One week a rooster, the next a feather duster. On 29th June 2013 at the Docklands stadium in Melbourne, ACT prop Ben Alexander had trotted out proudly ahead of his team-mates on the occasion of his 50th cap, and Australia duly won the second Test against the touring British and Irish Lions by a single point. It was one of the highlight moments for the Brumbies man in an international career spanning 10 years between 2008 and 2018.
A few days later, I penned an article for Green and Gold Rugby previewing the decisive third Test. A bright world full of gain for the Wallaby tight-head would turn into a claustrophobic room of pain within the space of seven days. As I wrote at the time, “If Alexander believes running out ahead of the Wallaby team for his 50th cap was a great occasion, his 51st is likely to prove even more memorable, for quite different reasons”.
Ben Alexander, levered out of the scrum, went from high to low during the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour (Photo by William West/AFP via Getty Images)
Where Alexander had everything his own his way in Melbourne, juicing three penalties and one heel against the head out of his immediate opponent Mako Vunipola, in Sydney he found himself sitting on the sidelines after only 25 minutes of combat versus Alex Corbisiero.
At the time, Frenchman Romain Poite was the most ruthless referee of the set scrum in the world. Within half an hour, Alexander had committed his third scrum offence and was promptly sent to the bin, and the Lions’ early scrum dominance had decided the fate of the game and the series. For anyone who did not believe the scrummage really mattered in rugby’s brave new world of professionalism, it came as a sobering history lesson.
It is also why South African props are currently the most long-lived and highly-valued assets on planet rugby. If they roamed the bush plains of the Kruger National Park, they too would be a pride of lions; on the rugby fields they prowl, they are rugby royalty. Age only brings more respect as bench splits and alignment camps extend careers into the mid to late-thirties.
All of the five Springbok props likely to feature in Rassie Erasmus’ squad for the 2027 World Cup – Thomas du Toit, Ox Nche, Wilco Louw, Gerhard Steenekamp and Frans Malherbe – will be in their thirties when the tournament commences. It will not matter. They will still be the best of the best when it counts.
Veteran players who might already have been thrown on the scrapheap by other nations remain a critical part of the Springbok Svengali’s plan to make South Africa the team to beat at World Cups, and sustain excellence in a 12-month season which includes the URC domestically [September to June], and the Nations Championship [July and November] and a 10-match ‘greatest rivalry’ tour [August and September] internationally.
That’s a lot of footy, and it is why Erasmus selects from wider squads interlaced with the continuous thread of ‘alignment camps’.
Mighty Frans Malherbe has played a huge part in South Africa’s successive World Cup triumphs (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
“You can’t plan a guy’s career just around the World Cup, because if he’s still good enough and he’s still number one, two or three in that position but he might retire in 2026 it will be very unfair not to pick him anymore just because he ends [in the same year],” he said.
“The purpose of the alignment camps is to get everyone on the same page about what the year looks like, to set our goals, and delve into what we are expecting from the players, while also reminding them of a few things we do on and off the field.
“It will take a squad effort to perform this season because it won’t be a group of 23 or 25 players that will be doing it for us this year.
“The so-called older players understand that in order to prolong their careers they’ll have to transfer knowledge to the younger guys, and at the same time, the younger guys know the door is open to work their way into the matchday 23.”
The South African approach to succession planning means extending the careers of players of proven quality to the outer limit, and transferring their precious IP by drip-feed to the younger up-and-comers in the alignment camps.
That is why Erasmus supremo has persuaded 35-year-old tight-head rock Malherbe not to retire ahead of the World Cup, but attend an alignment camp instead.
The key prop in that likely pool of five is Du Toit, who can play both sides of the scrum with equal facility. As his club coach at Bath Johann van Graan observed pithily, “Where else in the world can you find a loose-head and a tight-head combined into one?” In a previous lifetime Du Toit skippered the Sharks, and will return to Durban at the end of the current Prem season. He has also captained South Africa A, and possesses ample leadership qualities to bring the youngsters with him on alignment days.
He is already entrusted with the same role at the Rec, coaching the younger number threes like Welshman Archie Griffin and England Under-20s standout Vilikesa Sela through to the top level. However oft it was told, the story of Du Toit was probably not fully believed until that fateful game in Dublin last November, when the whole of the northern hemisphere got to read it with eyes wide open.
The Springboks had pummelled an Irish scrum containing three 2025 Lions props and two Lions hookers into a bloody pulp by the end of the game, and the left side of the Irish front row has taken a long, long time to recover from that brutalisation. Both loose-heads, Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy, were yellow-carded as they conceded eight penalties between them, and the punishment was meted out right from the very start of the game.
If there was one solitary reason Bath emerged unscathed from a difficult tie against Saracens in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday, look no further than the man they call ‘the Tank’ to find it.
Van Graan had picked Griffin to start, in direct opposition his fellow countryman Rhys Carré. The pair had reportedly been swapping Pokemon cards the previous evening, but the good pals act came to a brusque halt at the Rec. The first hint of trouble ahead came at Bath’s second feed in the eighth minute.
Carré is 6ft 3ins and tips the scales at 140kg, so if you allow him to control the engagement and the height of the set-piece, you will very soon find yourself seeing stars through the top of the scrum. Griffin soaks up the pressure at ‘set’ and loses control of his right shoulder in the process. A repetition of exactly the same formula produced a steady stream of four penalties for the Saracens in the remainder of the half.
The second clip occurred under penalty advantage and would probably have resulted in a try for Saracens if wing Tobias Elliott had chosen to catch the ball in stride after a deft kick through by Elliot Daly, rather than hack it on. Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli generously waited for one more penalty than Monsieur Poite would have done before issuing a general warning to the Bath front row, and to Griffin in particular.
Although Amashukeli was sidelined by an HIA and replaced by Ben Connor for the second period, the Welshman lost no time in activating the prior warning in the 46th minute, with Beno Obano sent to the bin for another scrum infringement. But the tide at scrum time was already being reversed by ‘the Tank’ at the beginning of the second period.
Unlike Griffin, Du Toit starts low at ‘set’, denying Carré any foothold at the hit and using his height and width against him as the set-piece unfolds. The Welshman’s backbone visibly bends, and his backside pops up as the Springbok strongman gets to work, and Bath are able to extract the ultimate advantage from scrum penalty in the second instance. A deficit of minus three points was transformed to a surplus of 12 by the arrival of the old Paarl Boys alumnus.
The burgeoning success of the South African front row fraternity is far more than a story of size and strength. It is about valuing the products of experience long after others are prepared to dismiss them as irrelevant, and connecting it with new generations and the passing of the torch via solid character and in-depth knowledge. That is why Erasmus will not be worried by the age of his props next year.
Chief among them will be Du Toit. As Van Graan commented after the Saracens match: “If you look at the two years and nine months that he’s been at Bath, in my view he has become one of the best players in the whole world of rugby, and he showed it again. He was absolutely phenomenal in the scrum, in defence and attack [off the bench]. That’s why you build a squad.” The Tank did not establish himself as a regular starter for South Africa until after the 2023 World Cup. Good things take time; better things, a little longer.
Yes, I think the investment in England pathways & PREM academies is pushing us back towards home grown players and has reduced the appetite for “transplant upgrade players”.
I don’t mind the odd 1 or 2 but it does feel like its gone a bit too far in recent years, hence the WR rule change.
N
NB 6 days ago
I don’t see why it’s so hard to defend when it’s within the current rules GS. Ppl can only obey the rules in front of them and that’s what IRFU did. They gave MDL a choice and he made it. What’s wrong with that?
I would have liked to see a Pasifika side of some kind inc in the TRC, either a combined three island team or the current best, which would be Fiji. They are a lot better than Georgia so it’s up to the SH to find a way to make it work. I’m sure you’d sell out Lautoka for all the home matches.
G
GrahamVF 6 days ago
P - you’re trying to sell limited importation in England????? Good luck with that 😁
G
GS 6 days ago
Becoming a little bit defensive, really, understand why, because the behaviour of the likes of Ireland is hard to defend.
Then, regarding your comments, I think you will eventually see Japan and Fiji added to the TRC; however, as with all things around professional rugby, reality is that Tonga and Samoa can never be part of the comp.
Why - some secret plan from Oz and NZ to lock up Pacific players (by the way, Nick,you realise more Tongans/Samoans are now living in NZ than in the Islands themselves?).
It’s all about simple economics - Tonga population 100k and Samoa 200K - Can’t generate $$ in TV rights and other commercial metrics.
As an example, Moana Pasifica has had to move their game this weekend with the Chiefs from Tonga to Rotorua in NZ, as it's too expensive to send two sides to Tonga - you literally have to ship in all the TV infrastructure - staff, cameras, and TV Staff to cover the game - talking in the 100’s of thousands.
