England fans petition Bennett

An England supporter has started an online campaign to petition Wayne Bennett to only select players born in England or with an English parent for the national team.

Bennett has been linked with attempts to entice the likes of Blake Austin and the Morris twins to elect for England, with the trio qulaifying through English grandparents.

Dave Sinclair, from Leeds, has launched a petition aimed at Bennett. It states:

“We, the fans, are unhappy about the rumours of the England Rugby League Team being flooded with Australian-born players, with tenuous links to English nationality.

“We want our England team to be made up of English players, please.

“If they weren’t born in England or have an English parent (not grandparent) then they shouldn’t take the jersey. This is the international game, not club rugby. It’s about making the best of what you have, not sneaking ‘ringers’ (who might not actually be that much better) in through the back door.

“We don’t want to see any more players selected through the loopholes of residency or the grandparent rule. Please Wayne, don’t go down that route. A coach of your calibre shouldn’t need to do things this way. Just because they’re ‘eligble’ does not mean it is right… or what the fans want. We have plenty of talented players in Super League (and genuine English players in the NRL) please don’t snub them in favour of Australians whose Grandma once drank a pint of John Smith’s.

“Best wishes,

“The England fans.”

So far the petition has attracted 21 supporters.