How many Foreign Born Players are in the 2023 Rugby World Cup Squads? 

To be fair, anyone called 'Hamish' should only ever be allowed to play for Scotland.

Respect to South Africa🇿🇦 & Argentina🇦🇷 for fielding 100% homegrown & home born players👍🏻👍🏻

If you wanna go straight to a specific country : 0:50 Argentina and South Africa 1:03 Namibia 1:23 Uruguay 1:31 Georgia 1:57 France 2:24 Chile 2:39 Fidji 3:19 England 3:48 Australia 4:27 Ireland 5:11 New Zealand 6:19 Wales 7:19 Portugal 7:41 Romania 8:19 Italy 8:53 Scotland 9:54 Japan 10:54 Tonga 11:59 Samoa Summary : 13:08

As a Portuguese, the French connection is very strong indeed (I have family there), with about a million and a half 1st and 2nd generation Portuguese there. It is usually said that Paris is the 2nd city with more Portuguese in the world. Also Patrice Lagisquet is our manager, a frenchman (and a brilliant player in his time, WC finalist in 1987).

France is often wrongly considered as having a ton of foreign players when it's actually often one of those with the fewest. It's also consistently one of the largest provider of players for other countries. I'm talking about rugby but also football here. There are several Pacific Islanders in the squad but don't forget that France does have some Pacific Islands within its territory (Tahiti, New Caledonia, Wallis & Futuna, etc...) and except for Uini Atonio, those players come from there (Peato Mauvaka & Yoram Moefana from New Caledonia, Sipili Falatea from Wallis & Futuna, etc...).

Bro you are all over this. Very impressed with your research and knowledge on the subject. As it stands, I like the flexibility. It gives tier 2 nations opportunities to grab more talent.

The amount of lads we have in overseas clubs surprised there were only 9 South Africans playing others. NZ though, wow.

The french "highlanders" were all born in french territory, speak french, went to french school, played for France u20 etc... Most of them arrived in continental France around 13-15 years old, (Taofifenua born in France). They have no connection whatsoever with any other country. If they're not french what are they exactly? Nothing?

Everyone talks about how New Zealand uses the islanders for the All Blacks but no one talks about the Kiwi export to the world. 30 Nz born players between Tonga and Samoa. More exports than anyone else.

Best rugby channel hands down folks. Gives credit where it’s due. 100 pct authentic. Good kiwi lad

Another point to mention is that half the rugby talent in Australia and NZ are playing "rugby league". LITERALLY HALF.

In wales, if your pregnant mum became ill and had complications, they would rush her over the border to give birth in a maternity ward in England, and the baby would be officially English..so .thats how much sense or meaning all this homeborn stuff has. If you chose, with your one life and love and youthful energy to represent, and go all in with whatever country, thats all that matters.

It’s going to get to a stage where it won’t matter where you’re born , what would be the point of a WC then?

Good onya mate. Just woke up to your awesome podcast with the big name players. Legend. Go rugby!!!

SARS should charge export duty on the rugby players we are exporting.

Another good video. We know it takes a lot of time and hard work to make these videos. Love from Sri Lankan fan.

Uini Antonio was definitely a missed opportunity for NZ and Samoa.

Anyone else having problems with audio and video not syncing correctly? Also, foreign born is fine, I'm personally a bit more on them being Homegrown though parental connections is fine, I'm a bit against grandparent connection and residency though.

Really interesting, thanks. Tbh, I really don't give a damn where anyone was born, if the footy is good, that is the thing which reflects most on that particular country's system. Interesting that 57 NZ born playing for other teams, that makes 90 NZ born players at the cup, not counting replacements. That says something but who cares, like I say, as long as we see a great RWC.

Nice stats TC. Thought provoking stuff. 👍🇿🇦

Gee, and when I see a lot of French press being like "hurr durr we've got so many foreign players" and other Saffas in the comments on RU-vid saying we stole their players like Willemse... I shall henceforth quote your video as a reference to shut them up :D

Interesting that for such a small nation, 57 New Zealanders are playing for different nations this World Cup, 40 more than the next most exported country. Wonder what it would look like if that wasn’t allowed.

