Flutey "proud" to wear England shirt
Tuesday, 19 Aug 2008 09:07
Riki Flutey says he would be "proud" to wear the England shirt
Riki Flutey has declared he would be "proud" to wear the England shirt after he was called up to Martin Johnson's elite squad.
Speaking to
inthenews.co.uk, the Wasps centre said he had "no regrets" with his decision to represent England despite being born in New Zealand.
From the beginning of next season, Flutey will be eligible to play for England on the grounds of residency.
He admitted that the decision hadn't been straightforward, saying if the opportunity had come a year ago he would have struggled to make a choice.
But the 28-year-old revealed the opportunity to play against the best players in the world was too good to turn down.
"Not once have I thought 'shucks what am I doing here, I'm a Kiwi'," he said, before admitting he had not watched any footage of England's disastrous tour to New Zealand earlier in the summer.
"To be honest I was on holiday in Crete and I still haven't watched any of the games," Flutey added.
Wasps will play London Irish on September 6th in their first game of the season.