11 Six Nations stars who could have set the Rugby Europe Championship alight

European rugby has long reflected the continent’s fluid borders and shared histories. With that in mind, which high-profile Six Nations players could have represented a Rugby Europe Championship nation? From the ‘Portuguese’ Ramos to the ‘Spanish’ Guirado, here are a few names.

Thomas Ramos and Morgan Parra (Portugal)
Could you imagine if Portugal had Ramos playing alongside Raffaele Storti, Simão Bento, Rodrigo Marta and Nuno Sousa Guedes? And Parra and Marques as the Lobos scrum-half duo?

Well, it could’ve happened, as Parra and Ramos are both of Portuguese descent, with the latter through his father and the former through his paternal grandfather. To add to it, both players’ surnames are Portuguese, with Ramos being a very common family name in the Lobos nation.

There was a time when Morgan Parra was close to representing Portugal at 19, but the message never reached the Portuguese union about his bid to become a Lobo, and it ended there.

However, they are not the only two French players from the last 20 years who could’ve featured for Portugal, as Toulouse’s Mathis Castro Ferreira, Thomas Domingo and Cedate Gomes Sa also possess Portuguese ancestry.

Thankfully, the Lobos have been graced with many French-Portuguese operators over the last two decades, including Julian Bardy, Samuel Marques, Mike Tadjer, Francisco Fernandes and Anthony Alves, just a few who chose Portugal over France.

But again, could you imagine Ramos kicking a 60-metre penalty to give Portugal a win in a World Cup game?

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Guilhem Guirado and Jordi Murphy (Spain)
Spain, like Portugal, has one of the most dispersed diasporas in the world, as evidenced by the fact that Scotland’s Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, France’s all-time legend Guilhem Guirado and Ireland’s Jordi Murphy could all have played for the Leones.

For those who might chuckle and think they have no links to Spain, there is evidence to the contrary.

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, like Jordi Murphy, was born in Spain, specifically in Granada and Barcelona. While the future Edinburgh star moved to Scotland at the age of three, Murphy stayed with his Irish parents in Spain until he was nine, before leaving for Ireland in 2000.

While neither of the two future internationals was selected to play for Spain’s U18s or U20s, the possibility of becoming Leones remained open until they entered the Scottish and Irish camps, putting the idea to bed.

Following World Rugby’s 2021 change to eligibility rules, a rumour emerged that Hidalgo-Clyne would play for Spain. However, there has been no further news, which may suggest that the now Benetton scrum-half will not wear the Leones jersey.

As for Guirado, although he was not born in Spain, both of his parents were. They fled the country with their families at the age of five during the Spanish Civil War, settling in Perpignan. In 1986, Guilhem Guirado was born, later becoming one of USAP’s and France’s most influential players of the last 30 years.

Another French hooker with Spanish ancestry is Raphaël Ibáñez. The 98-capped Les Bleus international had a Spanish grandfather who, like Guirado’s parents, fled Spain to avoid Franco’s fascist army.

Theo Dan and Cristian Stoica (Romania)
One for the oldies and another for the newbies. England’s Theo Dan and Italy’s Cristian Stoica are two players who have stepped onto the Six Nations stage but who could have been excelling for the Stejarii in the Rugby Europe Championship.

Before fantasising about both lining out for one of the fiercest sides in the game, some context is needed.

Stoica, who featured for Italy more than 70 times, was born and raised in Bucharest, remaining there until the age of 13. He later moved to Pavia, a historic city on the outskirts of Milan, and worked his way through the Italian system before becoming a full Azzurri international in 1997.

He went on to feature at two World Cups, in 1999 and 2003, played in Italy’s Six Nations debut in 2000, and finished his international career with 71 caps. At club level, Stoica played for Gloucester, Montpellier and Castres, winning the Investec Champions Cup with the latter two in 2003 and 2004.

Dan, meanwhile, was born in London to Romanian parents and spent many holidays in Bucharest and Târgu Jiu, maintaining close ties with his parents’ homeland.

Although he was close to playing for Romania, that possibility remained open only until he earned a call-up to England U20s and then the senior side. It does raise the question of how influential both players might have been for the Stejarii.

Dimitri Yachvili and George Beria (Georgia)
There are several Georgian-qualified players who have represented other European nations over the last 35 years, with two of the most recognisable being prop Giorgi Beria and former Biarritz great Dimitri Yachvili.

Only Beria was born in Georgia, moving to France with his parents at the age of two. His abrasive front-row style still carries clear Georgian traits.

Yachvili’s background is more complex. His paternal grandfather, Chalva, later known as Charles, was an Armenian who escaped the Armenian genocide before becoming a prisoner of war during the Second World War. He evaded a German concentration camp, joined the French Resistance, and eventually settled in France.

Yachvili followed his father into international rugby, earning 60 caps for France before retiring in 2012. While he never considered playing for Georgia, his older brother Grégoire did, winning 12 caps for the Lelos in the early 2000s.

Josh van der Flier and Tim Visser (Netherlands)
The Dutch Disciple and the Flying Dutchman, a pair who could have created history for the Netherlands had they not represented Ireland and Scotland.

Van der Flier has a Dutch connection through his paternal grandparents, who left the Netherlands to open a radiator factory. Despite some Dutch day-dreaming, his international future was always Irish.

Visser’s case is different. Born in the province of Utrecht, he remained in the Netherlands until his teens before being scouted into the Newcastle Falcons academy.

He later moved to Edinburgh and, under the three-year residency law, became eligible for Scotland, opting not to represent his country of birth. A rapid finisher, Visser scored 14 tries for the Thistle before retiring in 2017.

Others, including Nick Abendanon, also had Dutch ancestry but ultimately did not play for the Oranje.