Sporting countries

**Luffers** · 9th October 2005

I've had one of those "just woken up thoughts" and don't know the answer so thought I'd ask here.

Why, in some sports do teams play as either England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland and in other as Great Britain.

For instance (apart from in the Commonwealth Games), in athletics they compete as Great Britain but in football it's the individual nations.

Any ideas?:nowords:

**Tattooed Freak** · 9th October 2005

In Rugby League we have a GB team with players selected to play Australia & New Zealand in a Tri Nations team each year. You also have the individual nations teams. The GB team was started to do a "Lions" tour of New Zealand or Australia in the early 1900's. But the GB team will be no more in 2008, to be fair the GB squad is English with 1 Irishman and a welsh bloke from Oldham.

**MercuryRises** · 11th October 2005

If you had one GB football team, the problem would be:

The Welsh would be pissed that there werent enough welshmen in the team.
The English would be pissed that there werent enough Englishmen in the team
The Northern Irish would be pissed that there weren't enough Norther Irishmen in the team
And Scotland are so bad at the moment that we wouldnt have anyone in the team at all.

Plus the English would be pissed off that they couldn't ritually humiliate the Scottish by beating us all the time (Although everyone does that, you think we'd be used to it)

**jimbob2002** · 11th October 2005

Originally Posted by MercuryRises

Plus the English would be pissed off that they couldn't ritually humiliate the Scottish by beating us all the time (Although everyone does that, you think we'd be used to it)

What you mean that ritual that over 110 games between the two sides England have won only 4 more games than Scotland, and Scotland won the last one between the two teams.

Head to Head (since 30.11.1872 to 17.11.1999)
England wins - 45
Scotland wins - 41
Draws - 24