Sean Maitland spent 2005 and 2006 in the New Zealand Schools team and was a member of the 2007 New Zealand Under-19 World Cup-winning side, and the U20 side in 2008 that won the Junior World Championship.
Maitland played for the Crusaders and the Māori All Blacks before moving to the United Kingdom in 2012. A year later, he was picked for Scotland.
Fun fact: Maitland, from Tokoroa, is the cousin of former Wallabies first five Quade Cooper.
14 Brendan Laney (Scotland)
Nicknamed “Chainsaw” for the way he cut through defences, Brendan Laney was a character on and off the pitch. He played for Otago and the Highlanders before moving to Edinburgh in 2001, playing 21 tests for Scotland between 2001 and 2004. Controversially, the goalkicking winger was rushed straight into the Scottish team only two days after he arrived from New Zealand.
13 Tony Marsh (France)
Tony Marsh arguably has the least-sounding French name ever. Nonetheless, the Rotorua-born centre played for the Māori All Blacks, Counties Manukau, the Blues and the Crusaders before heading to Clermont in 1999. He is one of the only players who won back-to-back Super Rugby titles with different teams, the Super 12 in 1997 with the Blues and the Crusaders in 1998.
After three years in France, he became eligible to play for Les Bleus and Bernard Laporte named him in the French squad in 2001. He went on to win 21 caps between 2001 and 2004, scoring seven tries and helping France win the Grand Slam in 2002.
12 Bundee Aki (Ireland)
The one that got away. Where the rugby bosses in New Zealand saw weaknesses, those in Ireland have found a focused force on track to be the World Rugby Player of the Year in 2023.
Born in Auckland to Samoan parents, Aki played for Counties Manukau and the Chiefs before heading to Ireland in 2014. He qualified for the national team in 2017 and was brought in by then-coach Joe Schmidt, now an assistant coach under Ian Foster for the All Blacks.
11 James Lowe (Ireland)
James Lowe has become a regular for Ireland after joining Leinster in 2017. He became eligible for Ireland in 2020 after meeting the residency requirements of three years. He never made the All Blacks in his four seasons with the Chiefs but was selected for the Māori All Blacks.
The presence of Lowe on the left wing has given Ireland a sharp finisher, a booming left boot and a surprisingly good breakdown exponent. In 25 appearances, he has scored 11 tries (55 points).
10 Gareth Anscombe (Wales)
The son of former Auckland and Ulster coach Mark Anscombe, Gareth was born in Auckland and played for the New Zealand Under-20s, and the Chiefs and the Blues at Super Rugby level. He qualified for Wales through his Cardiff-born mother, and was the hero for the side at the 2023 Rugby World Cup against Australia, kicking 23 points in a man-of-the-match performance.
9 Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
A key member of Ireland, Jamison Gibson-Park has replaced Conor Murray as the preferred starting halfback. A former Blues and Hurricanes player, Gibson-Park left New Zealand in 2016, qualifying after three years of residency for Ireland in 2019. He was selected for the Māori All Blacks.
8 Thomas Waldrom (England)
Unlucky to have never earned an All Blacks cap, Thomas Waldrom became a cult hero after moving to England and playing four tests in 2012-13. Waldrom played four seasons for the Hurricanes and one for the Crusaders. Born in Lower Hutt, his older brother Scott played for the New Zealand Sevens and the Hurricanes. Waldrom scored 16 tries during the 2014-15 English season for Exeter and was the league’s top try-scorer.
7 John Hardie (Scotland)
Born in Lumsden, Southland, John Hardie went to Southland Boys’ High School and played for Southland and the Highlanders, spending five years with the Super Rugby club before heading to the UK. He reportedly chased down and caught a shoplifter at Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal shopping centre while playing for Edinburgh. He served a suspension for alleged cocaine use.
6 Brad Shields (England)
Another on this list who probably should have earned an All Blacks cap. Brad Shields moved to England at the end of the 2018 season, in which he was one of the competition’s best players. He played for the New Zealand Under-20s, reached 100 games for the Hurricanes and was captain of the side before leaving New Zealand shores. He’s since returned to Wellington and the Hurricanes after nine appearances for England.
5 Dean Budd (Italy)
Dean Budd was born and raised in Whangārei and played for Northland. He arrived in Italy and to Benetton for the 2012-13 Pro12 season, and gained eligibility for Italy by way of residency in 2015. He debuted for the nation in June 2017 against Scotland. In 2017, he was named captain for Treviso under New Zealand-born coach Kieran Crowley, who was at the helm for Italy at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
4 Martin Johnson (England)
Before Martin Johnson captained England to victory at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, he represented New Zealand’s Under-21 side in 1990. In 1989, he was approached by former All Black Sir Colin Meads to try out for King Country. Johnson’s trial run was successful and he played two seasons for King Country.
Johnson coached England between 2008 and 2011 and is regarded as one of the greatest locks to ever play the game, at least in the Northern Hemisphere.
3 Uini Atonio (France)
Uini Atonio attended Wesley College before joining Counties Manukau at 16, where he stayed until 2011. Later that year, Atonio joined French club La Rochelle after being spotted at a rugby 10s competition by then coach Patrice Collazo in Hong Kong in 2010.
In 2009, he was named in the Samoa Under-20 squad for the Junior World Championship and was reportedly the heaviest player in the tournament. In 2014, he was called up to the France national team for the autumn internationals after completing the required three years of residency. A member of France’s side at Rugby World Cup 2023, Atonio started against the All Blacks in the opening match.
2 Dylan Hartley (England)
The grub of this XV, Dylan Hartley was a contentious player. Hartley was born in Kaharoa, a rural area of the Bay of Plenty. He went to Rotorua Boys’ High School and played rugby alongside former All Blacks loose forward Liam Messam. He left for the UK when he was 15, and later captained the England national side.
1 Simon Berghan (Scotland)
Simon Berghan played for the Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship, having previously played for Edinburgh Rugby in the Pro14. He made 33 appearances for Scotland’s national side between 2017 and 2023, when he retired and moved into working in finance with BlackRock.
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Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.
