Rugby

Mike Catt, Matt Stevens, Stuart Abbott, Riki Flutey, Dylan Hartley to name but a few recent imports to the English international team.. Martin Johnson even played for NZ under 18s!

If the IRB really supported rugby in the Pacific Islands (and other emerging rugby nations) instead of just paying lip service to the idea, some Islanders wouldn't have to justifiably make the trip to NZ in order to earn a wage playing rugby. You can't blame NZ for something that England or any other international country in the same position would do.

Personally, I don't find NZ or their fans any more irritating than the Aussies, SA, Wales or England. The only real difference is that NZ have consistently been the strongest team between world cups and are rightfully considered favourites.

Will - but none of those naturalised English players cames from "lesser" nations, thereby weakening their pool of talent. Johnson just happened to be travelling in New Zealand - he was born in England and had played for the Leicester colts. My nephew did the same thing in NZ this summer.

Actually I find pretty much all rugby fans boring, Barbour wearing, fools with a bizarre sense of supriority that comes from a public school education. I've got a mate who's a mad Leinster fan and he's the biggest cock. Bloody egg chasers ;^)

The reaction of the NZ fans after the French kicked their arses at the last world cup was a disgrace though. The All Blacks should have been reduced to 14 men after a blatant off the ball punch that put Betsen out of the game in the first few minutes, and there was a forward pass as blatant as the French one in the build up to one of their tries too. All got overlooked when they huffed and puffed about the referee though.