We've been doing that for years and we've won the same amout of trophies as them.

Doesn't having 2 decent International teams devalue it more? If England, by hook or by crook, can get up to the level of Aus/NZ and have a competitive team then that can only be good for sport. Not everyone is fanatics like the people on RLFans, people don't care whether Strauss is South African or Hape is a Kiwi, they care about watching their nation win.

Only since Hargreaves doesn't get picked.

I can only wonder what Aussies and Kiwis McNamara is contemplating calling up from Leeds, Saints, Wigan and Warrington. Monaghan? King? Webb? Richards? After all, they'll improve the team of course.

Hargreaves' dad is English so he was entitled to play for England from the second he was born.

Slightly less tenuous than a Kiwi playing at Castleford for three years because St George didn't want him, whilst talking in the press about his boyhood dreams of playing for NZ.

It was only in July Chase claimed he wanted to play for NZ!!

I'm surprised this has caused such a backlash. It never has to this extent before and Rangi is by far the best player to have switched.

People are talking a lot of nonsense about devaluing the international game. We can't devalue it any more- we manage to squeeze a 4 nation tournament when only three countries in the world are any good and we scrapped the GB team and no longer play the ashes.

In the main no one watches international rugby it and no one cares- not even in Rugby League circles. However if we actually win something people might start taking an interest- like when England cricket won the ashes with the help of South Africans. If we win the 4n then the benefit will not be for existing fans, but the new fans that will be attracted. The number of sports where this happens now I don't think that it will stop people from taking an interest in our sport should we win. Look at the sport that Greg Rudeski got from British fans... and he was rubbish!!

Those who are concerned about the message it sends out to young English players- how different is it to clubs signing overseas players? How many of you fans that don't want Rangi to play are happy with the number of overseas players a team is allowed. I think reducing the number of overseas players in the Superleague is of far more importance to helping young talent develop than playing a NZ stand-off for England. Yet every time the quota is discussed people come out saying that the standard of Superleague would drop.

The fact that he openly claimed in the media to be using a game AGAINST England only a couple of MONTHS ago as a springboard to fulfil his boyhood dream of playing for NZ might have something to do with it.

No doubt he's a class act.

Come and support Wales instead.

Imagine the fun if Benji picked up a training injury and Rangi got the call?

P.s. I thought you had to state your preference each term / year anyway???

Question for those who don't mind this development - how many residency players is OK in your opinion?

Would people genuinely have no issue with going to watch England and seeing 10 Kiwi/Aus players who had only been in the country three years? Do they not think this would "cheapen" England RL?

Daft comparison Nick as those forces are paid to be in Germany by HM goverment They live in British bases which is classed as British territory.

Whether you agree or not this says one thing, THE RFL and McBanana see INTERNATIONAL RUGBY as IMPORTANT.

Without a national prescence in terms of a team we will struggle to get any publicity or money into the game.

I presume by people being fanatics, you’re referring to me

.

Do you really believe that, by putting Antipodean players in the England team enabling a hollow victory, will somehow enhance the profile of the game Nationally?

I believe it will alienate many ‘fanatics’ but more worrying is, it will de-motivate many home-grown players, knowing that their chance to play for their country will diminish.

I’m sure with a smattering of English lads & quite a few residency players, we could probable give the Aussies a game, however being a ‘Fanatic’ Rugby League supporter with no interest in Cricket, R.U or whatever, I will personally be ambivalent to the result.

1). He qualifies for England
2). He will add quality to the team
3). Does he have a good Yorkshire middle name we can use instead of Rangi? Like Dave or Geoff?

Surely Johnny Lomax has got to be in?

I haven't been too fussed about the others but this has wound me up. Cas were knocked out of the play-offs weeks ago. Why wasn't he called into the squad then? Because he was waiting for the NZ squad announcement yesterday. Which funnily enough he wasn't a part of.

We need to keep Chase, Heighington, Reed etc. away from the media, that way we might be able to play them without the majority of the general public realising they are not English. That way, if we do get some success we may not attract too much criticism.

Personally, I wouldn't pick him because of his obvious desire a few months ago to play against us not for us. Actually, while McNamara is coaching us it probably doesn't matter who we pick.

Pete Chase good honest stand off from Yorkshire!

Barry McKenzie at Full Back?

Surely Rolf Harris qualifies?

What about that bird that was in Home and Away and then Emmerdale, she deserves a game considering she went out with Matt Le Tissier. (Le Tissier wasn't he from Jersey)

1. Tomkins
6. Chase
7. Lomax
9. Roby
13. Sinfield



Awesome

I'll say it again, you should only be allowed to pay for a country that you are a citizen of and hold a passport for. Farcical, a whole country of players to pick from and we need to choose a player who couldn't get an NRL start.

No Widdop?

Spot on. Was still deciding on whether or not to go to the Wembley double-header, but this news has definitely made my mind up for me...I'll be at Hibs vs Dunfermline that day! What an absolute shambles that completely cheapens the whole concept of international RL. Couldn't care less if cricket does it etc etc etc, it still means a GENUINE English player will be missing out to someone who is only turning out for England because his own country didn't pick him.

Rotation, options. Isn't that a nice thought