Summary table would do the trick. Narrative is rather like rugby .........yawn.

Really interesting, thank you! Maybe an addition to this subject would be to list where each teams coaches come from.

Pilipinas national rugby union team have more foreign-born players of partial Filipino descent than homegrown players.

So rather than NZ pinching players, (90% are homegrown), NZ is actually the biggest supplier by far of players to other countries. Interesting.

Big hypothetical, but I'd be legible to play for Spain based on my grandfather. It's something I'm quite proud of , to have that connection to that country, but I barely speak the language and have only spent maybe 2weeks in country in my whole life! Again, hypothetical but I'm not sure it would be 'right' for me to play for Spain

Citizenship. One word to describe who qualifies to represent a nation, Citizenship. And if a player is a dual citizen, the player chooses, by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Most people are afraid to say the obvious truth: NZ, AU have helped themselves to Pacific Island talent for decades, and now the big Northern countries are doing the same. How many of the "NZ" and "AU" players are eligible through a parent or a grandparent to play for Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, or Cook Islands? How many of the 57 "New Zealanders" who play for other countries are actually New Zealanders, and not Islanders who have come up through the NZ rugby system? The only Tier 1 team that represents one country and one country only is South Africa. I guess Argentina is also Tier 1 these days, but they'll do well to make the semis. I don't have a problem with historically weaker teams getting a leg up by including someone with ethnic ancestry, e.g. Mack Hansen for Ireland, or Pacific Islanders who grew up in New Zealand and Australia. It's good for the game and kudos to someone who wants to represent the country of his indigenous ancestors. What I do have a problem with is the big teams like AU, NZ, England, France using big $$$ and talent scouts to drain smaller, poorer countries of their rugby talent. "But but but those countries have spent a lot of resources on developing Pacific Islanders, why shouldn't they get first dibs on them?" Because it's not good for the game, and it is highlighted every World Cup. Imagine how exciting it would be if Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa were genuine threats to SA, NZ, and AU, instead of serving as a good warm-up for the one or two group games per pool that we actually take seriously. "But but but Fiji ALMOST beat Wales!" That's my point. With the talent that Fiji have, the headline should have been "Wales defeats mighty Fiji!" but instead people fall over themselves to cheer on Fiji the underdog, when it should never be the underdog in the first place. The Pacific Islands are weaker for being neighbours of AU and NZ, and world rugby is robbed of genuine contests every year, and especially in the World Cup. The irony is that the serial offenders, AU and NZ, are losing their edge because they have less exposure to South African opposition and because the Northern countries are tapping into their Pacific Island supply of next generation's superstars. So in a weird way, the game is both poorer but also sort of more equal, but only at the top.

I would increase the residency category. 5 yrs is way to short. Makes it unfair for the homegrown lads who are not getting selected. Talented young rugby players can head overseas on professional contracts and by the time they 25 or 26 which is likely their prime they can potentially play and keep somebody else out the team. I dont believe that is right.

I do have a bit of an issue with what's called Foreign Born here. Henry Arundell was born in/on Dhekelia, which is a British army base on Cyprus. He was born to British/English parents. That doesn't make him Dhekelian or non-English. By these standards those born overseas due to their parents living there (temporarily), but moving back later are classed as foreigners. That's not really how it works I would say. Foreigners would be those that previously held a different passport.

Mack Hanson's mum is Irish not grandmother though his grandmother is probably also Irish.

