB islanders would have been such big stars if they hadn't of moved to NZ to get that rugby foundation knowledge.

 

[Deadmonton]

Hah, I'm eligible for France, despite having no French ancestry at all.