Ireland rugby star John Cooney has broken his silence over his rumoured switch to Scotland.
The Ulster scrum-half was recently reported to be considering switching allegiances on the international stage. Cooney has won 11 caps for the land of his birth but hasn’t featured for Ireland since the 2020 6 Nations loss to England at Twickenham. And despite brilliant performances for his club, the Dubliner has failed to force his way back into Andy Farrell’s side.
Cooney is eligible to play for Gregor Townsend’s men because his father – also called John – was born in Blantyre, Scotland. Under World Rugby's eligibility rules, a player can play for another country provided they haven't played for their current country in the past three years.
And he has revealed he is thinking long and hard – and that the pull of making his dad happy may prove too strong. The 32-year-old told the BBC’S Ulster Rugby Show: "Half of my family live in Scotland and my dad is a proud Scotsman. I have to make sure everything is right with me with Ulster in terms of the contract and stuff like that.
"I have seen people commenting – I can see other people's perception of it but they're generally people who have no connection or affiliation to another country. I can see both sides of the conversation but I won't be listening to the outside (noise). Either way I know my dad would be immensely proud if I did play (for Scotland)."
