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Nathan Hughes has admitted providing for his family was behind the decision to pledge his national allegiance to England.Fijian-born Hughes became available for the Grand Slam champions in June after qualifying on residency grounds and made his debut off the bench in Saturdays 37-21 victory over South Africa.Members of the Fiji squad who will run out at Twickenham this weekend are paid a mere ￡60 a day, a sum dwarfed by the ￡22,000 England players receive for each international.The figures involved have resulted in Hughes adopting a hard-nosed professional outlook on rugby knowing that he must provide for his family.I would love for Fiji to have more resources, but it is the way it is. They just have to deal with it and live on whatever they have got, Hughes said.There is a big difference and that is why people want to play rugby and how they survive.It is their bread and butter. Thats the decision I made -- I play my rugby to support my family and put shelter over their heads.Back home it has all been positive comments, everyone happy and proud of the decision I have made. Last week was exciting for me and my family.Despite the financial basis for his decision to represent England, Hughes insists the 26 minutes he played against South Africa were not without poignancy as he celebrated a proud moment in his career.I feel English now. I can say Im an English person now. It was exciting to get the nod to come off the bench and represent England, I can say its my country now, Hughes said.It was huge and it was emotional. I live here in England, it is where my family is now. This is home for me.I will not sing both anthems, Ill only be singing the national anthem, God Save the Queen.It has been a long time coming but now the time is here, Ive got my first cap and Im excited to get more.Hughes, an explosive No. 8 bristling with raw potential, is set to start in the back row against the nation of his birth on Saturday and realises that this guarantees special treatment at Twickenham.I do understand it. If youre an Islander, and I have this opportunity to play against Fiji, you know what is coming. You take it and you have got to give it back. Theyll know its coming too, he said.It will be very special to make this first start against Fiji, but weve got a lot of class back-rowers in the squad, waiting for the opportunity. You just have to train well and when you get an opportunity, take it with both hands.Cheap Jerseys Review . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Replica Jerseys China .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. https://www.cheapjerseysreview.com/ . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Best Site Buy China Jerseys . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Cheap Jersey Website . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match.AUSTIN, Texas -- ?As Charlie Strong gets off an elevator near his office, a student recognizes him and wants to show the Texas coach a video. Its footage of the cannon shooting off from the 45-40 loss to Oklahoma last Saturday. Strong enthusiastically obliges and later runs into one of his walk-on players majoring in engineering and jokes, I sure didnt major in engineering.For a guy whos reportedly in serious trouble, Strong doesnt show it. He knows the stakes and knows that he probably will be in trouble if the Longhorns dont turn it around and suffer through a third straight losing season. But he also knows that spending any time wondering or fretting about whom may or may not be against him among Texas power brokers is useless.I said to somebody the other day that what we have going here is that the players are still with us, Strong told ESPN.com in a wide-ranging interview on Monday. Now, if we had the players complaining, wed be in trouble. And the parents, too. I get text upon text upon text from parents telling me to hang in there and that theyre praying for me and that their son came here to play for me.Its a lot more unified here than maybe some people have made it out to be. Were talented and were young, and weve got guys who can play. We just have to find a way to be more consistent, and were going to do that.In the face of three straight losses and swirling speculation that his third season at Texas could be his last, Strong doesnt flinch.Its not his style, never has been.He didnt flinch as a kid growing up in Batesville, Arkansas, when on some nights he would share a house with as many as 15 people. He didnt flinch during his defensive coordinator days at Florida when he kept getting passed over for head coaching jobs by less qualified candidates.And hes certainly not going to flinch now, even with a 13-17 record as Texas head coach and the restlessness and grumbling at one of college footballs biggest fish bowls growing louder by the day ... and the loss.For the 56-year-old Strong, its business as usual. His blueprint and his vision havent wavered. Neither has his resolve.You stick to it, especially here, because if you dont, it will wear you down, he says.Unfortunately