Pacific poachers have no right to slate England.

When England named their first training squad for the World Cup it provoked a mixture of reactions in the rugby world. English supporters were excited by the selection of Manu Tuilagi and keen to see how he would fit into England’s solid midfield. European nations talked up the chances of the Six Nations champions in New Zealand after a strong showing (minus the Ireland game) during the competition.

But Southern Hemisphere reactions were far different. Ignoring any recent success, they centred their attention towards the number of players in the England squad that had been born elsewhere. Waldrom, Flutey, Tuilagi and Hartley were all picked out as ‘foreigners’ and many said that England were now relying on foreign imports to strengthen their squad.

Oh how hypocritical. The Kiwis and Australians of all people should keep well hushed on this topic, for the simple reason that they have picked ‘foreigners’ in their rugby sides for a number of years, and have done so in a way that is far more damaging to the game than England selecting Waldrom and co.

Sivivatu: Fiji. Rokocoko: Fiji, Muliaina: Samoa, Toeava: Samoa. Catch my drift? And that’s just New Zealand. Australia used the pace and power of the Fijian winger Loti Tuqiri for a number of years, oh and Quade Cooper, the rising star of Australian rugby; he was born in New Zealand.

The difference between England selecting the likes of Waldrom, Hartley and Flutey and the Trans-Tasman nations picking the players mentioned above (minus Cooper) is a very important one. Waldrom and co. have tried their hand in New Zealand; they didn’t make the grade at the top level. So the fact that they’re now qualified and playing for England through residency is in no way damaging New Zealand rugby; they will not be missed.

But Sivivatu, Rokocoko, Muliaina and Toeava would have been incredible assets to Fijian and Samoan rugby. Imagine a Fiji side with two of the All Blacks’ all-time top try scorers running riot in the backline, or a Samoan side with Mils Muliainia linking up with Toeava at the back. Dare I say that these two nations may well be a lot closer to breaking into rugby’s top tier than they are today?

So before these comments are made, I urge the relevant offenders to take a good, hard look into their own garden before they criticise someone else’s. After all, it’s not England that scout the Pacific, hand-picking the best of the bunch, they simply take the left overs when they’re offered.

I don’t have an issue with players representing an adopted country; in the modern world people travel and may not necessarily have much of a say in where they are brought up. But I do resent the constant barrage of ill-informed criticism that has been branded England’s way in the past few years, right across the sporting spectrum.

One thing’s for sure; whoever wins this World Cup will care little for the birthplace of their players. The Webb Ellis Cup will receive all of the attention.