The investigation into foreign-born players participating in the 2023 Rugby World Cup from Stuff in New Zealand has unveiled that Scotland possesses a higher number than any other tier one nation.
Among the 33 players selected by coach Gregor Townsend for the tournament held in France, fifteen hail from overseas origins, surpassing the count of foreign-born players in the squads of the remaining nine tier-one nations.
Nevertheless, it’s important to note that other teams also feature a substantial presence of players born outside their respective countries.
These individuals qualify for their respective teams through various means, including ancestry connections or the five-year residency rule, which was extended by two years following the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Italy, for instance, boasts a third of its squad comprised of overseas-born players, and Wales closely follows suit.
Check out Stuff’s full ranking below from most to fewest.
PARTNERS LINKS:
- Win a signed England jersey with Charles Tyrwhitt
- Find your local Greene King pub to watch the rugby
- Secure your seat for the Six Nations with viagogo
- Visit our World Cup travel guide with Omio
Scotland (15)
WP Nel (South Africa), Pierre Schoeman (South Africa), Javan Sebastian (England), Ewan Ashman (Canada), Sam Skinner (England), Jack Dempsey (Australia), Hamish Watson (England), Ali Price (England), Ben White (England), Ben Healy (Ireland), Chris Harris (England), Cameron Redpath (France), Sione Tuipulotu (Australia), Kyle Steyn (South Africa), Duhan van der Merwe (South Africa).
Italy (11)
Ivan Nemer (Argentina), Hame Faiva (New Zealand), Dino Lamb (England), David Sisi (Germany), Toa Halafihi (New Zealand), Sebastian Negri (Zimbabwe), Martin Page-Relo (France), Juan Ignacio Brex (Argentina), Ange Capuozzo (France), Monty Ioane (Australia), Paolo Odogwu (England),
Wales (10)
Taulupe Faletau (Tonga), Tomas Francis (England), Dan Lydiate (England), Will Rowlands (England), Henry Thomas (England), Christ Tshiunza (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Gareth Anscombe (New Zealand), George North (England), Nick Tompkins (England), Johnny Williams (England),