Foreigners in HC finals

Last post of the day. Again sparked by a throwaway comment on another thread.

Make of it what you will - but what stands out for me (and slightly saddens me) is just how cosmopolitan Tigers have become.

Spoiler:

Not sure what to make of this but interesting that other than Bath (98) and Saints (00) any finalist with more than 4 foreigners have ended up on the loosing side.

Briliant stat. What stands out for me is the loser nearly always has more foreigners. Doesn't bode well for the likes of Toulon.

....at least that is the case in recent years whereas before in the early days teams with more foreigners were more successful. Perhaps that means NH player standards have improved.

To be fair to Bath and Saints their winning foreigners include Hilton and Pountney. Neither of whom were Scottish.

You could look at it another way, if the losing side did not have the foreigners in the team would they have got to the final!

It is about time to limit non qualified players to no more than 2 in the 22.

glamorganalun wrote:It is about time to limit non qualified players to no more than 2 in the 22.

Don't think they can do that to be fair think its a knock on affect from football, they had it for the Champions League and was challenged because its against EU employment law and restraint of trade and a load of other nonsense

That rule applies to EU residence, others require work permits.

I think it shows that alot of the teams with fewer NQ have been with the team longer and so as a result are more of a team

Some things never change then in Northamptons case. Where's View, he should be the one pointing this out!

marty2086 wrote:

glamorganalun wrote:It is about time to limit non qualified players to no more than 2 in the 22.

Don't think they can do that to be fair think its a knock on affect from football, they had it for the Champions League and was challenged because its against EU employment law and restraint of trade and a load of other nonsense

I investigated this as I was wondering how the IRFU get away with their you can only have project player and Irirsh qualified thign.

Aparently its because nationality has no basis on being Irish qualified.

You could in theory have a whole team of Irish Qualified players none of whom are legally Irish

A Leinster v Ulster final would be nice

Leinster are full of foreigners - is there any player who's actually from D4 in the team?

Yeah, you guys should get rid of the foreigners.

Morgannwg wrote:Some things never change then in Northamptons case.

That's an interesting definition of not changing seeming as they went from 7 foreign players in 2000 to about half that and what seems a pretty average number last year.

I think that's called seeing what you want to see

Londontiger

Does the list include coaches and other coaching staff?

I think it would be more interesting to look at who is from that region eg how many players in Leinster are from Leinster - once you go further than that it just quibbling over how foreign someone is

nganboy wrote:I think it would be more interesting to look at who is from that region eg how many players in Leinster are from Leinster - once you go further than that it just quibbling over how foreign someone is

Good point. I can tell you in 09 Leinster started 12 Leinster men (Wright, Whittaker and Nacewa being the non Leinster men. In 2011 it was 10 - Strauss, Ross, Hines, Reddan and Nacwea.

Liverpool FC won the FA Cup years ago and a load of other things - they had about 1 Englishman in the team

so . . . . . . . .

I don't think I've been seeing things but I have vague recollections that Howlett has forever been one of Munster's most influential players if not the most in terms of try creation - Nacewa key at Leinster - Pienaar key at Ulster -( actually if Howlett had been fit versus Ulster ? ?)

so ignoring the numbers - in terms of "quality" players - maybe success in the HC is more dependent on the quality of your "buy-ins" and not the quantity

Mickado wrote:

nganboy wrote:I think it would be more interesting to look at who is from that region eg how many players in Leinster are from Leinster - once you go further than that it just quibbling over how foreign someone is

Good point. I can tell you in 09 Leinster started 12 Leinster men (Wright, Whittaker and Nacewa being the non Leinster men. In 2011 it was 10 - Strauss, Ross, Hines, Reddan and Nacwea.

Rocky McElsom from Longford was fairly important in 09 as I remember.........

Longford is fairly close to being in Connacht.

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:

Mickado wrote:

nganboy wrote:I think it would be more interesting to look at who is from that region eg how many players in Leinster are from Leinster - once you go further than that it just quibbling over how foreign someone is

Good point. I can tell you in 09 Leinster started 12 Leinster men (Wright, Whittaker and Nacewa being the non Leinster men. In 2011 it was 10 - Strauss, Ross, Hines, Reddan and Nacwea.

Rocky McElsom from Longford was fairly important in 09 as I remember.........

Longford is fairly close to being in Connacht.

Who?

Ok so make that 11 Leinstermen started in 09. I am too used to us having an all Irish backrow, I didn't even think about him...

Pot Hale wrote:Leinster are full of foreigners - is there any player who's actually from D4 in the team?

Leinster isn't in D4, D4 is in Leinster. Over half the squad is from outside of Dublin because it's a "Leinster" team. Carlow, Kildare, Louth, Wicklow, Meath etc.

leinsterbaby wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:Leinster are full of foreigners - is there any player who's actually from D4 in the team?

Leinster isn't in D4, D4 is in Leinster. Over half the squad is from outside of Dublin because it's a "Leinster" team. Carlow, Kildare, Louth, Wicklow, Meath etc.

Ah! You took the bait.

By choice. Some people still think the team is dominated by Dubs.

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:

leinsterbaby wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:Leinster are full of foreigners - is there any player who's actually from D4 in the team?

Leinster isn't in D4, D4 is in Leinster. Over half the squad is from outside of Dublin because it's a "Leinster" team. Carlow, Kildare, Louth, Wicklow, Meath etc.

Ah! You took the bait.

Bait? Humour, more like.

In all seriousness I can't think of any player from D4. Though Reddan lives in ballsbridge. Sexton is from D6 which is probably closest.

leinsterbaby wrote:In all seriousness I can't think of any player from D4. Though Reddan lives in ballsbridge. Sexton is from D6 which is probably closest.

Just out of interest, where abouts in D6? Ranelagh?