James Lowe has hit back against the criticism of the number of 'imported' players on the British and Irish Lions tour.
Former Ireland and Lions captain Willie John McBride was a high-profile critic, saying the number of players in the squad who weren’t born in Britain or Ireland "bothered" him.
New Zealand-born Lowe is one of five players in the squad who qualified through residency, along with his Ireland team-mates Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park, as well as Scotland pair Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe.
Additionally, Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipulotu were both born in Australia, but qualified for Ireland and Scotland respectively through family.
And Lowe, who made his Ireland debut in 2020 after joining Leinster in 2017, says the recent scrutiny of his nationality is nothing new for him.
"When you don’t have the blood running through your veins, there is a little bit of that [criticism],’ Lowe said.
"When I was first selected for Ireland, all the people come out of the woodwork saying, ‘How is this person representing Ireland?’
"I’m sure it was the same for Sione [Tuipulotu], but the rules are there. We’ve all done our time. I am fully embedded in the culture of Ireland. Sione’s captained Scotland. You don’t have to question where his allegiance lies.
Lowe is set to join a small group of people who have played both for and against the Lions, having been part of the Maori All Blacks team for their meeting with the Lions in 2017 (below).
And he emphasised that while he wasn't born in Ireland, he doesn’t see himself leaving any time soon.
"Leinster and Ireland have given me everything. They’ve made me a lot better as a rugby player, they’ve looked after me physically and they’ve given me time off to get back to New Zealand when I need it.
"It’s something I’ll forever be grateful for. The boys still slag me for my accent, but we are so well connected in so many ways.
"Everyone’s got a different story. My story didn’t start in Ireland. But I can see it ending in Ireland. My two kids were born in Ireland.
"My wife and I are super happy with everything Ireland has given us and we don’t see ourselves moving. We’ve got our residency and I don’t think you are going to get rid of us any time soon," he added.
Similarly, Scotland captain Tuipulotu insists he is "all in" with the Lions, and admits he’s felt pressure to prove his international allegiance in the past.
Melbourne-born Tuipulotu (below), who made his international debut in 2021, was appointed Scotland captain last year.
The 28-year-old’s Greenock-born grandmother was at Murrayfield last autumn to see him score a try while leading Scotland to a 27-13 defeat of the Wallabies.
"I put so much on myself that I really wanted to be a Lion because I know how much it means to people over here," said Tuipulotu, who initially feared his tour participation may be ruined by injury.
"I had gone all in with the stuff with Scotland and I just felt what better way to prove my allegiance to Scotland than go all in and try and make the Lions. That’s why it meant so much to me.
"Genuinely early days you have that feeling of ‘am I part of this?’. I always feel like talking about it is one thing, but showing people how much it means to you in how you play [is another].
"When my gran came over before the Australia game, it allowed the public to put a face to the story and listen to my grandma and how much it meant to her. I think that gave eyes to the public that my story was authentic.
"I’m all in and I’m looking forward to showing how committed I am to playing for the Lions."
Tuipulotu is raring to go after returning from four months out with a pectoral issue during Glasgow’s 13-5 defeat to Leinster on Saturday.
"I’ve been nothing but embraced by the Scottish public ever since I started playing for Scotland," said Tuipulotu, who has 30 Test caps.
"There’s always going to be a couple of people (who criticise), like there are for some of the Irish boys, but I take that in my stride because I don’t blame those people either.
"I didn’t grow up dreaming of playing for Scotland or the Lions, that’s the truth.
"But this is where my path has led me and I’m all in for this Lions team and for Scotland and for Glasgow, and I genuinely feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.
"I just want to grab this opportunity because I’ll never get it again, to go back to Australia, and play for the Lions," he added.
Additional reporting: PA
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