RWC Heritage

[Hamish]

Perhaps we can put the poaching accusations of NZ to bed for good......

1.     Players born in other countries


Argentina: All born in Argentina

Australia: Dan Vickerman (Cape Town, South Africa), Radike Samo (Nadi, Fiji), Will Genia (Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea), Stephen Moore (Khamis, Saudi Arabia), David Pocock (Messina, South Africa), Quade Cooper (Auckland, New Zealand), Digby Ioane (Wellington, New Zealand)

Canada: Nanyak Dala (Jos, Nigeria), DTH (Daniel Tailliferre Hauman) van der Merwe (Worcester, South Africa), Jeremy Kyne (Wellington, New Zealand), Jamie Mackenzie (Troon, Scotland), James Pritchard (Parkes, Australia)

England: Joe Simpson (Sydney, Australia), Delon Armitage (San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago), Alex Corbisiero (New York, USA), Matt Stevens (Durban, South Africa), Dylan Hartley (Rotorua, New Zealand), Simon Shaw (Nairobi, Kenya), Shontayne Hape (Auckland, New Zealand), Manu Tuilagi (Moto'otua, Samoa)

Fiji: Nicky Little (Tokoroa, New Zealand), Campese Ma'afu (Sydney, Australia), Deacon Manu (New Plymouth, New Zealand), Vitori Tomu Buatava (Melbourne, Australia), Michael Tagicakibau (Auckland, New Zealand)

France : Thierry Dusautoir ( Abidjan , Côte d'Ivoire ), Fulgence Ouedraogo ( Ouagadougou , Burkina Faso )

Georgia : All Georgian-born..

Ireland: Ronan O'Gara (San Diego, USA), Isaac Boss (Tokoroa, New Zealand), Jamie Heaslip (Tiberias, Israel), Tom Court (Brisbane, Australia)

Italy: Carlo Del Fava (Umtata, South Africa), Corniel van Zyl (Nelspruit, South Africa), Quintin Geldenhuys (Klerksdorp, South Africa), Martin Castrogiovanni (Paraná, Argentina), Pablo Canavosio (Córdoba, Argentina), Luciano Orquera (Córdoba, Argentina), Gonzalo Garcia (Mendoza, Argentina), Robert Barbieri (Toronto, Canada), Sergio Parisse (Mar del Plata, Argentina), Gonzalo Canale (Córdoba, Argentina), Luke McLean (Townsville, Australia)

Japan: Luke Thompson (Christchurch, New Zealand), Michael Leitch (Burwood, New Zealand), Ryukoliniasi Holani (Nuku'alofa, Tonga), Shaun Webb (Blenheim, New Zealand), Justin Ives (Mosgiel, New Zealand), Sione Talikavili Vatuvei (Nuku'alofa, Tonga), James Arlidge (Hamilton, New Zealand), Murray Williams (Lower Hutt, New Zealand), Ryan Nicholas (Broken Hill, Australia), Alisi Tupuailai (Manunu, Samoa)

Namibia: Jacques Nieuwenhuis (Brakpan, South Africa), Piet van Zyl (Worcester, South Africa), Danie Dames (Pretoria, South Africa), Chrysander Botha (Walvis Bay, South Africa), Conrad Marais (Walvis Bay, South Africa)
NB At the time of their birth Walvis Bay was South African territory.

New Zealand: Mils Muliaina (Salelesi, Samoa), Ben Franks (Frankston, Australia), Jerome Kaino (Tutuila, Samoa), Isaia Toeava (Moto'otua, Samoa)

Romania : All Romania born.

Russia : Adam Byrnes ( Sydney , Australia ), Vyacheslav Grachev ( Tashkent , Uzbekistan )

Samoa: Census Johnston (Auckland, New Zealand), Anthony Perenise (Wellington, New Zealand), Olé Avei (Wellington, New Zealand), Daniel Leo (Palmerston North, New Zealand), Kane Thompson (Paraparaumu, New Zealand), Kahn Fotuali'i (Auckland, New Zealand), Jeremy Sua (Wellington, New Zealand), Tusi Pisi (Auckland, New Zealand), Sailosi Tagicakibau (Auckland, New Zealand), James So'oialo (Wellington, New Zealand), Ti'i Paulo (Christchurch, New Zealand), Filipo Lavea Levi (Hamilton, New Zealand), Junior Poluleuligaga (Auckland, New Zealand), Tasesa Lavea (Taihape, New Zealand), Paul Williams (Auckland, New Zealand)

Scotland: John Barclay (Hong Kong), Nathan Hines (Wagga Wagga, Australia), Dan Parks (Hornsby, Australia), Jim Hamilton (Swindon, England), Ruaridh Jackson (Northampton, England), Max Evans (Torquay, England), Graeme Morrison( Hong Kong)

South Africa : Tendai Mtawarira ( Harare , Zimbabwe )

Tonga: Tukulua Lokotui (Auckland, New Zealand), Kurt Morath (Takapuna, New Zealand), Alipate Fatafehi (Sigatoka, Fiji), Ephraim Taukafa (Auckland, New Zealand), Joseph Tuineau (Suva, Fiji), Thomas Palu (Wellington, New Zealand), Andrew Ma'ilei (Auckland, New Zealand), William Helu (Otahuhu, New Zealand), Siale Piutau (Auckland, New Zealand)

USA: Takudzwa Ngwenya (Harare, Zimbabwe), Iñaki Basauri (Monterre, Mexico), JJ Gagiano (Cape Town, South Africa), Matekitonga Moeakiola (Vaini, Tonga), Valenise Malifa (Pago Pago, American Samoa), Hayden Smith (Penrith, Australia), Tai Enosa (Faga'alu, American Samoa), Andrew Suniula (Pago Pago, American Samoa), James Paterson (Christchurch, New Zealand), Tim Usasz (Brisbane, Australia), Junior Sifa (Faga'alu, American Samoa), Roland Suniula (Pago Pago, American Samoa)

