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The answer is NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's turning Rugby into a joke. It needs to stop now, and go back to the good old days of parents and grand-parents.

Could we get your feelings on the subject of Refs? Specially on this : An Irish Referee, refereeing and semi-final in Dublin, Ireland (just in case people don't know, i.e. RaboBank Direct Pro 12 organisation) with and Irish team playing, how can the referee be impartial?

Totall agree with Alex. Countries can now effectively buy the team they want (provided they have the money to do so).

Good call on the referees situation too. I was shocked to see an Irish referee being used to referee a game between an Irish and a Scottish team. With three countries having teams in the RaboBank Pro 12, is it really so difficult to ensure that a refereeing team from the third country is put in charge?

Personally, I think Tim Visser is a special case. Playing for his own national team wouldn't have provided him with the level of rugby he aspired to. Therefore he had to look at other options.

If it came to Scotland hooking in players from Southern Hemisphere to play on grounds of residency, then I fear the main issue would be home-grown Scottish players just not being good enough.

Good point(s) all - but I don't think we can have the Parents and Grandparents rule while disregarding the Residency rule. My grandparents are from England, Italy and Australia - yet I was born and raised in Scotland and would never consider anything else (if I happend to play rugby professionally) than playing for Scotland!

Therefore if you live here (in the Residency instance, over 3 years) and you feel you wish to represent them, then you should be able - Remember, once you choose, you can't play for anyone else so its obviously a huge commitment!

Parents and Grandparents fine, being born in the country fine, Residency for three years rubbish!!!! If the boy was schooled in the country and applies for a GB passport and gets it, then maybe.

Cant see the specific ancestor rule coming back any time soon when influential teams like England (with the biggest player base in the world) adopt overses players. New Zealand have been doing it for years with the Pacific Islanders.

Going back to last weekend, I know it was agreed to have a merit system of selection for officiasl but to have 6 Irishmen in the Rabo semi final was stretching the boundaries of impartially to the limit.

I think 3 years is way too soon.... I would agree that if a player has lived in Scotland for a decade or more, then I would suggest they would have a certain loyalty to their "home". Mr.Lineen, for example.

The foreign 3 player rule, that was adopted in footie a few years ago maybe a consideration?

Ref's, stupid that they cannot get this impartial. How can an Irish ref not be bias to a Irish team? If you think back to the semi final of RWC, Allain Rowland?!?! An french/Irish ref on a Wales v France game, that the Wales disposed of the Irish in the previous round!!! LOL, and in my opinion, a joke performance during the game.

It's been happening for a long time: the first rugby international featured a born-and-bred Scot playing for England, and, I think, an Englishman playing for Scotland. In the early 60s Scotland fielded Frans ten Bos, who was born in England, with Dutch forebears: he apparently qualified through residence in Scotland, while at boarding school.

But it has become a serious problem: it favours the countries who have the most money with which to bribe players to change their 'nationality', through three years of a remunerative contract with an English club. The principal culprit in this practice is, of course, England, through need, wealth, and lack of scruples. Even true-born English international players were 'shamateurs' years before the game became openly professional, and any pretence that it is a game for English 'gentlemen' has long been abandoned.

"New Zealand have been doing it for years with the Pacific Islanders".

How many times do we have to put up with this tutae?

New Zealand is the largest group of islands in the Polynesian archipelago and there has been migration between Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands for decades - which escalated after the Pacific Islands were granted independence in the 1960s. The All Blacks to which you refer are for the most part the sons of factory workers who had emigrated to New Zealand in the 1970s and 1980s seeking a better life ( apparently ). There are a handful who may have arrived on scholarships but New Zealand also provides academic scholarships - should we cut that out too?

Once and for all can we dismiss this conception that some of you have that vast silver fern liveried trawlers hoover the Pacific Islands of their promising sportsmen and that New Zealand equals Dorset in the 1950s?

John,

I'm a fan of your blogs and your commentary but I'm torn by this piece.

It is relevant; you raise a valid point about national identity and eligibility but we've been here before.

Instead - and I apologise for my brutal honesty - your article reads as needlessly controversial, pleased with itself and self-gratifyingly introspective. The issues you raise are obvious but accepted. It appears you've articulated this view to make waves and sound humble and 'big'.

You are humble. You're a nice guy. And you're better than this. We know that.

I'd have preferred to comment and read about the team selection overall; Andy Robinson's future (post-Summer [various permutations guessed] tests) and the new young guns making the squad, replacing the retiring, valiant old boys.

Just saying.

And on that note, I'm predicting heroic - and unexpected wins - over Australia and Fiji but I think Samoa will best us.

Come on Scotland!

I agree with most above that the three year rule is far too short! That's a decent club contract away from any nationality.

I don't understand how these players move from the Southern Hemisphere and claim their home is "X". I technically could play for any of the home nations (Irish mother and residency for Wales and England), but I would never consider anyone other than Scotland... I don't know how I could ever stand and hear the anthem of another country without feeling like an outsider.

I think of these guys as modern day mercenaries. Sure choose to move to whichever club you fancy but you can't pick and choose your home depending on whether you'll make selection!

Of course I don't agree with it but with our lack of finishers Im not exactly shouting about it.

Also John I was born in Norway, lived there for a couple of years and then lived the rest of my life in Scotland. Unfortunatley I dont feel any attachment to the country at all...

Imports are great for the game, they bring a new dimension to our rugby and can only improve our own players. The danger is that we become like football where overseas players have killed the development of home grown players.

Imports have done nothing but good for NZ and as long as we ensure that the numbers are in proportion then it will do the same for us.

re the summer tour pity the Aussie match is first not last.

Tim Visser is not the first Dutchman to play for Scotland. Who remembers Frans ten Bos? He was in the British Army, played for London Scottish, that was good enough for the SRU, fearing England would snap him up, played him ASAP. If I remember correctly, he played for London Scottish because he was in the Black Watch!!

Xcoach

Re the imports point - please see my email above.

That we should not choose players that have grown up in New Zealand because of their birth overseas or their parent's choice in terms of lifestyle will seriously knacker any New Zealand sporting team ( the same applies to the All Whites soccer team but as they are not top of their sport this is not a problem apparently ) because of the high proportion of our population who fall into that bracket.

It will also seriously affect the Samoa team as a large proportion of that team were born in or brought up in New Zealand.

I get that the Home Unions feel threatened by the fact that guys on the fringes of the All Blacks can get into national teams over here - but they are making themselves available under the rules that apply, they are not forcing the Unions concerned to pick them. Change the rules if you think that will help - just don't drag New Zealand into the "they've been co-opting Polynesians into their teams for years" as a justification as this blithely ignores that we are South Pacific nation not some Baden-Powell / Rudyard Kipling inspired scion of Empire.

When the UK joined the EEC the writing was on the wall for us and we cast our net wider.

How's that EEC thing working for you?

should be schooled, born or have scottish parents to play for scotland. doesnt matter who this dutch guy is Scotland will still be duff at rugby! perhaps should encourage rugby at state schools rather than the private schools so that the talent pool widens and resortin to getting players from other countries to play for scotland!