for him, his Monday each of the past three weeks has been the same, trying to explain a Texas loss and, more specifically, how the Longhorns suddenly cant stop anybody. Theyve given up at least 45 points in all three losses and a total of 1,734 yards.Its no secret that the specter of Houstons Tom Herman looms large in these parts. The fear among some Texas supporters is that Herman may be scooped up by another school if Texas doesnt act this year by cutting ties with Strong.Confronted with that scenario, Strong flashes his easy smile and shrugs. Sure, hes heard it -- more than once.At the same time, he also has been in touch with key boosters, as he has since he took the job. More importantly, he knows which ones to call. Of course, at a place like Texas, one of the inherent problems is that everybody thinks hes a key booster, creating a very vocal and loud minority.Theres also a misnomer out there that Strong isnt engaged with some of the big-money Texas boosters. Just this summer, he attended a function at Roger Staubachs house in Horseshoe Bay with several prominent Texas donors.I know the guys to keep in touch with, and I do, Strong said. Theyve been great and always want to know if theres anything they can do to help. Now, I dont go to dinner with those guys, so Im not going to be seen in public with them. Im not a member of their country club and I dont play golf, so I dont go play golf with them. But I pick up the phone and call them, keep in touch.They want the same thing II do, to see this program continue to make strides.ddddddddddddStrong said the notion that he has tucked away in his own football cocoon and disengaged with everybody simply isnt true and a narrative that has been falsely planted.They also said we had no relationship with high school coaches, and look at the recruits weve been able to get in this state, Strong said. Its almost like everything they said we dont do, we do. Thats why you dont spend time fighting that stuff. We have enough to keep us busy.Like winning games, which ultimately will decide Strongs fate. Hes not na?ve. Even with the recruiting gains made on his watch, it would be difficult for him to survive if this season completely unravels. The Longhorns close out October with Iowa State at home this Saturday, then Kansas State on the road and Baylor back home.We need to finish strong, where were on an upswing, Strong said. We dont want to be going backward, and were not.Texas president Greg Fenves and athletic director Mike Perrin both came publicly last week in support of Strong. Dreaded votes of confidence or not, one of the things Strong has going for him is that Perrin is from the Darrell Royal tree, and many of Royals former players are influential and have expressed their support for Strong.But most important, at least with regard to turning this season around, is that the Texas players have remained staunchly behind Strong.What I look at is we have a team thats making strides and not going backward, Strong said. Now, we havent won like we want to, but I look at where were heading and know well get there because I believe in the kids so much that I know its going to happen.Strong was criticized for Texas lack of offense his first two seasons, and one of his mandates from fans was to bring in a quarterback for the future. Well, he has done that with freshman sensation Shane Buechele, who has thrown for 1,204 yards and 11 touchdowns.The problem now is on defense. The Longhorns have been scorched by the deep ball, and even with Strong taking over the defensive play-calling last week, the results were the same. Its true that you have to be equipped to win shootouts every week to contend in the Big 12, but Strong said the plan was never to sacrifice on defense to get there.I dont think we sacrificed anything, he said. What we have lost is giving up the big play. I dont think weve lost anything in terms of toughness or competing on defense. Its just giving up the big plays. Thats what is killing us right now, and thats what we have to get fixed.Strong has never been one to think too much about the what ifs in coaching.Its part of the business. People lose their jobs, he said.But in terms of the bigger picture, he admits theres a different sort of pressure to succeed at Texas that he holds near and dear to his heart. Its why he says softly, but with conviction, that he has to make it.I look at it like this: A lot of African-Americans didnt get this opportunity, and now that I did get it, there are so many people counting on me to be successful, and not just African-Americans, but people who just never got a chance, Strong said. Sometimes, I think its bigger than me. I dont know why I think like this, but Ill be lying in bed at night thinking, Theres another minority out there who wants to be the CEO of IBM, and if Im successful here, will that success help that guy go be the CEO of IBM or go run a hospital?You look at Texas and look at how big the Texas job is, and nobody wants to win more than I do. But if that opens up doors for others, thats a win for a lot of people. ' ' '