We've all had the overseas player debate, but my feelings have 'developed' slightly. The UK, and England in particular, has such a strange relationship with the rest of the world that I can fully understand England teams with 'foreign' players - we still are the wealthiest of the Commonwealth nations, and Rugby and Cricket are still very much Empire sports, if you look at who plays them. So it is understandable that England is a magnet for players from around the rugby/ cricket world - and, of course, many of these people make up the 'English diaspora'.
No, I don't like hearing England players interviewed with non-English accents, but then when I'm at work or at Uni or in the street, I interact with countless people who don't have English accents either, and live here permanently. Accent nationalism is becoming a thing of the past.
As far as I'm concerned, the iRB rules are what they are and England would be stupid not to look a gift horse in the mouth. I get very irritated when foreign guys are picked aheaad of English guys when they don't deserve it, like Hape, but in the case of Hartley or Waldrom, then there's no problem at all.