Wales: Luke Charteris (Camborne, England), Danny Lydiate (Salford, England), Toby Faletau (Tofoa, Tonga), Jonathan Davies (Solihull, England), George North (King's Lynn, England)


Importers and Exporters

Importers
15: Samoa (all from New Zealand )
12: USA
11: Italy
10: Japan
9: Tonga
8: England
7: Australia , Scotland
5: Canada , Fiji , Namibia , Wales
4: Ireland , New Zealand
2: France , Russia
1: South Africa
0: Argentina , Georgia , Romania

Exporters
38: New Zealand
13: Australia , South Africa
6: Argentina , England
5: American Samoa , Samoa
4: Tonga
3: Fiji
2: Hong Kong , USA , Zimbabwe
1: Burkina Faso , Canada , Cote d'Ivoire , Israel , Kenya , Mexico , Scotland , Uzbekistan
0: France , Georgia , Ireland , Italy , Japan , Namibia , Romania , Russia , Wales

[jules]

Very interesting reading Hamish. While searching for some registered player number data I found it on http://ruggerblogger.blogspot.com/2011/09/international-player-numbers.html.

Lots of discussion on that site about it but the key thing is that England has by far the most registered rugby players so combining the two datasets the obvious question is why on earth do the big boys England have so many imports in their squad?

Jules

[Wobbly]

Awesome post.  Those stats are really interesting.  Most of all I was staggered by the number of New Zealand born players in other teams.  Amazing really.

[megweya]

England: Joe Simpson (Sydney, Australia), Delon Armitage (San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago), Alex Corbisiero (New York, USA), Matt Stevens (Durban, South Africa), Dylan Hartley (Rotorua, New Zealand), Simon Shaw (Nairobi, Kenya), Shontayne Hape (Auckland, New Zealand), Manu Tuilagi (Moto'otua, Samoa)

Ireland: Ronan O'Gara (San Diego, USA), Isaac Boss (Tokoroa, New Zealand), Jamie Heaslip (Tiberias, Israel), Tom Court (Brisbane, Australia)

Superb post +k


I think birthplace alone is not a credible credential - for examples see below.

Residency qualificaiton needs to be a lot more stringent: maybe 5 years? 7 years?
Re-run the list with those criteria!

Maybe a 'matrix'-calculation of birthplace & accent/residency would be the ideal . . .

Gluck - well done for the info on Castrogiovani & Parisse:
. . . I had them as Italian as the Pope, 
oops, no, err, the Mafia, err, pizza, err, David Campese, err, Lawrence Dalallgio, err, Michael Lynagh, . . .

Ire
Credible - O'Gara (US), Heaslip (Israel: dad in UN-Peacekeeper force) - have you not heard their accents!. They are Irish.
Not credible - Boss (NZ), Court (Aus) - have they spent most of their formative years' playing rugby thinking "I want to play for Ireland"

Samoa / Fiji / Tonga and broadly, but not entirely, Wales & Scotland,
- all are affected by economic migration. Significant proportions of their populations have moved to other countries.
Scotland's Jackson was born in Northampton England - but it is known to some in the area as "Little Scotland" because of the unusual proportion of Scots who moved there from steel-works in Scotland to what was one of the major steel-works in England. (I have driven past the very large Celtic Football Supporters Club that there is in Northampton).
I think Swindon (Hamilton) has a similar industrial connection to Scotland as Swindon used to be a major centre for building trains (Scotland having over 100 years expertise in transport engineering).

So it is understandable why so many of these players feel allegiance to the nation of their family, not the land where they were born.
Am I English because my Irish parents moved to England & I was born here, or am I Irish because I always want Ireland to beat England?
My 12-year-old son is getting interested in not just rugby, but in how Ireland do at rugby. What is the dividing line between heritage & birthplace?

England, bloody England - no bloody excuse!
I've heard it frequently said that England has the largest player-base, but seemingly the biggest green-tinged glasses to look at pastures new for players. 
Credible - Simon Shaw (Nairobi, Kenya), Armitage (Trinidad & Tobago),
Need more info before approving/condemning - Simpson (Aus), Corbisiero (USA)
Parents, passports, but passing through? - Stevens (SA), Hartley (NZ)
Not credible - Hape, Tuilagi

Nowhere nears

Megweya

[ruggerfan]

These tables are bullshit, Franks is about as australian as "The Piano".

[Hamish]

I think birthplace alone is not a credible credential - for examples see below.

I agree Meg...I wasn't really using the data to have a crack at other nations, more to debunk the myth that NZ constantly rape and pillage the islands for talent.

[megweya]

Hamish, I'm not sure it does properly debunk the myth about NZ getting the benefit of players who perhaps should be playing for other countries.

Leave out the nations for whom rugby is a minority sport (Japan, Italy, Canada) and compare countries with similar size populations - NZ, Aus, Ire, Sco, Georgia, . . .) or more pertinently, similar numbers of rugby players in the country as a whole.

On that basis, I'd say that NZ gets closer to England's opportunism ("Hmm, no decent centres since Greenwood retired - let's try Flutey, Henry, Hape, Tuilagi" - those are just off the top of my head; "Easter injured? Let's get on standby a South African who only found out last December that he had a granny who was technically English

Irish accents may not be so prominent in the Ire teams of the future. The IRFU has a category called "special project players" - basically blow-ins/imports from SH, brought in with a specific understanding/contract that they will opt for the Irish team after residency requirements are met. Richard Straussdt, the SAffer hooker at Leinster will be wearing green for Ireland in 18 months. There are props in the pipeline too.


Cheers
Megweya