ABs have played one game in Samoa - and it was highly expensive for the NZRFU (big loss for them) - again due to having to ship the infrastructure to televise the product, and that tickets in the stadium had to be priced for the local population, which was cents on the dollar vs. what you can charge in likes of NZ.
But interested if you do think that the likes of Samoa/Tonga can and should be part of the TRC - can you explain the economics of the two economies of the respective countries with a population of 100 and 200 persons and an average GDP of circa 5K USD, and how they can be part of the TRC?
The only way it could happen would be for WR to put their hands in their pockets and pay for them to be involved, but you are talking about millions of dollars in costs to make that happen and hard to see that ever occuring.
N
NB 6 days ago
The likes of Ireland, Scotland and Wales going shopping for South Hemisphere talent, in effect, choke their development as a rugby-playing nation.
It’s much more straightforward than that. The 6N offers them no pathway into the comp - no promotion or relegation, no expansion.
Ditto TRC with Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. NZ and Aussie want to keep the Pasifika pipeline open and that means keeping the island teams outta the comp!
G
GS 7 days ago
Yip, understand that - but as a counterpoint, consider Georgia and its development.
The likes of Ireland, Scotland and Wales going shopping for South Hemisphere talent, in effect, choke their development as a rugby-playing nation.
Georgia can continue to develop their players via their own pathways - but tough to ever make a case to gain entry into the 6 Nations comp - when teams like Ireland can build out a National squad with what is an excellent development system, and then where there is a gap in their squad, look to player resources in the South via Grandparent/parent.
So whilst the residency and parent pathway continues to keep a team like Scotland as a Tier one nation, I do think it really blocks the pathway of a team like Georgia.
P
PMcD 7 days ago
That’s a very good way of putting it. 👍
N
NB 7 days ago
Probably had a wider spread of talents but Billy had more star quality in the areas where he was good.
P
PMcD 7 days ago
Whilst Billy did have that unbelievable streak under Eddie where he was near unplayable, over the course of their careers, I preferred what Nathan had to offer over Billy.
P
PMcD 7 days ago
I thought he was outstanding at Wasps, then they made him eat an extra persons serving for about 4 years where he added quite a bit more weight, went 2 sizes higher in his shorts and lost a bit of his mobility.
When Bristol put him on loan at Hartpury (fair play for him playing), Stu Hoops swooped in, signed him on a short term loan, got him fit, started enjoying his rugby again (and playing with a smile on his face) and boy what he player he was at the end of it.
If there is one that got away from us, he was it. It was a real shame we couldn’t keep him but with the reduced salary cap levels they just couldn’t make it work.
P
PMcD 7 days ago
3 players only per 23 born outside of representative country.
Will just manage the number of inflows.
N
NB 7 days ago
Nathan was alaways more Billy [Vuni] than Ben [Earl]!
P
PMcD 7 days ago
I think that is partly down to the drop in standard and funding of the Championship and the scale of the divide that one step down that professionalism has created - the PREM clubs got far better and the Championship clubs have declined (relatively).
In the old days, you would still get older 1st team players and academy rejects dropping into the Championship, where they had a chance to rebound. The early/mid 1990’s was nuts, with Mike Teague, Micky Skinner, Ben Clarke playing in the Championship, followed by Zinzan Brooke etc dropping down after he left Quins. You just wouldn’t see that nowadays.
As the Prem Cup games confirmed, pretty much for everyone except Ealing Trailfinders, the Academy side could beat a Championship team by 50 points.
The divide has become too great, so you either make it into a full time PREM squad, or the drop in standard is fairly significant and most just move on from the sport.
P
PMcD 7 days ago
Nathan Hughes was such a good player. I think his best days were Wasps, as he got caught in the middle of Eddie Jones wanting him 15KG heavier to replace Billy V as a power 8 vs. Pat Lam wanting a mobile 8 to play his coast to coast style of play and he just got caught in the cross fire of the two and fell foul with both.
P
PMcD 7 days ago
I knew that but he will still be playing behind a fairly weak pack on a hard plastic pitch with quite a firm bounce, that has a strong cross wind on the pitch, in a team where no player has been selected for England (for some time) and the England coaches do not attend games on a regular basis due to the geography.
If you were coming to the PREM to gain England recognition, I would have been signing for a different club, hence my comment this is hype generated around joining Red Bull for them to build up their star player profile.
Let’s see how he gets on but may need a season to settle whilst they rebuild the team around him over the next 2-3 years.
It’s not exactly a conventional route, in a position where England have 3 very good players ahead of him - Earl, Pollock, CC-S.
N
NB 7 days ago
The truth is also that countries like Wales and Scotland have small player bases now, so they need all the help they can get via the grandpa rule!
G
GS 7 days ago
Yip, my guess is that if you see more players picked up or poached under the grandparent rule, that will be changed, and it will regress to just parent. Just as the Project Player rule forced WR to increase the residency period from 3 to 5 years.
G
GS 8 days ago
Headline on the article “Hoskins Sotutu, the All Black who can be England’s new No 8”
And per the article, “Sotutu will not be drawn on declaring his outright goal to represent England, but it is clear that is where his ambitions lie. This season he has been carrying a niggly knee injury, but he is adamant that his best rugby lies ahead of him at Newcastle, which can in turn be a platform for a return to the Test arena.”
Or “Sotutu has had no direct contact with any member of England’s coaching staff but intermediaries checked on his behalf. Unsurprisingly there was strong interest in seeing him come to Prem Rugby and this was before Tom Willis’s unexpected signing for Bordeaux Begles, which has left England with a dearth of natural No 8s.”
G
GrahamVF 8 days ago
When we used to practice in the old days we always had a half an hour full game. The Captain and the Vice captain each picked a team the one who won the toss picked first then the toss looses could pick two and then one one one. There was great needle in the games snd we played as a fully competitive game complete with penalties. The first man to be chosen was always the first choice tight-head prop followed by the best goal kicker. It was Doc’s way and it worked.
N
NB 8 days ago
There is nothing like the feeling for a second row of packing behind a THP who really knew his way around a scrum. On defence you could feel all the energy being absorbed right down your spine, top to bottom; on attack you felt that first little step backwards by his opponent, that little ‘give’ - and heard that first small groan of difficulty.
G
GS 8 days ago
Yeah, that’s really sad. It's a big ask to send a kid overseas, the pressure of just being a teenager/young adult, a different country, culture and then perform at a high sporting level.
Lots of kids can do it obviously, but lots can’t, and that’s hopefully where family and club have plan B - Uni or learning a trade, etc.
N
NB 8 days ago
Same in Wales under Gatland - boys bloated in the gym but hardly ever visited a real rugby club🙄
N
NB 8 days ago
It’s also why a lot of the more sensible Europena clubs like to recruit more than one player from the same nation.
Exeter has always recruited Aussies and they have thrived to a man in Devon. Sometimes there were as many as five or six Aussies at the clubs ta th same time. Right no they have Scott Sio, Julian Heaven, Tom Hooper, Len Ikitau and Tamati Tua down there.
No {{resultsType == 0 ? "fixtures" : "results"}} for {{resultName()}}.
{{article.cp.n}}
{{article.t}}
{{article.e.name}}
{{article.c}}
{{article.d}}
No news results for {{resultName()}}.
{{item.n}}
No RPTV results for {{resultName()}}.