Best pronunciation of Lappies Labuschagne I’ve heard from a Kiwi. Well done Mark👏🏽

Not surprising the number of Scots born and trained abroad. If you have 50:50 English Scottish ancestry (or even 75:25) and want to play international rugby historically you'd have a better shot in Scotland even if you came up through the English system. Given the dire state of English rugby maybe we'll see a reversal! Generally the trend seems to be if you have a strong academy and club system you'll train and retain more domestic players and if not you'll have to import them. Scotland, Tonga, and Samoa case in point. Argentina slightly bucks that trend but their cultural and geographic isolation probably explains it. Good to see NZ exports of dairy, lamb, and rugby players are keeping the economy going.

The 4 teams at 100% must be racist 😂

Home grown and developed is what matters to me. It doesn´tmake sense that all teams are National, but their players are not pure nationals. Might as well create 20 franchises and play a World Cup of Franchises, whence it would make better sense to give credit to exporting nations.

Try telling George North he's English haha

I’d not allow a player to play for 2 countries. Period. If your parents o even yourself move to a different country or if using lineage laws you obtain a different citizenship, you should be allowed to represent your “new” country only if you never played under a different flag.

I'm Irish, I know the residency rule has benefited us in the past and as you can see with Aki, Gibson-Park and Lowe currently but I think their should be an ancestral connection as far back as grandparents to be even considered from now on

To be considered Welsh born or English born could literally depend on which room you were born in, (OK, exaggerating, but not much) Many people who live in Wales are born in hospitals in England or the other way around. Same with where the registry is, in England or Wales, so it is difficult to be sure. Latterly not quite so chaotic as there is now a 'Local' government in Wales and funding decides who goes where to be born so easier to work out in future.

Just to add a bit of context on the Scotland squad: Guys like Harris and Price were all involved in the Scottish system *as well as* the English one, the SRU has a programme called 'Scottish Exiles' which gets in touch with an invites Scottish qualified players in the UK to train a bit and just essentially advertises that that playing for Scotland is an option for them. Similarly, Redpath and Hastings (Hasto not in the squad) both have a previous Scotland international as a parent. Also, players like Steyn and Jones were in contact with the Scotland squad, with Steyn first actually playing for our sevens (non-capturing) before, and being given mor eof an opportunity at Glasgow than he would in SA. To be honest, this doesn't really 'justify' anything or whatever, Scotland's recent under 20 form shows that we have shockingly bad development, and I worry we're too reliant on 'mercenary' players. Doesn't mean I don't love our team, and to be honest Scotland is home to a lot of immigrants generally, and we have a very aged and welcoming population, honestly, without half the immigrants in Scotland our economy would be at a standstill !

The French team are a little more complicated as they have a few players who were born and raised on the other side of the planet and moved to France later in life to play rugby but they just happen to be born on an island in the Pacific which is a French territory.

This is good information. My Son is currently 3 and is showing some real potential! He does have an Australian father, a Japanese mother, a Scottish Grandfather, an Irish Grandmother, and an English Grandfather. What nation do you think he should represent at the 2039 world cup? 😂

Rather than seeing it at /33 I'd be interested to see it out of the top /15 as this would me more telling (I"m guessing)

Bloody nuce work as usual mate. Will do some research but im interested to know how many of the foreign originated players foe Japan actually have Citizenship.

Shoot!. That's super interesting - the whole thing is Cosmo to be honest and this really really really is a World Cup! Thanks Mark.

Man, Romanian rugby is the ghost of what it was... and basically became a family affair; family in the Sicilian signification or meaning of the word. It is drama for our sport what's happening over there... Or should I say here...

You are the first rugby non South African commentator who pronounces the surname Labuschagne correctly. Well done you😊

Nice to see that the previously untapped rugby resource of Dhekelia is finally being recognised.

The only issue i have with the grandparent rule is that it creates a weird situation with the kids of some players. For example say J. Prop qualifies for Ireland via a grandparent but his parents are English. J. Prop plays 80 times for Ireland. He has a son, K. Prop. K's parents are all english hes born in england and his grandparents are all english too. It's impossible, unless he commits to residency, for K to follow in his father's footsteps internationally. Which seems a bit trivial in my opinion but also makes sense.

