RANGI CHASE has chosen to play for england. He qualifies under the residency rule he's played for Castleford for 3 seasons, his he better than the other halfbacks in the England squadfor the 4 nations series? ???

It pains me to say it but yes.
Who are the alternatives ?
We do have some young English talent coming through but non as good as Chase.
If it means we finally beat the Aussies and win some silverware then I am all for it.
(Although England now also have to get past a very good NZ side)
RU do it and so do the Aussies and even more so our cricket team so why not England RL

there are some very good young half backs in the competition though in the likes of lomax and gaskell what do you think the impression there getting is i dont agree with the decision to be honest

Personally I'd go for Melbourne Storms first choice number 6.

England Cricket became best in the world with a team full of foreigners, Pietersen, Trott, Morgan, Kieswetter.
That worked a treat so why not Rangi Chase, very good player and would give the team a lift having the 2011 Man of Steel in the side.

Dont forget Strauss and Prior as well.But can you seriously be proud of your national teams with that many foriegners . I for one think that you should only play for your country if you were born there.

You could have a team full of qausi English players and it wouldn't help I'm affraid. Playing as England is a stupid idea, I'm from a Welsh background and I'm proud we/they are taking part but even with my Rosiest tinted specs on I can see nothing but 50+ thrashings every time.
Sorry but the sooner we get back to playing as the GB Lions the better for our chances and for RL in the British Isles, by all means have a bi annual 5 Nations and then the Tri nations the alternate years (maye with the Aussies and Kiwis playing a Tri nations against a combined South Sea island team in the alternate years).

There has to be a serious re think on the international game if we are ever going to be anything other than bit part players to the teams from Down Under.

Are you saying that 3 players out of 11 is classed as being "full of foreigners"??

So who in the Wales/Scotland/Ireland squads would get in a combined GB team then?
I'm not disagreeing re GB instead of individual home nations but I can't see it making a huge difference at the moment. We just don't have enough players full stop to compete with Australia never mind enough quality players.

Well Danny Brough seems to have a United Nations onmi passport so there's maybe one, think the Welsh have a few decent younger players and haven't Saints just taken on two good Irish lads?.

Despite not being the biggest fan of the place all the talk of expansion seems to forgo Ireland, think playing the Aussies as a GB team over in Dublin would be a winner and would potentially generate a huge crowd and would help gauge if there is the market for an SL team, seems that there isn't a football team in Dublin so pretty sure a franchise would be well greated and even more sure that between the Gaelic sports and RU there would be very talented natural rugby league athletes and knowing RL fans they would drink Dublin dry every other weekend so it's win win for the City and the people in it.

There are loads of football clubs based in Dublin - Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians, St Patricks Athletic and UCD all of whom are currently in the premier league of the League of Ireland. Plus Shelbourne who are in the 1st Division.
And Dublin is a ludicrously expensive city too. I could understand them trying out a Millennium-style weekend over there but can't see a franchise over there in my lifetime. It's not taken off in Wales who have more of a history of RL so why would it take off in Ireland?

As stated before there is also Strauss and Prior, that means over half of the England lineup were not born in England.

In previous years Mascheranas and Geraint Jones.

Now it is spilling into Rugby with Rangi Chase, how long will it be until the England National football teams get players in soley due to residancy, Drogba and Torres now qualify

As it stands, not many.

Although, from a 'growing the game' perspective, alienating two Nations of prospective supporters can't be a good thing. No sane Welshman or Scot would ever support an England team. RL always felt right as GB to me. Although I'd support England, just like most other sports with an English National Side, it feels like we are doomed to failure before we start just because we have the England title.

Bring back GB. It was fine the way it was. The game is not strong enough outside of England to produce competitive sides (You could argue that England could be included here) By all means, in 50 years time when RL is the National Sport of the UK and we have the strength in depth to offer proper International RL Let's split the Nations up. Of course this wont happen, but for the moment, imo, we should go back to GB.

Andrew Strauss was born in Johannesburg but moved to England aged 6.
Matt Prior was born in Johannesburg and moved to England aged 11 and has an English father giving him eligibility for England.
Kevin Pietersen was born in Pietermaritzburg but has lived over here for over 10 years and has an English mother which gives him eligibility anyway.
Jonathan Trott holds a British passport due to his British grandparents.
Dimitri Mascarenhas was born in London but was brought up in Oz.
Geraint Jones has a British passport through his parents even though he was born in PNG and brought up in Oz.
Craig Kieswetter has never played, and hopefully never will play, test match cricket for England.

Neither Drogba or Torres qualify for the football team as they have played competitive football for their countries.

I think more vitriol should be poured on to the England rugby union team having in their midsts at the moment Shontayne Hape who played for NZ at RL as well as having recently picked Henry Paul (NZ RL) and Lesley Vainikolo (NZ RL) and having Dylan Hartley, Manu Tuilagi, Simon Shaw, Matt Stevens and Joe Simpson in the current squad, none of whom were born in this country.

Rant over!!

It's not new in RL, Tulsen Tollet got picked probably 20 years ago to tour with the GB Lions and then not long ago there was the two south sea islanders from Saints and maybe Hull? and isn't Chris Heighington Aussie born and bred?

I don't know where people get that from? I've been and its no more expensive than Manchester!

Tulsen Tollet is English.

Tulsen Tollet was born in Sussex and lived there til he was six.

I don't have an objection to players playing for a country other than the place of birth/raised etc. You could argue Martin Gleeson shouldn't have played for GB.

What should happen is once you select a country at senior level you shouldn't pick and choose any team that will allow you to play.

This should be international rules and ensure the Aussies aren't full of Islanders.

Akuila Ua'te, who else?

only if you get others to buy your drinks.

last time i was there about 5 years ago a slab of guinness (24 cans) was 55 euros, thats a lot more than Manchester

Urrmmm in the interests of fairness to the RU guys:

Simon Shaw moved to England from Kenya aged 16, Started playing Rugby when he moved here, and represented England at all ages group levels. The man may have been born in Kenya, but to an English family.

Matt Stevens has English Parents

Dylan Hartley has an English Mother

Joe Simpson was born In Aus, to an English Father.

Manu Tulilagi had played ALL his rugby in England, as he moved here at a early age, and chose to represent England (where he grew up).

They have all played their entire careers to date in England, so why do they deserve more vitriol than any of the Cricketers?

Hape, Paul, and Vainikolo well, thats a different case. Shouldn't have been allowed.

£1.52 per can? (the exchange rate 5 years ago was €1.50 to the £) maybe a little over the top but jeez you must be one tight ar$e Pev. FWIW I was there just over 12 months ago and a pint of Guinness in a pub on O'Connell Street was €3 at an exchange then of €1.22 to the £ so - £2.45 a pint!