Popular
{{comp.n}}
Tournament
{{team.n}}
Team
{{player.n}}
{{player.t}}
Edition & Time Zone
{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezoneTitle}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Editions
{{item.title}}
Change Time Zone
{{item.title}}
[{"tz":"Africa\/Abidjan","location":"Abidjan","code":"CI","country":"Cate d'Ivoire","title":"Abidjan - Cote d'Ivoire"},{"tz":"Africa\/Accra","location":"Accra","code":"GH","country":"Ghana","title":"Accra - Ghana"},{"tz":"Africa\/Addis_Ababa","location":"AddisAbaba","code":"ET","country":"Ethiopia","title":"Addis Ababa - Ethiopia"},{"tz":"Africa\/Algiers","location":"Algiers","code":"DZ","country":"Algeria","title":"Algiers - Algeria"},{"tz":"Africa\/Asmara","location":"Asmara","code":"ER","country":"Eritrea","title":"Asmara - Eritrea"},{"tz":"Africa\/Bamako","location":"Bamako","code":"ML","country":"Mali","title":"Bamako - Mali"},{"tz":"Africa\/Bangui","location":"Bangui","code":"CF","country":"Central African Republic","title":"Bangui - Central African Republic"},{"tz":"Africa\/Banjul","location":"Banjul","code":"GM","country":"Gambia","title":"Banjul - Gambia"},{"tz":"Africa\/Bissau","location":"Bissau","code":"GW","country":"Guinea-Bissau","title":"Bissau - Guinea-Bissau"},{"tz":"Africa\/Blantyre","location":"Blantyre","code":"MW","country":"Malawi","title":"Blantyre - Malawi"},{"tz":"Africa\/Brazzaville","location":"Brazzaville","code":"CG","country":"Congo (Brazzaville)","title":"Brazzaville - The Republic of the Congo"},{"tz":"Africa\/Bujumbura","location":"Bujumbura","code":"BI","country":"Burundi","title":"Bujumbura - Burundi"},{"tz":"Africa\/Cairo","location":"Cairo","code":"EG","country":"Egypt","title":"Cairo - Egypt"},{"tz":"Africa\/Casablanca","location":"Casablanca","code":"MA","country":"Morocco","title":"Casablanca - Morocco"},{"tz":"Africa\/Ceuta","location":"Ceuta","code":"ES","country":"Spain","title":"Ceuta - Spain"},{"tz":"Africa\/Conakry","location":"Conakry","code":"GN","country":"Guinea","title":"Conakry - Guinea"},{"tz":"Africa\/Dakar","location":"Dakar","code":"SN","country":"Senegal","title":"Dakar - Senegal"},{"tz":"Africa\/Dar_es_Salaam","location":"DaresSalaam","code":"TZ","country":"Tanzania","title":"Dar es Salaam - Tanzania"},{"tz":"Africa\/Djibouti","location":"Djibouti","code":"DJ","country":"Djibouti","title":"Djibouti"},{"tz":"Africa\/Douala","location":"Douala","code":"CM","country":"Cameroon","title":"Douala - Cameroon"},{"tz":"Africa\/El_Aaiun","location":"ElAaiun","code":"EH","country":"Western Sahara","title":"El Aaiun - Western Sahara"},{"tz":"Africa\/Freetown","location":"Freetown","code":"SL","country":"Sierra Leone","title":"Freetown - Sierra Leone"},{"tz":"Africa\/Gaborone","location":"Gaborone","code":"BW","country":"Botswana","title":"Gaborone - Botswana"},{"tz":"Africa\/Harare","location":"Harare","code":"ZW","country":"Zimbabwe","title":"Harare - Zimbabwe"},{"tz":"Africa\/Johannesburg","location":"Johannesburg","code":"ZA","country":"South Africa","title":"Johannesburg - South Africa"},{"tz":"Africa\/Juba","location":"Juba","code":"SS","country":"South Sudan","title":"Juba - South Sudan"},{"tz":"Africa\/Kampala","location":"Kampala","code":"UG","country":"Uganda","title":"Kampala - Uganda"},{"tz":"Africa\/Khartoum","location":"Khartoum","code":"SD","country":"Sudan","title":"Khartoum - Sudan"},{"tz":"Africa\/Kigali","location":"Kigali","code":"RW","country":"Rwanda","title":"Kigali - Rwanda"},{"tz":"Africa\/Kinshasa","location":"Kinshasa","code":"CD","country":"Congo (Kinshasa)","title":"Kinshasa - The Democratic Republic of Congo"},{"tz":"Africa\/Lagos","location":"Lagos","code":"NG","country":"Nigeria","title":"Lagos - Nigeria "},{"tz":"Africa\/Libreville","location":"Libreville","code":"GA","country":"Gabon","title":"Libreville - Gabon"},{"tz":"Africa\/Lome","location":"Lome","code":"TG","country":"Togo","title":"Lome - Togo"},{"tz":"Africa\/Luanda","location":"Luanda","code":"AO","country":"Angola","title":"Luanda - Angola"},{"tz":"Africa\/Lubumbashi","location":"Lubumbashi","code":"CD","country":"Congo (Kinshasa)","title":"Lubumbashi - The Democratic Republic of Congo"},{"tz":"Africa\/Lusaka","location":"Lusaka","code":"ZM","country":"Zambia","title":"Lusaka - Zambia"},{"tz":"Africa\/Malabo","location":"Malabo","code":"GQ","country":"Equatorial Guinea","title":"Malabo - Equatorial Guinea"},{"tz":"Africa\/Maputo","location":"Maputo","code":"MZ","country":"Mozambique","title":"Maputo - Mozambique"},{"tz":"Africa\/Maseru","location":"Maseru","code":"LS","country":"Lesotho","title":"Maseru - Lesotho"},{"tz":"Africa\/Mbabane","location":"Mbabane","code":"SZ","country":"Swaziland","title":"Mbabane - Eswatini"},{"tz":"Africa\/Mogadishu","location":"Mogadishu","code":"SO","country":"Somalia","title":"Mogadishu - Somalia"},{"tz":"Africa\/Monrovia","location":"Monrovia","code":"LR","country":"Liberia","title":"Monrovia - Liberia"},{"tz":"Africa\/Nairobi","location":"Nairobi","code":"KE","country":"Kenya","title":"Nairobi - Kenya"},{"tz":"Africa\/Ndjamena","location":"Ndjamena","code":"TD","country":"Chad","title":"Ndjamena - Chad"},{"tz":"Africa\/Niamey","location":"Niamey","code":"NE","country":"Niger","title":"Niamey - Niger"},{"tz":"Africa\/Nouakchott","location":"Nouakchott","code":"MR","country":"Mauritania","title":"Nouakchott - Mauritania"},{"tz":"Africa\/Ouagadougou","location":"Ouagadougou","code":"BF","country":"Burkina Faso","title":"Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso"},{"tz":"Africa\/Porto-Novo","location":"Porto-Novo","code":"BJ","country":"Benin","title":"Porto-Novo - Benin"},{"tz":"Africa\/Sao_Tome","location":"SaoTome","code":"ST","country":"Sao Tome and Principe","title":"Sao Tome and Principe"},{"tz":"Africa\/Tripoli","location":"Tripoli","code":"LY","country":"Libya","title":"Tripoli - Libya"},{"tz":"Africa\/Tunis","location":"Tunis","code":"TN","country":"Tunisia","title":"Tunis - Tunisia"},{"tz":"Africa\/Windhoek","location":"Windhoek","code":"NA","country":"Namibia","title":"Windhoek - Namibia"},{"tz":"America\/Adak","location":"Adak","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Adak - Alaska - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Anchorage","location":"Anchorage","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Anchorage - Alaska - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Anguilla","location":"Anguilla","code":"AI","country":"Anguilla","title":"Anguilla"},{"tz":"America\/Antigua","location":"Antigua","code":"AG","country":"Antigua and Barbuda","title":"Antigua and Barbuda"},{"tz":"America\/Araguaina","location":"Araguaina","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Araguaina - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/Buenos_Aires","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"Buenos Aires - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/Catamarca","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"Catamarca - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/Cordoba","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"Cordoba - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/Jujuy","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"Jujuy - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/La_Rioja","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"La Rioja - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/Mendoza","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"Mendoza - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/Rio_Gallegos","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"Rio Gallegos - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/Salta","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"Salta - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/San_Juan","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"San Juan - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/San_Luis","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"San Luis - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/Tucuman","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"Tucuman - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Argentina\/Ushuaia","location":"America","code":"AR","country":"Argentina","title":"Ushuaia - Argentina"},{"tz":"America\/Aruba","location":"Aruba","code":"AW","country":"Aruba","title":"Aruba"},{"tz":"America\/Asuncion","location":"Asuncion","code":"PY","country":"Paraguay","title":"Asuncion - Paraguay"},{"tz":"America\/Atikokan","location":"Atikokan","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Atikokan - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Bahia","location":"Bahia","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Bahia - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Bahia_Banderas","location":"BahiaBanderas","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Bahia Banderas - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Barbados","location":"Barbados","code":"BB","country":"Barbados","title":"Barbados"},{"tz":"America\/Belem","location":"Belem","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Belem - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Belize","location":"Belize","code":"BZ","country":"Belize","title":"Belize"},{"tz":"America\/Blanc-Sablon","location":"Blanc-Sablon","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Blanc-Sablon - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Boa_Vista","location":"BoaVista","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Boa Vista - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Bogota","location":"Bogota","code":"CO","country":"Colombia","title":"Bogota - Colombia"},{"tz":"America\/Boise","location":"Boise","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Boise - Idaho - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Cambridge_Bay","location":"CambridgeBay","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Cambridge Bay - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Campo_Grande","location":"CampoGrande","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Campo Grande - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Cancun","location":"Cancun","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Cancun - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Caracas","location":"Caracas","code":"VE","country":"Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic)","title":"Caracas - Venezuela"},{"tz":"America\/Cayenne","location":"Cayenne","code":"GF","country":"French Guiana","title":"Cayenne - French Guiana"},{"tz":"America\/Cayman","location":"Cayman","code":"KY","country":"Cayman Islands","title":"Cayman Islands"},{"tz":"America\/Chicago","location":"Chicago","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Chicago - Illinois - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Chihuahua","location":"Chihuahua","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Chihuahua - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Ciudad_Juarez","location":"CiudadJuarez","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Ciudad Juarez - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Costa_Rica","location":"CostaRica","code":"CR","country":"Costa Rica","title":"Costa Rica"},{"tz":"America\/Creston","location":"Creston","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Creston - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Cuiaba","location":"Cuiaba","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Cuiaba - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Curacao","location":"Curacao","code":"CW","country":"","title":"Curacao"},{"tz":"America\/Danmarkshavn","location":"Danmarkshavn","code":"GL","country":"Greenland","title":"Danmarkshavn - Greenland"},{"tz":"America\/Dawson","location":"Dawson","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Dawson - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Dawson_Creek","location":"DawsonCreek","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Dawson Creek - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Denver","location":"Denver","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Denver - Colorado - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Detroit","location":"Detroit","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Detroit - Michigan - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Dominica","location":"Dominica","code":"DM","country":"Dominica","title":"Dominica"},{"tz":"America\/Edmonton","location":"Edmonton","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Edmonton - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Eirunepe","location":"Eirunepe","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Eirunepe - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/El_Salvador","location":"ElSalvador","code":"SV","country":"El Salvador","title":"El Salvador"},{"tz":"America\/Fort_Nelson","location":"FortNelson","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Fort Nelson - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Fortaleza","location":"Fortaleza","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Fortaleza - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Glace_Bay","location":"GlaceBay","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Glace Bay - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Goose_Bay","location":"GooseBay","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Goose Bay - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Grand_Turk","location":"GrandTurk","code":"TC","country":"Turks and Caicos Islands","title":"Grand Turk - Turks and Caicos Islands"},{"tz":"America\/Grenada","location":"Grenada","code":"GD","country":"Grenada","title":"Grenada"},{"tz":"America\/Guadeloupe","location":"Guadeloupe","code":"GP","country":"Guadeloupe","title":"Guadeloupe"},{"tz":"America\/Guatemala","location":"Guatemala","code":"GT","country":"Guatemala","title":"Guatemala"},{"tz":"America\/Guayaquil","location":"Guayaquil","code":"EC","country":"Ecuador","title":"Guayaquil - Ecuador"},{"tz":"America\/Guyana","location":"Guyana","code":"GY","country":"Guyana","title":"Guyana"},{"tz":"America\/Halifax","location":"Halifax","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Halifax - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Havana","location":"Havana","code":"CU","country":"Cuba","title":"Havana - Cuba"},{"tz":"America\/Hermosillo","location":"Hermosillo","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Hermosillo - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Indiana\/Indianapolis","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Indianapolis - Indiana - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Indiana\/Knox","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Knox - Indiana - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Indiana\/Marengo","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Marengo - Indiana - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Indiana\/Petersburg","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Petersburg - Indiana - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Indiana\/Tell_City","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Tell City - Indiana - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Indiana\/Vevay","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Vevay - Indiana - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Indiana\/Vincennes","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Vincennes - Indiana - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Indiana\/Winamac","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Winamac - Indiana - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Inuvik","location":"Inuvik","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Inuvik - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Iqaluit","location":"Iqaluit","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Iqaluit - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Jamaica","location":"Jamaica","code":"JM","country":"Jamaica","title":"Jamaica"},{"tz":"America\/Juneau","location":"Juneau","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Juneau - Alaska - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Kentucky\/Louisville","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Louisville - Kentucky - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Kentucky\/Monticello","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Monticello - Kentucky - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Kralendijk","location":"Kralendijk","code":"BQ","country":"","title":"Kralendijk - Bonaire"},{"tz":"America\/La_Paz","location":"LaPaz","code":"BO","country":"Bolivia","title":"La Paz - Bolivia"},{"tz":"America\/Lima","location":"Lima","code":"PE","country":"Peru","title":"Lima - Peru"},{"tz":"America\/Los_Angeles","location":"LosAngeles","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Los Angeles - California - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Lower_Princes","location":"LowerPrinces","code":"SX","country":"","title":"Lower Princes - Sint Maarten"},{"tz":"America\/Maceio","location":"Maceio","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Maceio - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Managua","location":"Managua","code":"NI","country":"Nicaragua","title":"Managua - Nicaragua"},{"tz":"America\/Manaus","location":"Manaus","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Manaus - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Marigot","location":"Marigot","code":"MF","country":"Saint-Martin (French part)","title":"Marigot - Saint-Martin"},{"tz":"America\/Martinique","location":"Martinique","code":"MQ","country":"Martinique","title":"Martinique"},{"tz":"America\/Matamoros","location":"Matamoros","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Matamoros - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Mazatlan","location":"Mazatlan","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Mazatlan - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Menominee","location":"Menominee","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Menominee - Wisconsin - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Merida","location":"Merida","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Merida - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Metlakatla","location":"Metlakatla","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Metlakatla - Alaska - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Mexico_City","location":"MexicoCity","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Mexico City - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Miquelon","location":"Miquelon","code":"PM","country":"Saint Pierre and Miquelon","title":"Miquelon - Saint Pierre and Miquelon"},{"tz":"America\/Moncton","location":"Moncton","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Moncton - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Monterrey","location":"Monterrey","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Monterrey - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Montevideo","location":"Montevideo","code":"UY","country":"Uruguay","title":"Montevideo - Uruguay"},{"tz":"America\/Montserrat","location":"Montserrat","code":"MS","country":"Montserrat","title":"Montserrat"},{"tz":"America\/Nassau","location":"Nassau","code":"BS","country":"Bahamas","title":"Nassau - Bahamas"},{"tz":"America\/New_York","location":"NewYork","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"New York - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Nome","location":"Nome","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Nome - Alaska - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Noronha","location":"Noronha","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Noronha - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/North_Dakota\/Beulah","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Beulah - North Dakota - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/North_Dakota\/Center","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Center - North Dakota - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/North_Dakota\/New_Salem","location":"America","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"New Salem - North Dakota - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Nuuk","location":"Nuuk","code":"GL","country":"Greenland","title":"Nuuk - Greenland"},{"tz":"America\/Ojinaga","location":"Ojinaga","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Ojinaga - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Panama","location":"Panama","code":"PA","country":"Panama","title":"Panama"},{"tz":"America\/Paramaribo","location":"Paramaribo","code":"SR","country":"Suriname","title":"Paramaribo - Suriname"},{"tz":"America\/Phoenix","location":"Phoenix","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Phoenix - Arizona - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/Port-au-Prince","location":"Port-au-Prince","code":"HT","country":"Haiti","title":"Port-au-Prince - Haiti"},{"tz":"America\/Port_of_Spain","location":"PortofSpain","code":"TT","country":"Trinidad and Tobago","title":"Port of Spain - Trinidad and Tobago"},{"tz":"America\/Porto_Velho","location":"PortoVelho","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Porto Velho - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Puerto_Rico","location":"PuertoRico","code":"PR","country":"Puerto Rico","title":"Puerto Rico"},{"tz":"America\/Punta_Arenas","location":"PuntaArenas","code":"CL","country":"Chile","title":"Punta Arenas - Chile"},{"tz":"America\/Rankin_Inlet","location":"RankinInlet","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Rankin Inlet - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Recife","location":"Recife","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Recife - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Regina","location":"Regina","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Regina - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Resolute","location":"Resolute","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Resolute - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Rio_Branco","location":"RioBranco","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Rio Branco - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Santarem","location":"Santarem","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Santarem - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Santiago","location":"Santiago","code":"CL","country":"Chile","title":"Santiago - Chile"},{"tz":"America\/Santo_Domingo","location":"SantoDomingo","code":"DO","country":"Dominican Republic","title":"Santo Domingo - Dominican Republic"},{"tz":"America\/Sao_Paulo","location":"SaoPaulo","code":"BR","country":"Brazil","title":"Sao Paulo - Brazil"},{"tz":"America\/Scoresbysund","location":"Scoresbysund","code":"GL","country":"Greenland","title":"Scoresbysund - Greenland"},{"tz":"America\/Sitka","location":"Sitka","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Sitka - Alaska - United States of America"},{"tz":"America\/St_Barthelemy","location":"StBarthelemy","code":"BL","country":"Saint-Barthelemy","title":"Saint Barthelemy"},{"tz":"America\/St_Johns","location":"StJohns","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"St Johns - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/St_Kitts","location":"StKitts","code":"KN","country":"Saint Kitts and Nevis","title":"Saint Kitts and Nevis"},{"tz":"America\/St_Lucia","location":"StLucia","code":"LC","country":"Saint Lucia","title":"Saint Lucia"},{"tz":"America\/St_Thomas","location":"StThomas","code":"VI","country":"Virgin Islands","title":"St Thomas - US Virgin Islands"},{"tz":"America\/St_Vincent","location":"StVincent","code":"VC","country":"Saint Vincent and Grenadines","title":"Saint Vincent and Grenadines"},{"tz":"America\/Swift_Current","location":"SwiftCurrent","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Swift Current - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Tegucigalpa","location":"Tegucigalpa","code":"HN","country":"Honduras","title":"Tegucigalpa - Honduras"},{"tz":"America\/Thule","location":"Thule","code":"GL","country":"Greenland","title":"Thule - Greenland"},{"tz":"America\/Tijuana","location":"Tijuana","code":"MX","country":"Mexico","title":"Tijuana - Mexico"},{"tz":"America\/Toronto","location":"Toronto","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Toronto - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Tortola","location":"Tortola","code":"VG","country":"British Virgin Islands","title":"Tortola - British Virgin Islands"},{"tz":"America\/Vancouver","location":"Vancouver","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Vancouver - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Whitehorse","location":"Whitehorse","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Whitehorse - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Winnipeg","location":"Winnipeg","code":"CA","country":"Canada","title":"Winnipeg - Canada"},{"tz":"America\/Yakutat","location":"Yakutat","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Yakutat - Alaska - United States of America"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/Casey","location":"Casey","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"Casey - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/Davis","location":"Davis","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"Davis - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/DumontDUrville","location":"DumontDUrville","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"Dumont D'Urville - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/Macquarie","location":"Macquarie","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Macquarie Island - Australia"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/Mawson","location":"Mawson","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"Mawson - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/McMurdo","location":"McMurdo","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"McMurdo - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/Palmer","location":"Palmer","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"Palmer - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/Rothera","location":"Rothera","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"Rothera - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/Syowa","location":"Syowa","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"Syowa - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/Troll","location":"Troll","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"Troll - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Antarctica\/Vostok","location":"Vostok","code":"AQ","country":"Antarctica","title":"Vostok - Antarctica"},{"tz":"Arctic\/Longyearbyen","location":"Longyearbyen","code":"SJ","country":"Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands","title":"Longyearbyen - Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands"},{"tz":"Asia\/Aden","location":"Aden","code":"YE","country":"Yemen","title":"Aden - Yemen"},{"tz":"Asia\/Almaty","location":"Almaty","code":"KZ","country":"Kazakhstan","title":"Almaty - Kazakhstan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Amman","location":"Amman","code":"JO","country":"Jordan","title":"Amman - Jordan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Anadyr","location":"Anadyr","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Anadyr - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Aqtau","location":"Aqtau","code":"KZ","country":"Kazakhstan","title":"Aqtau - Kazakhstan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Aqtobe","location":"Aqtobe","code":"KZ","country":"Kazakhstan","title":"Aqtobe - Kazakhstan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Ashgabat","location":"Ashgabat","code":"TM","country":"Turkmenistan","title":"Ashgabat - Turkmenistan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Atyrau","location":"Atyrau","code":"KZ","country":"Kazakhstan","title":"Atyrau - Kazakhstan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Baghdad","location":"Baghdad","code":"IQ","country":"Iraq","title":"Baghdad - Iraq"},{"tz":"Asia\/Bahrain","location":"Bahrain","code":"BH","country":"Bahrain","title":"Bahrain"},{"tz":"Asia\/Baku","location":"Baku","code":"AZ","country":"Azerbaijan","title":"Baku - Azerbaijan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Bangkok","location":"Bangkok","code":"TH","country":"Thailand","title":"Bangkok - Thailand"},{"tz":"Asia\/Barnaul","location":"Barnaul","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Barnaul - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Beirut","location":"Beirut","code":"LB","country":"Lebanon","title":"Beirut - Lebanon"},{"tz":"Asia\/Bishkek","location":"Bishkek","code":"KG","country":"Kyrgyzstan","title":"Bishkek - Kyrgyzstan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Brunei","location":"Brunei","code":"BN","country":"Brunei Darussalam","title":"Brunei Darussalam"},{"tz":"Asia\/Chita","location":"Chita","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Chita - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Choibalsan","location":"Choibalsan","code":"MN","country":"Mongolia","title":"Choibalsan - Mongolia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Colombo","location":"Colombo","code":"LK","country":"Sri Lanka","title":"Colombo - Sri Lanka"},{"tz":"Asia\/Damascus","location":"Damascus","code":"SY","country":"Syrian Arab Republic (Syria)","title":"Damascus - Syria"},{"tz":"Asia\/Dhaka","location":"Dhaka","code":"BD","country":"Bangladesh","title":"Dhaka - Bangladesh"},{"tz":"Asia\/Dili","location":"Dili","code":"TL","country":"Timor-Leste","title":"Dili - Timor-Leste"},{"tz":"Asia\/Dubai","location":"Dubai","code":"AE","country":"United Arab Emirates","title":"Dubai - United Arab Emirates"},{"tz":"Asia\/Dushanbe","location":"Dushanbe","code":"TJ","country":"Tajikistan","title":"Dushanbe - Tajikistan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Famagusta","location":"Famagusta","code":"CY","country":"Cyprus","title":"Famagusta - Cyprus"},{"tz":"Asia\/Gaza","location":"Gaza","code":"PS","country":"Palestinian Territory","title":"Gaza - Palestinian Territory"},{"tz":"Asia\/Hebron","location":"Hebron","code":"PS","country":"Palestinian Territory","title":"Hebron - Palestinian Territory"},{"tz":"Asia\/Ho_Chi_Minh","location":"HoChiMinh","code":"VN","country":"Viet Nam","title":"Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam"},{"tz":"Asia\/Hong_Kong","location":"HongKong","code":"HK","country":"Hong Kong","title":"Hong Kong China"},{"tz":"Asia\/Hovd","location":"Hovd","code":"MN","country":"Mongolia","title":"Hovd - Mongolia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Irkutsk","location":"Irkutsk","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Irkutsk - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Jakarta","location":"Jakarta","code":"ID","country":"Indonesia","title":"Jakarta - Indonesia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Jayapura","location":"Jayapura","code":"ID","country":"Indonesia","title":"Jayapura - Indonesia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Jerusalem","location":"Jerusalem","code":"IL","country":"Israel","title":"Jerusalem - Israel"},{"tz":"Asia\/Kabul","location":"Kabul","code":"AF","country":"Afghanistan","title":"Kabul - Afghanistan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Kamchatka","location":"Kamchatka","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Kamchatka - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Karachi","location":"Karachi","code":"PK","country":"Pakistan","title":"Karachi - Pakistan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Kathmandu","location":"Kathmandu","code":"NP","country":"Nepal","title":"Kathmandu - Nepal"},{"tz":"Asia\/Khandyga","location":"Khandyga","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Khandyga - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Kolkata","location":"Kolkata","code":"IN","country":"India","title":"Kolkata - India"},{"tz":"Asia\/Krasnoyarsk","location":"Krasnoyarsk","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Krasnoyarsk - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Kuala_Lumpur","location":"KualaLumpur","code":"MY","country":"Malaysia","title":"Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Kuching","location":"Kuching","code":"MY","country":"Malaysia","title":"Kuching - Malaysia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Kuwait","location":"Kuwait","code":"KW","country":"Kuwait","title":"Kuwait"},{"tz":"Asia\/Macau","location":"Macau","code":"MO","country":"Macau","title":"Macau"},{"tz":"Asia\/Magadan","location":"Magadan","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Magadan - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Makassar","location":"Makassar","code":"ID","country":"Indonesia","title":"Makassar - Indonesia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Manila","location":"Manila","code":"PH","country":"Philippines","title":"Manila - Philippines"},{"tz":"Asia\/Muscat","location":"Muscat","code":"OM","country":"Oman","title":"Muscat - Oman"},{"tz":"Asia\/Nicosia","location":"Nicosia","code":"CY","country":"Cyprus","title":"Nicosia - Cyprus"},{"tz":"Asia\/Novokuznetsk","location":"Novokuznetsk","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Novokuznetsk - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Novosibirsk","location":"Novosibirsk","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Novosibirsk - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Omsk","location":"Omsk","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Omsk - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Oral","location":"Oral","code":"KZ","country":"Kazakhstan","title":"Oral - Kazakhstan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Phnom_Penh","location":"PhnomPenh","code":"KH","country":"Cambodia","title":"Phnom Penh - Cambodia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Pontianak","location":"Pontianak","code":"ID","country":"Indonesia","title":"Pontianak - Indonesia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Pyongyang","location":"Pyongyang","code":"KP","country":"Korea (North)","title":"Pyongyang - North Korea"},{"tz":"Asia\/Qatar","location":"Qatar","code":"QA","country":"Qatar","title":"Qatar"},{"tz":"Asia\/Qostanay","location":"Qostanay","code":"KZ","country":"Kazakhstan","title":"Qostanay - Kazakhstan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Qyzylorda","location":"Qyzylorda","code":"KZ","country":"Kazakhstan","title":"Qyzylorda - Kazakhstan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Riyadh","location":"Riyadh","code":"SA","country":"Saudi Arabia","title":"Riyadh - Saudi Arabia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Sakhalin","location":"Sakhalin","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Sakhalin - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Samarkand","location":"Samarkand","code":"UZ","country":"Uzbekistan","title":"Samarkand - Uzbekistan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Seoul","location":"Seoul","code":"KR","country":"Korea (South)","title":"Seoul - South Korea"},{"tz":"Asia\/Shanghai","location":"Shanghai","code":"CN","country":"China","title":"Shanghai - China"},{"tz":"Asia\/Singapore","location":"Singapore","code":"SG","country":"Singapore","title":"Singapore"},{"tz":"Asia\/Srednekolymsk","location":"Srednekolymsk","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Srednekolymsk - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Taipei","location":"Taipei","code":"TW","country":"Taiwan","title":"Taipei - Chinese Taipei"},{"tz":"Asia\/Tashkent","location":"Tashkent","code":"UZ","country":"Uzbekistan","title":"Tashkent - Uzbekistan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Tbilisi","location":"Tbilisi","code":"GE","country":"Georgia","title":"Tbilisi - Georgia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Tehran","location":"Tehran","code":"IR","country":"Iran","title":"Tehran - Iran"},{"tz":"Asia\/Thimphu","location":"Thimphu","code":"BT","country":"Bhutan","title":"Thimphu - Bhutan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Tokyo","location":"Tokyo","code":"JP","country":"Japan","title":"Tokyo - Japan"},{"tz":"Asia\/Tomsk","location":"Tomsk","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Tomsk - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Ulaanbaatar","location":"Ulaanbaatar","code":"MN","country":"Mongolia","title":"Ulaanbaatar - Mongolia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Urumqi","location":"Urumqi","code":"CN","country":"China","title":"Urumqi - China"},{"tz":"Asia\/Ust-Nera","location":"Ust-Nera","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Ust-Nera - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Vientiane","location":"Vientiane","code":"LA","country":"Lao PDR","title":"Vientiane - Laos"},{"tz":"Asia\/Vladivostok","location":"Vladivostok","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Vladivostok - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Yakutsk","location":"Yakutsk","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Yakutsk - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Yangon","location":"Yangon","code":"MM","country":"Myanmar","title":"Yangon - Myanmar"},{"tz":"Asia\/Yekaterinburg","location":"Yekaterinburg","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Yekaterinburg - Russia"},{"tz":"Asia\/Yerevan","location":"Yerevan","code":"AM","country":"Armenia","title":"Yerevan - Armenia"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/Azores","location":"Azores","code":"PT","country":"Portugal","title":"Azores - Portugal"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/Bermuda","location":"Bermuda","code":"BM","country":"Bermuda","title":"Bermuda"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/Canary","location":"Canary","code":"ES","country":"Spain","title":"Canary Islands - Spain"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/Cape_Verde","location":"CapeVerde","code":"CV","country":"Cape Verde","title":"Cape Verde"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/Faroe","location":"Faroe","code":"FO","country":"Faroe Islands","title":"Faroe Islands"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/Madeira","location":"Madeira","code":"PT","country":"Portugal","title":"Madeira - Portugal"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/Reykjavik","location":"Reykjavik","code":"IS","country":"Iceland","title":"Reykjavik - Iceland"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/South_Georgia","location":"SouthGeorgia","code":"GS","country":"South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands","title":"South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/St_Helena","location":"StHelena","code":"SH","country":"Saint Helena","title":"Saint Helena"},{"tz":"Atlantic\/Stanley","location":"Stanley","code":"FK","country":"Falkland Islands (Malvinas)","title":"Stanley - Falkland Islands"},{"tz":"Australia\/Adelaide","location":"Adelaide","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Adelaide - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Brisbane","location":"Brisbane","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Brisbane - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Broken_Hill","location":"BrokenHill","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Broken Hill - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Darwin","location":"Darwin","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Darwin - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Eucla","location":"Eucla","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Eucla - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Hobart","location":"Hobart","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Hobart - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Lindeman","location":"Lindeman","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Lindeman - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Lord_Howe","location":"LordHowe","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Lord Howe - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Melbourne","location":"Melbourne","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Melbourne - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Perth","location":"Perth","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Perth - Australia"},{"tz":"Australia\/Sydney","location":"Sydney","code":"AU","country":"Australia","title":"Sydney - Australia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Amsterdam","location":"Amsterdam","code":"NL","country":"Netherlands","title":"Amsterdam - Netherlands"},{"tz":"Europe\/Andorra","location":"Andorra","code":"AD","country":"Andorra","title":"Andorra"},{"tz":"Europe\/Astrakhan","location":"Astrakhan","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Astrakhan - Russia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Athens","location":"Athens","code":"GR","country":"Greece","title":"Athens - Greece"},{"tz":"Europe\/Belgrade","location":"Belgrade","code":"RS","country":"Serbia","title":"Belgrade - Serbia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Berlin","location":"Berlin","code":"DE","country":"Germany","title":"Berlin - Germany"},{"tz":"Europe\/Bratislava","location":"Bratislava","code":"SK","country":"Slovakia","title":"Bratislava - Slovakia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Brussels","location":"Brussels","code":"BE","country":"Belgium","title":"Brussels - Belgium"},{"tz":"Europe\/Bucharest","location":"Bucharest","code":"RO","country":"Romania","title":"Bucharest - Romania"},{"tz":"Europe\/Budapest","location":"Budapest","code":"HU","country":"Hungary","title":"Budapest - Hungary"},{"tz":"Europe\/Busingen","location":"Busingen","code":"DE","country":"Germany","title":"Busingen - Germany"},{"tz":"Europe\/Chisinau","location":"Chisinau","code":"MD","country":"Moldova","title":"Chisinau - Moldova"},{"tz":"Europe\/Copenhagen","location":"Copenhagen","code":"DK","country":"Denmark","title":"Copenhagen - Denmark"},{"tz":"Europe\/Dublin","location":"Dublin","code":"IE","country":"Ireland","title":"Dublin - Ireland"},{"tz":"Europe\/Gibraltar","location":"Gibraltar","code":"GI","country":"Gibraltar","title":"Gibraltar"},{"tz":"Europe\/Guernsey","location":"Guernsey","code":"GG","country":"Guernsey","title":"Guernsey"},{"tz":"Europe\/Helsinki","location":"Helsinki","code":"FI","country":"Finland","title":"Helsinki - Finland"},{"tz":"Europe\/Isle_of_Man","location":"IsleofMan","code":"IM","country":"Isle of Man","title":"Isle of Man"},{"tz":"Europe\/Istanbul","location":"Istanbul","code":"TR","country":"Turkey","title":"Istanbul - Turkey"},{"tz":"Europe\/Jersey","location":"Jersey","code":"JE","country":"Jersey","title":"Jersey"},{"tz":"Europe\/Kaliningrad","location":"Kaliningrad","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Kaliningrad - Russia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Kirov","location":"Kirov","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Kirov - Russia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Kyiv","location":"Kyiv","code":"UA","country":"Ukraine","title":"Kyiv - Ukraine"},{"tz":"Europe\/Lisbon","location":"Lisbon","code":"PT","country":"Portugal","title":"Lisbon - Portugal"},{"tz":"Europe\/Ljubljana","location":"Ljubljana","code":"SI","country":"Slovenia","title":"Ljubljana - Slovenia"},{"tz":"Europe\/London","location":"London","code":"GB","country":"United Kingdom","title":"London - United Kingdom"},{"tz":"Europe\/Luxembourg","location":"Luxembourg","code":"LU","country":"Luxembourg","title":"Luxembourg"},{"tz":"Europe\/Madrid","location":"Madrid","code":"ES","country":"Spain","title":"Madrid - Spain"},{"tz":"Europe\/Malta","location":"Malta","code":"MT","country":"Malta","title":"Malta"},{"tz":"Europe\/Mariehamn","location":"Mariehamn","code":"AX","country":"Aland Islands","title":"Mariehamn - Aland Islands"},{"tz":"Europe\/Minsk","location":"Minsk","code":"BY","country":"Belarus","title":"Minsk - Belarus"},{"tz":"Europe\/Monaco","location":"Monaco","code":"MC","country":"Monaco","title":"Monaco"},{"tz":"Europe\/Moscow","location":"Moscow","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Moscow - Russia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Oslo","location":"Oslo","code":"NO","country":"Norway","title":"Oslo - Norway"},{"tz":"Europe\/Paris","location":"Paris","code":"FR","country":"France","title":"Paris - France"},{"tz":"Europe\/Podgorica","location":"Podgorica","code":"ME","country":"Montenegro","title":"Podgorica - Montenegro"},{"tz":"Europe\/Prague","location":"Prague","code":"CZ","country":"Czech Republic","title":"Prague - Czech Republic"},{"tz":"Europe\/Riga","location":"Riga","code":"LV","country":"Latvia","title":"Riga - Latvia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Rome","location":"Rome","code":"IT","country":"Italy","title":"Rome - Italy"},{"tz":"Europe\/Samara","location":"Samara","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Samara - russia"},{"tz":"Europe\/San_Marino","location":"SanMarino","code":"SM","country":"San Marino","title":"San Marino"},{"tz":"Europe\/Sarajevo","location":"Sarajevo","code":"BA","country":"Bosnia and Herzegovina","title":"Sarajevo - Bosnia and Herzergovina"},{"tz":"Europe\/Saratov","location":"Saratov","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Saratov - Russia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Simferopol","location":"Simferopol","code":"UA","country":"Ukraine","title":"Simferopol - Ukraine"},{"tz":"Europe\/Skopje","location":"Skopje","code":"MK","country":"Macedonia","title":"Skopje - Macedonia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Sofia","location":"Sofia","code":"BG","country":"Bulgaria","title":"Sofia - Bulgaria"},{"tz":"Europe\/Stockholm","location":"Stockholm","code":"SE","country":"Sweden","title":"Stockholm - Sweden"},{"tz":"Europe\/Tallinn","location":"Tallinn","code":"EE","country":"Estonia","title":"Tallinn - Estonia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Tirane","location":"Tirane","code":"AL","country":"Albania","title":"Tirana - Albania"},{"tz":"Europe\/Ulyanovsk","location":"Ulyanovsk","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Ulyanovsk - Russia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Vaduz","location":"Vaduz","code":"LI","country":"Liechtenstein","title":"Vaduz - Liechtenstein"},{"tz":"Europe\/Vatican","location":"Vatican","code":"VA","country":"Holy See (Vatican City State)","title":"Vatican City"},{"tz":"Europe\/Vienna","location":"Vienna","code":"AT","country":"Austria","title":"Vienna - Austria"},{"tz":"Europe\/Vilnius","location":"Vilnius","code":"LT","country":"Lithuania","title":"Vilnius - Lithuania"},{"tz":"Europe\/Volgograd","location":"Volgograd","code":"RU","country":"Russia","title":"Volgograd - Russia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Warsaw","location":"Warsaw","code":"PL","country":"Poland","title":"Warsaw - Poland"},{"tz":"Europe\/Zagreb","location":"Zagreb","code":"HR","country":"Croatia","title":"Zagreb - Croatia"},{"tz":"Europe\/Zurich","location":"Zurich","code":"CH","country":"Switzerland","title":"Zurich - Switzerland"},{"tz":"Indian\/Antananarivo","location":"Antananarivo","code":"MG","country":"Madagascar","title":"Antananarivo - Madagascar"},{"tz":"Indian\/Chagos","location":"Chagos","code":"IO","country":"British Indian Ocean Territory","title":"Chagos - British Indian Ocean Territory"},{"tz":"Indian\/Christmas","location":"Christmas","code":"CX","country":"Christmas Island","title":"Christmas Island"},{"tz":"Indian\/Cocos","location":"Cocos","code":"CC","country":"Cocos (Keeling) Islands","title":"Cocos (Keeling) Islands"},{"tz":"Indian\/Comoro","location":"Comoro","code":"KM","country":"Comoros","title":"Comoros"},{"tz":"Indian\/Kerguelen","location":"Kerguelen","code":"TF","country":"French Southern Territories","title":"Kerguelen - French Southern Territories"},{"tz":"Indian\/Mahe","location":"Mahe","code":"SC","country":"Seychelles","title":"Mahe - Seychelles"},{"tz":"Indian\/Maldives","location":"Maldives","code":"MV","country":"Maldives","title":"Maldives"},{"tz":"Indian\/Mauritius","location":"Mauritius","code":"MU","country":"Mauritius","title":"Mauritius"},{"tz":"Indian\/Mayotte","location":"Mayotte","code":"YT","country":"Mayotte","title":"Mayotte"},{"tz":"Indian\/Reunion","location":"Reunion","code":"RE","country":"Reunion","title":"Reunion"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Apia","location":"Apia","code":"WS","country":"Samoa","title":"Apia - Samoa"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Auckland","location":"Auckland","code":"NZ","country":"New Zealand","title":"Auckland - New Zealand"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Bougainville","location":"Bougainville","code":"PG","country":"Papua New Guinea","title":"Bougainville - Papua New Guinea"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Chatham","location":"Chatham","code":"NZ","country":"New Zealand","title":"Chatham Islands - New Zealand"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Chuuk","location":"Chuuk","code":"FM","country":"Micronesia","title":"Chuuk - Micronesia"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Easter","location":"Easter","code":"CL","country":"Chile","title":"Easter Island - Chile"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Efate","location":"Efate","code":"VU","country":"Vanuatu","title":"Efate - Vanuatu"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Fakaofo","location":"Fakaofo","code":"TK","country":"Tokelau","title":"Fakaofo - Tokelau"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Fiji","location":"Fiji","code":"FJ","country":"Fiji","title":"Fiji"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Funafuti","location":"Funafuti","code":"TV","country":"Tuvalu","title":"Funafuti - Tuvalu"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Galapagos","location":"Galapagos","code":"EC","country":"Ecuador","title":"Galapagos Islands - Ecuador"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Gambier","location":"Gambier","code":"PF","country":"French Polynesia","title":"Gambier - French Polynesia"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Guadalcanal","location":"Guadalcanal","code":"SB","country":"Solomon Islands","title":"Guadalcanal - Solomon Islands"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Guam","location":"Guam","code":"GU","country":"Guam","title":"Guam"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Honolulu","location":"Honolulu","code":"US","country":"United States of America","title":"Honolulu - Hawaii - United States of America"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Kanton","location":"Kanton","code":"KI","country":"Kiribati","title":"Kanton - Kiribati"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Kiritimati","location":"Kiritimati","code":"KI","country":"Kiribati","title":"Kiritimati - Kiribati"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Kosrae","location":"Kosrae","code":"FM","country":"Micronesia","title":"Kosrae - Micronesia"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Kwajalein","location":"Kwajalein","code":"MH","country":"Marshall Islands","title":"Kwajalein - Marshall Islands"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Majuro","location":"Majuro","code":"MH","country":"Marshall Islands","title":"Majuro - Marshall Islands"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Marquesas","location":"Marquesas","code":"PF","country":"French Polynesia","title":"Marquesas - French Polynesia"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Midway","location":"Midway","code":"UM","country":"US Minor Outlying Islands","title":"Midway - US Minor Outlying Islands"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Nauru","location":"Nauru","code":"NR","country":"Nauru","title":"Nauru"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Niue","location":"Niue","code":"NU","country":"Niue","title":"Niue"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Norfolk","location":"Norfolk","code":"NF","country":"Norfolk Island","title":"Norfolk Island"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Noumea","location":"Noumea","code":"NC","country":"New Caledonia","title":"Noumea - New Caledonia"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Pago_Pago","location":"PagoPago","code":"AS","country":"American Samoa","title":"Pago Pago - American Samoa"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Palau","location":"Palau","code":"PW","country":"Palau","title":"Palau"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Pitcairn","location":"Pitcairn","code":"PN","country":"Pitcairn","title":"Pitcairn"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Pohnpei","location":"Pohnpei","code":"FM","country":"Micronesia","title":"Pohnpei - Micronesia"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Port_Moresby","location":"PortMoresby","code":"PG","country":"Papua New Guinea","title":"Port Moresby - Papua New Guinea"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Rarotonga","location":"Rarotonga","code":"CK","country":"Cook Islands","title":"Rarotonga - Cook Islands"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Saipan","location":"Saipan","code":"MP","country":"Northern Mariana Islands","title":"Saipan - Northern Marinara Islands"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Tahiti","location":"Tahiti","code":"PF","country":"French Polynesia","title":"Tahiti - French Polynesia"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Tarawa","location":"Tarawa","code":"KI","country":"Kiribati","title":"Tarawa - Kiribati"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Tongatapu","location":"Tongatapu","code":"TO","country":"Tonga","title":"Tongatapu - Tonga"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Wake","location":"Wake","code":"UM","country":"US Minor Outlying Islands","title":"Wake - US Minor Outlying Islands"},{"tz":"Pacific\/Wallis","location":"Wallis","code":"WF","country":"Wallis and Futuna Islands","title":"Wallis and Futuna Islands"},{"tz":"UTC","location":"UTC","code":"UTC","country":"","title":"UTC\/GMT"}]
ADVERTISEMENT
All the Rugby. All the News. All in One Place. Your Inbox.