Which country has the most players in the WC, across teams?

100% South Africans 🔥🇿🇦

We definetly move around in the UK! Are there more Tongans and Samoans living in New Zealand and Australia than in the Islands?

Interesting. I actually thought teams like Tonga & Samoa would have been right up around 100% for both born/trained...

Goin to say Japan has the most

Goes to show who is really the best rugby nation with soldiers born and raise in thier country. SA and Argentina top dogs ❤

So that old *"narrative NZL poaches Pasifika"* just isn't true now is it people? not when the oldest that came here is 16 years of age. Infact we have the most *exported* most probably *"already developed"* players throughout the rugby World and lets not forget our *Coaches* heck no wonder the North *finally catching up!* lol

1st…and subbed 👍🏼

Fiji could also field home grown player if they want to for example Ratuva(Fijian born) instead of Nasilasila(Australian born) Nakarawa(Fijian born instead of Cirikidaveta(Newzealand Born) Dolokoto(Fijian Born) instead of Togiatama(Newzealand born) Botitu(Fijian Born) instead of Muntz(Newzealand born)

I don't like residency at all. Adult residency that is, little kids, fine. I'm more of a romantic and traditionalist and like to think Grandparents and Parents would 'influence' a kid in some way to the country of their birth. Gareth Anscombe for example, his Mum says he's named after the great Gareth Edwards. I love that kind of 'link' Someone who just moves as an adult to play rugby in a country shouldn't really then be eligible after a few years. That said, I appreciate it leaves players in limbo land if they don't get picked for say NZ and move to Ireland for a good rugby career. They'd never play international rugby if residency didn't exist. So it's a tough one

My favourite player in that respect is Josh van der Vlier. If you don't know anything about him, you'd just assume that he was the usual South African reject that fetched up in Ireland, just going by the name. When you then learn that he is Irish-born and -raised, with no South African connection at all, you have to go into a corner and be ashamed of your judgmental approach. He could represent the Netherlands, of course, but why would he want to. ;)

Dunno wat all the fuss is about the all blacks. It’s the only sport New Zealand have mastered, (I’m talking team sport) As far as other competitions go , there barely recognisable

Honestly thought Souakula for the Waikato chiefs with all his super rugby experience, shouldve been in the Fiji squad. Maybe that one game he had for the all blacks made him unable to play for Fiji which is ridiculous and sad to see.

So basically the northern hemisphere is doing better now because they have brought in players from the southern hemisphere. Absolutely disgusting from Scotland, they're making a mockery of Test rugby, it's supposed to be a test of your own country's talent...only 17/33 homegrown talent...how is that "Scotland"?

Well we all know the Irish always rely on the old Granny rule. Though it does always interest me how good old McVan Der Merwe qualifies for scotland (though we all know its south africa's racist quota system).

In 20 years time you are gonna have Samoan Tongan players who grew up in Tongan and Samoan up brining but no parents and grandparents born in the islands. This is going to really muddy waters because as you know us islanders always say we are Tongan Samoan with the nz born or aussie born added to it

Its really just opinion where you pick the line on the time to residency pathway. For me at least 7 years within that countries system, if your not born there, before you become eligible. (i.e. commitment of your career to the nation your rep) e.g. If you move when you're 15 you can become eligible at 22. Most players sign pro around 20 so you'd have one shot at picking your nation and be committing if you move as an adult. I'd also get rid of the grand parents part and just have you can rep where your parents were born only.

I definitely think that playing for the country of your birth adds something a little bit extra into the mix. Maybe it's just a greater sense of pride or willing to try harder for your own country I'm not sure, but I do think it's tangible! Nice vid!

Are we not a global village! Why do they make such a big fuss especially during world cups!

Tom O'Tooles family is back living in Ireland these days (I know someone who knows them).

Vunivalu and Tongan Thor did their schooling in NZ but moved to OZ after to play footy.

