New Zealand has long been acknowledged for its enact ability to produce world-class rugby players.
What isn't often acknowledged is how far behind the rest of the rugby world really is in terms of development and the extent to which New Zealand rugby's rising stars are put through their paces from an early age.
Former England No8 Dean Ryan says he attributes his club rugby stint in New Zealand as an eye-opener toward Kiwi rugby's dominance on the world stage.
"After two broken arms in two seasons with Wasps, I was desperate for rugby and my club coach, Mark Taylor, a former All Black, had pointed the way to Ngongotaha rugby club in Rotorua," Ryan wrote in the Guardian. "New Zealand rugby changed me and that's the point."
But his initial reaction to the stringent nature of New Zealand's club rugby scene left him a little taken aback.