In rugby league it’s common place for players to play for more than one country throughout their career.
Just take Michael McIlorum who is set to make his first England appearance since 2013 this afternoon.
However, in the near decade since he last represented England, he’s spent time playing for Ireland and this is certainly common place especially when you look at teams like Tonga.
Equally, plenty of players who can’t get into teams like England, Australia or New Zealand represent other countries often through technicalities and links to their heritage.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with that at all , some people feel a strong bond with their heritage and want to represent it on the field.
LATEST NEWS "This is the start of the World Cup" - Shaun Wane explains the importance of Combined Nations game Shaun Wane explains the thinking behind his England side ahead of Combined Nations clash But one NRL star has refused to copy this trend in Jack de Belin who told the Sydney Morning Herald that it just wouldn’t sit right for him to play for another country other than the one he considers himself to be from that being Australia.
He was approached by Papua New Guinea qualifying through his grandmother who was born there but he said he’d ‘feel like a fraud’ if he took the opportunity he was presented with.
MORE NEWS England vs The Combined Nations: Kick-off time, TV channel and confirmed line-ups England vs Combined Nations All-Stars: Team news, match preview and score prediction He told the Sydney Morning Herald : “I’d love to help out and what not, but I just don’t feel like it’s right.
I’m taking away a spot from someone who is actually from PNG and deserves it. “That’s why I feel like a bit of a fraud in a sense.
I’ve never been there, I’ve never had any connection to the culture or the people.
Maybe if I’d been over there a couple of times or got to know a bit more of the culture, I’d have a bit more to do with it.
As of right now, it just wouldn’t be right for me.” A New South Wales representative in the past, the loose-forward is still holding out for Australian honours. source