LIST: 5 players who played for both England and Ireland

Rugby News
Saturday, 20 March 2021 at 14:37
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The rivalry between England and Ireland has a lot of history – but a few players have dared to cross the divide down the years.

1. Billy Burns

His favoured position is fly-half. He is the younger brother of England rugby union team fly-half Freddie Burns. Born in England, Burns represented England for youth rugby union teams, before choosing to represent Ireland at the 2020 Six Nations Championship. He's since accumulated six caps, scoring 29 points.
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2. Callum Sheedy

Born in Cardiff, Wales, Sheedy qualified for Ireland through his parents and England through residency; he has appeared for both Wales and Ireland age grade representative sides, and was named in June 2019 in an uncapped "England XV" side to face the Barbarians. However, he made his senior debut for Wales against Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup.
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3. Mike Haley

The fullback received his first call-up to the senior England squad by coach Eddie Jones for a three-day training camp in May 2016. He made his debut for the England Saxons on their tour against South Africa A in June 2016.[8] However, this appearance did not tie him fully to the RFU because, at the time, South Africa A was not SARU's second team.
In May 2019, Haley was named by Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt in a 44-man training squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He made his debut in their 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up match against Italy on 10 August 2019, featuring as a replacement in the 29–10 win.
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4. Ben Te'o

The centre first union club was Leinster, and Ireland were hoping to eventually secure his services on residency grounds before Eddie Jones persuaded him to opt for England, an act made possible through his mother’s heritage. He even represented Ireland as a fan during the 2015 World Cup.
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5. Will Addison

In 2012, Addison was part of the England U20 side which won the Junior Six Nations. He also featured at the 2012 Junior World Cup. However, afetr joining Ulster, Addison was named in the Ireland squad for the November Internationals in 2018, making his debut against Italy soon after.
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