I have always hated how you can switch nationalities through residence. For me, it’s where you’re born or where your parents / grandparents are from. If you don’t have any connection to a country but just want some caps, that’s bs. Otherwise, what’s the point in competing to see who’s got the best?

IMHO, 5 years residency is about right - I hated the 3 years. As you highlight, the numbers only tell part of the story - given how people naturally move between some countries (e.g. uk & ie, italians in part of south france, etc.).

Call me racist, but i do think national teams should be national. Id make an exception for rugby players who move to different countries as children, since its hardly their fault theyve moved, but using your grandads nationality as your nationality is ridiculous. Why bother having national rugby unions pay for national teams when they just buy talent from overseas? Just franchise the 'national' teams and let the rugby unions spend their money on improving the local clubs or improving coaching, etc.

4 videos in aussie jersey?

While this is kind of interesting, there are some people who take great pleasure in denigrating and discrediting certain teams because they have players who don’t meet their unwritten moral eligibility criteria. National team selectors have to deal with the eligibility rules as they are and pick the best team possible.

I am still trying to understand the point of the video. Is he praising the system that all unions agree with, or is he making some political statement? The majority of players in southern hemisphere teams are not 'indigenous', so where do you call the line? 😊

One of those Fijians is half Cornish NOT English! Ask him, he’ll tell you the same!

I reckon Samoa's numbers are so much lower due to the situation caused by their former chairman/president killing the game in the country, i reckon with him gone those numbers will go up.

Personally I don’t see the point of this video, people move for a variety of reasons, often economic. One’s identity is often formed from the influence of your parents.

Omg this discussion again. People still think Josh VD flier is a saffer

Foreign born players is always a spicy topic. Me personally, I have no issues with it.

If you live in about 200 of the world's countries they are all foreign born.

You pronounce the South African names better than some South Africans. 😂

Boet, how the hell are you not working for Sky NZ or something

Can you please give the Australian Commentors a lesson on how to pronounce players' names properly 🙏 ?

Is it true that Australia Rugby team didn't make it to the top 8? Useless

Nawaqanitawase, Valentini, Gleeson, Koroibete, Vunivalu, Kerevi, "Fijians" in the Wallabies squad

I think someone's parents need to be born in a country for a player to represent a country

All international sport is among the most lopsided unfair practices on the planet, so I'm all in favor of whatever makes for a more competitive situation, and allows the small countries to more than make up the numbers. Last registered players numbers I got from World Rugby-don't see it there now?-are: 635,000 South Africa 355,000 England 272,000 Australia 258,000 France 156,000 New Zealand etc.

Anybody know who the player born or from Canada playing in this world Cup ?

Which city in China did you live in?

Would it be worth it to do a video listing the percentage of rugby players for each country and also compare with other sports for each nation?

France and Portugal are comparable to OZ-NZ - migrating for economic opportunities. The situation is comparable in football where many Portuguese players are French born.

shout out to the foreign born rugby player born in Brazil

What even is a national team if the players aren't from that country?

In all sports, listen to the accent and assign shirts accordingly

So what? None of the players in the world cup had ANY say in where they were born. So why does this matter? If a cat was born in a barn would you call it a horse? Spurious nonsense. I was born in Australia but can't stand the Wallabies. My team is ABA: Anyone But Australia

Another top-notch video Mark. Very interesting numbers. And yeah, how and where does one draw the line(s)? Understanding their reasons (it's 2023 after all), I just remain a bit peeved off by Saffers in foreign teams. 😡 Us Saffers somehow (traditionally) perceived that as being "treasonous". 🙈 Hence we just love it when great players such as Duan van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman (both Scotland) get smashed by their Bok opponents! 😂 It's as if we "hate" them (even) more than their team mates! 😂 That's why we welcomed Jean Kleyn back into the "Saffer fold" with open arms. Home, where he belongs ... at last! 😂 Lol. Have a good one mate. Cheers from Safferland.

Genuinely very interesting, good work.