This morning England’s care taker coach Stuart Lancaster announced his side for the upcoming six nations, and their Calcutta cup clash with Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday. The big news as far as South Africans are concerned is the inclusion of Brad Barrit the Durban boy who played for the sharks not so long ago. In fact at the ripe old age of 25 and some surplus days Barrit has only been playing for his current club Saracens since 2008. This raises that age old question of re-patriotising players for the sake of sport. South Africa has over the years released an incredible amount of players that have chosen another country to represent on a national scale. During the Apartheid years this decision was as much a political one as a personal one and the context of the day made those decisions somewhat different from more contemporary examples. As South Africans, Kevin Pietersen’s decision to play for England is a favourite point of contention because of his intolerable arrogance, and people like to say he should have waited his turn. Maybe, maybe not. I don’t think Pietersen, in his current form or even in the form he was in 4 years ago, would have been good enough to gain him a place in the South African side. And this I feel is the central point, why shouldn’t players be allowed to seek their fortunes else ware if they don’t realistically have a chance in the nation of their birth. I don’t think I could see Barrit being better Jaque Fourie, Juan de Jong, Jean de Villiers or even Wynand Olivier, and that does not even include the other savoir from Bethlehem Frans Steyn (because I think he should be at fullback). Players need to think realistically about their futures in the world of professional sport because it is a career now, albeit one with early retirement benefits. Money is beginning to talk in world rugby the way it does in Football (the real one where you have to use your feet to play the ball!). The Equatorial Guinea team in the current AFCON is re-patriotised they are a country so small that if they can produce one world class footballer a generation, they would still have to rely on people from other nations to make up the other 22 spots in the squad. With a population of less than 700 000 their sporting hopes rely on other players wanting to live in their country and so they pay players very well. I believe in south Africa we offer allot of reasons for people to come and live and play in SA, Imran Tahir obviously agrees, and our domestic cricket scene is beginning to attract some world class players. I know they are only coming to play some hack and slash for 40 overs as mercenaries but it will improve the perception of South Africa as a place to come and build your career, or even end it. More and more we are seeing rugby players travel around the world building themselves retirement plans with 60 minutes of rugby payed for with Euros. It is sad to lose Brad but I think I’m happy to see him play for England I only fear that when Tuilagi comes back from injury he may lose his place, and if you only get 1 test cap it probably wasn’t a good choice.