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<blockquote data-quote="goodNumber10" data-source="post: 665528" data-attributes="member: 71068">with this: &quot;If you represent a country wishing you could actually play for another&quot;.It&#039;s difficult to see how someone, who&#039;s national identity is not English wouldn&#039;t want to play for their home country if all things were equal. But the point is it&#039;s more about sportsmen playing to their full potential at the highest level. I don&#039;t think it makes them spineless - the complete opposite actually. Personally, i really don&#039;t have an issue with people following that path if they are qualified to play for that country - either on residency or lineage, but i do/would have an issue with people then changing their allegiance once they have committed.As we&#039;ve touched on National identity is a complex issue, couple with the drive of an elite athlete and it&#039;s a complex and difficult question entirely dependent on the individualreally good point.I&#039;m in no way trying to compare myself here, but I played touch rugby for the country I lived in. I&#039;m English, everything about me is English. Would I have rather played for England, absolutely! but the opportunity wasn&#039;t and would never have been there for me.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="goodNumber10, post: 665528, member: 71068"] with this: "If you represent a country wishing you could actually play for another". It's difficult to see how someone, who's national identity is not English wouldn't want to play for their home country if all things were equal. But the point is it's more about sportsmen playing to their full potential at the highest level. I don't think it makes them spineless - the complete opposite actually. Personally, i really don't have an issue with people following that path if they are qualified to play for that country - either on residency or lineage, but i do/would have an issue with people then changing their allegiance once they have committed. As we've touched on National identity is a complex issue, couple with the drive of an elite athlete and it's a complex and difficult question entirely dependent on the individual really good point. I'm in no way trying to compare myself here, but I played touch rugby for the country I lived in. I'm English, everything about me is English. Would I have rather played for England, absolutely! but the opportunity wasn't and would never have been there for me. [/QUOTE]

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