Sign up now
RugbyPass Newsletter
Get the latest rugby news and analysis with the RugbyPass newsletter
Yes, I think the investment in England pathways & PREM academies is pushing us back towards home grown players and has reduced the appetite for “transplant upgrade players”.
I don’t mind the odd 1 or 2 but it does feel like its gone a bit too far in recent years, hence the WR rule change.
I don’t see why it’s so hard to defend when it’s within the current rules GS. Ppl can only obey the rules in front of them and that’s what IRFU did. They gave MDL a choice and he made it. What’s wrong with that?
I would have liked to see a Pasifika side of some kind inc in the TRC, either a combined three island team or the current best, which would be Fiji. They are a lot better than Georgia so it’s up to the SH to find a way to make it work. I’m sure you’d sell out Lautoka for all the home matches.
P - you’re trying to sell limited importation in England????? Good luck with that 😁
Becoming a little bit defensive, really, understand why, because the behaviour of the likes of Ireland is hard to defend.
Then, regarding your comments, I think you will eventually see Japan and Fiji added to the TRC; however, as with all things around professional rugby, reality is that Tonga and Samoa can never be part of the comp.
Why - some secret plan from Oz and NZ to lock up Pacific players (by the way, Nick,you realise more Tongans/Samoans are now living in NZ than in the Islands themselves?).
It’s all about simple economics - Tonga population 100k and Samoa 200K - Can’t generate $$ in TV rights and other commercial metrics.
As an example, Moana Pasifica has had to move their game this weekend with the Chiefs from Tonga to Rotorua in NZ, as it's too expensive to send two sides to Tonga - you literally have to ship in all the TV infrastructure - staff, cameras, and TV Staff to cover the game - talking in the 100’s of thousands.
ABs have played one game in Samoa - and it was highly expensive for the NZRFU (big loss for them) - again due to having to ship the infrastructure to televise the product, and that tickets in the stadium had to be priced for the local population, which was cents on the dollar vs. what you can charge in likes of NZ.
But interested if you do think that the likes of Samoa/Tonga can and should be part of the TRC - can you explain the economics of the two economies of the respective countries with a population of 100 and 200 persons and an average GDP of circa 5K USD, and how they can be part of the TRC?
The only way it could happen would be for WR to put their hands in their pockets and pay for them to be involved, but you are talking about millions of dollars in costs to make that happen and hard to see that ever occuring.
It’s much more straightforward than that. The 6N offers them no pathway into the comp - no promotion or relegation, no expansion.
Ditto TRC with Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. NZ and Aussie want to keep the Pasifika pipeline open and that means keeping the island teams outta the comp!
Yip, understand that - but as a counterpoint, consider Georgia and its development.
The likes of Ireland, Scotland and Wales going shopping for South Hemisphere talent, in effect, choke their development as a rugby-playing nation.
Georgia can continue to develop their players via their own pathways - but tough to ever make a case to gain entry into the 6 Nations comp - when teams like Ireland can build out a National squad with what is an excellent development system, and then where there is a gap in their squad, look to player resources in the South via Grandparent/parent.
So whilst the residency and parent pathway continues to keep a team like Scotland as a Tier one nation, I do think it really blocks the pathway of a team like Georgia.
That’s a very good way of putting it. 👍
Probably had a wider spread of talents but Billy had more star quality in the areas where he was good.
Whilst Billy did have that unbelievable streak under Eddie where he was near unplayable, over the course of their careers, I preferred what Nathan had to offer over Billy.
I thought he was outstanding at Wasps, then they made him eat an extra persons serving for about 4 years where he added quite a bit more weight, went 2 sizes higher in his shorts and lost a bit of his mobility.
When Bristol put him on loan at Hartpury (fair play for him playing), Stu Hoops swooped in, signed him on a short term loan, got him fit, started enjoying his rugby again (and playing with a smile on his face) and boy what he player he was at the end of it.
If there is one that got away from us, he was it. It was a real shame we couldn’t keep him but with the reduced salary cap levels they just couldn’t make it work.
3 players only per 23 born outside of representative country.
Will just manage the number of inflows.
Nathan was alaways more Billy [Vuni] than Ben [Earl]!
I think that is partly down to the drop in standard and funding of the Championship and the scale of the divide that one step down that professionalism has created - the PREM clubs got far better and the Championship clubs have declined (relatively).
In the old days, you would still get older 1st team players and academy rejects dropping into the Championship, where they had a chance to rebound. The early/mid 1990’s was nuts, with Mike Teague, Micky Skinner, Ben Clarke playing in the Championship, followed by Zinzan Brooke etc dropping down after he left Quins. You just wouldn’t see that nowadays.
As the Prem Cup games confirmed, pretty much for everyone except Ealing Trailfinders, the Academy side could beat a Championship team by 50 points.
The divide has become too great, so you either make it into a full time PREM squad, or the drop in standard is fairly significant and most just move on from the sport.
Nathan Hughes was such a good player. I think his best days were Wasps, as he got caught in the middle of Eddie Jones wanting him 15KG heavier to replace Billy V as a power 8 vs. Pat Lam wanting a mobile 8 to play his coast to coast style of play and he just got caught in the cross fire of the two and fell foul with both.
I knew that but he will still be playing behind a fairly weak pack on a hard plastic pitch with quite a firm bounce, that has a strong cross wind on the pitch, in a team where no player has been selected for England (for some time) and the England coaches do not attend games on a regular basis due to the geography.
If you were coming to the PREM to gain England recognition, I would have been signing for a different club, hence my comment this is hype generated around joining Red Bull for them to build up their star player profile.
Let’s see how he gets on but may need a season to settle whilst they rebuild the team around him over the next 2-3 years.
It’s not exactly a conventional route, in a position where England have 3 very good players ahead of him - Earl, Pollock, CC-S.
The truth is also that countries like Wales and Scotland have small player bases now, so they need all the help they can get via the grandpa rule!
Yip, my guess is that if you see more players picked up or poached under the grandparent rule, that will be changed, and it will regress to just parent. Just as the Project Player rule forced WR to increase the residency period from 3 to 5 years.
Headline on the article “Hoskins Sotutu, the All Black who can be England’s new No 8”
And per the article, “Sotutu will not be drawn on declaring his outright goal to represent England, but it is clear that is where his ambitions lie. This season he has been carrying a niggly knee injury, but he is adamant that his best rugby lies ahead of him at Newcastle, which can in turn be a platform for a return to the Test arena.”
Or “Sotutu has had no direct contact with any member of England’s coaching staff but intermediaries checked on his behalf. Unsurprisingly there was strong interest in seeing him come to Prem Rugby and this was before Tom Willis’s unexpected signing for Bordeaux Begles, which has left England with a dearth of natural No 8s.”
When we used to practice in the old days we always had a half an hour full game. The Captain and the Vice captain each picked a team the one who won the toss picked first then the toss looses could pick two and then one one one. There was great needle in the games snd we played as a fully competitive game complete with penalties. The first man to be chosen was always the first choice tight-head prop followed by the best goal kicker. It was Doc’s way and it worked.
There is nothing like the feeling for a second row of packing behind a THP who really knew his way around a scrum. On defence you could feel all the energy being absorbed right down your spine, top to bottom; on attack you felt that first little step backwards by his opponent, that little ‘give’ - and heard that first small groan of difficulty.
Yeah, that’s really sad. It's a big ask to send a kid overseas, the pressure of just being a teenager/young adult, a different country, culture and then perform at a high sporting level.
Lots of kids can do it obviously, but lots can’t, and that’s hopefully where family and club have plan B - Uni or learning a trade, etc.
Same in Wales under Gatland - boys bloated in the gym but hardly ever visited a real rugby club🙄
It’s also why a lot of the more sensible Europena clubs like to recruit more than one player from the same nation.
Exeter has always recruited Aussies and they have thrived to a man in Devon. Sometimes there were as many as five or six Aussies at the clubs ta th same time. Right no they have Scott Sio, Julian Heaven, Tom Hooper, Len Ikitau and Tamati Tua down there.
Ten years ago they had as many as eight! https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/35823143
Spot on P.