Bandi Aki, Immanuel Fahey-Waboso and Doohan van der Merwe play for countries in which they were not born
Your best versus our best: this is the sacred precept upon which all international team sports are built. Yet even a competition as steeped in tribal identity as the Six Nations has moved away from these moorings. Take last weekend's Calcutta Cup, a competition organized by Scotsman Doohan van der Merwe, whose name hardly evokes the rugged Cairngorms clan. Not that the problem ever came down to one player. Of the 39 people chosen by Gregor Townsend to wear Scottish blue this year, 23 were born elsewhere.
“The fluidity of nationalities is constantly lurking in the background at this tournament. I remember speaking in 2012 to Muritz Botha, who spent all his formative years in South Africa after being brought to England by the three-year residency rule. “Over time, you develop pride and passion for your country,” he explained. But is this enough? Could this fast track to unwavering national allegiance ever be more, in sporting terms, than just a union of convenience?
“Ollie Hassell-Collins provides an instructive example. Memories are still fresh of the two Six Nations caps the wing earned for England last year, where he gushed about how he had long dreamed of wearing the red rose. A year later, with his Test career at a standstill, he tells The Telegraph he was equally captivated by the idea of representing Wales. You see, he has a grandmother from Wales. And that, unless he makes a surprising impression in England's ranks in the meantime, will be all he needs to begin singing the praises of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers) in 2026.
The situation is developing quickly. the kingdom of the absurd. It should be emphasized that Hassell-Collins is not suggesting anything contrary to the rules. World Rugby Rule Eight clarifies that qualification is ensured by having a grandparent born in the same country, and that a change of national allegiance is possible after a 36-month waiting period. But we can certainly give up the pretense that his ploy is a passion project. Here is a player who, as it stands, is not even considered good enough for England A, but who is allowed to keep the Wales option on the table as a convenient contingency.
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