International qualification

[kettering_baggie]

I just don’t understand the rules for players, in any sport, when it comes to qualifying to play for a country. I have been watching the Scotland v England rugby match and a bloke by the name of Duhan van der Merwe has scored two tries for Scotland. Van der Merwe, now there’s a good old Scottish name! He is, of course, South African and has lived most of his life in South Africa but apparently qualifies to play for Scotland as he has lived there for three years (he currently plays club rugby for Edinburgh). Surely this is absurd; living in Scotland for three years does not make a South African Scottish! There’s no Scottish parentage, by the way. There are probably similar absurdities in many sports. To my mind, it makes a mockery of international sport.

[soulman101]

Van Der Merwe is a Dutch name .

[kettering_baggie]

Van Der Merwe is a Dutch name .

Indeed, the Africaaners were originally the predominately Dutch settlers in South Africa. Hence Van der Merwe being South African!

[Prando]

Notwithstanding…it’s a good watch Ketts buddy…apart from the score with 3 mins to go
PS he’s in the sin bin with a red card review

[kettering_baggie]

Notwithstanding…it’s a good watch Ketts buddy…apart from the score with 3 mins to go
PS he’s in the sin bin with a red card review

England are woeful, though, it ought to be possible to put out a far better English team than this, or is it down to poor coaching?

[TipperaryBaggie]

I just don’t understand the rules for players, in any sport, when it comes to qualifying to play for a country. I have been watching the Scotland v England rugby match and a bloke by the name of Duhan van der Merwe has scored two tries for Scotland. Van der Merwe, now there’s a good old Scottish name! He is, of course, South African and has lived most of his life in South Africa but apparently qualifies to play for Scotland as he has lived there for three years (he currently plays club rugby for Edinburgh). Surely this is absurd; living in Scotland for three years does not make a South African Scottish! There’s no Scottish parentage, by the way. There are probably similar absurdities in many sports. To my mind, it makes a mockery of international sport.

If that is the case, surely England should have been allowed to call on Christiano Ronaldo when he was playing for United. The whole qualification rules are a farce.

[mickd1961]

Cricket has been the driving force with this for years Kets as you will know.

I remember us waiting 7 years for Graeme Hick to qualify for us and he then turned out to be sh y t e.

Then we had Zola Budd being parachuted in in 1984 to race for GB in the Olympics and then she became South African again to represent them in 88.

Kepler Wessells decided to be an Aussie and then became a South African again.

I feel that the 7 year rule was the fairest way of doing this and I would also stop this nonsense of allowing a further change of nationality.

My heritage is Scottish, I’m just glad they never claimed me for anything.