Since rugby turned pro nearly 25 years ago there have been four leagues to establish themselves as the four major domestic professional leagues of the sport. Super Rugby, Premiership, Top 14, and Pro14.
Obviously the players from the Tier 1 countries involved in these leagues have a huge number of obvious advantages in being able to reach elite level rugby. However how many other nations across the world have had homegrown players (raised in their home country at least up to 16 before signing to pro clubs abroad) find opportunity to play at the very highest level domestically?
Africa
Cameroon
In spite of an international team that only played its first test as recently as 2001 and been inactive since 2011. Cameroon were previously one of the more successful French speaking African nations at producing homegrown players to Top 14 level. In particular specialising in props and tough rugged forwards. That is in addition to a handful of well known Cameroon born players who emigrated to France as children, most famously Serge Betsen, and more recently Dany Priso or Gabriel Ngandebe.
Most notable elite pro: Robins Tchale-Watchou (Auch, Stade Français, Perpignan, Montpellier)
Tchale-Watchou got his start in pro rugby at Aurillac in 2005 who signed him from Université de Dschang. A couple years later he moved up to Top 14 where he went on to play over 220 games over 10 seasons at four different clubs including as a key part of the Perpignan side that topped the regular season table in 2009/10.
Current elite pros: 1
Rugby in Cameroon has crashed over the past decade, so although there were four Top 14 players in 2011, no new players have been coming through since. The exception and only current player in elite pro rugby is Spanish international Thierry Feuteu, who was signed by Stade Français in the summer, a dream come true for him after setting off from his hometown Douala age 18 on a mad journey.
Ivory Coast
A former RWC nation who have long faded into obscurity on the international stage, the Ivory Coast have a smattering of players in pro rugby of heritage or who moved as children, most notably former France captain Thierry Dusautoir. Only 3 or 4 raised there have reached Top 14 in the professional era.
Most successful elite pro: Ismaila Lassissi (Castres)
Powerful number 8 Ismaila Lassissi from Lakota was signed after RWC 1995 initially for Rodez by Christian Gajan, who then brought him to the Top 14 with Castres, where Lasssissi had a good six year career before a serious knee injury retired him. He was once called up by France for 6 Nations in 2000 when rules around two nations had only just come in and they didn't realise he was not eligible.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Ivory Coast did still have one homegrown player in the Top 14 up until a couple weeks ago when Evrard Oulai transferred mid-season from Bayonne to Montauban in Pro D2. However like most West African nations rugby in not in a good state there and there is no line of more players coming through.
Kenya
The Kenyans have still never had a single player reach one of the elite leagues in Europe. A couple of players in the past decade, Willy Ambaka at Lyon in 2013/14 and Joshua Chisanga at Newcastle in 2016/17, came quite close. They did very briefly have one player in Super Rugby though.
Most successful elite pro: Daniel Adongo (Southern Kings)
So far the only Kenyan to reach elite professional level is Daniel Adongo. He had a short 5 game Super Rugby career with the Southern Kings in 2013 before retiring from rugby age 23 as he headed off to the USA for an NFL career and never came back. He was regarded as a talented athlete, but also one who never really fulfilled his potential in the pro game, and also never played at international level.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Kenya are perhaps one of the better nations to still not had anyone reach an elite level in Europe. There is some very exciting attacking flair there, albeit held back by severe weakness in the tight and in collisions, but if they keep qualifying for U20 Trophy there is a small chance a player could get spotted.
Morocco
Morocco used to compete with European nations in the FIRA competitions and were very close for qualifying for two RWCs in 1995 and 1999. They also produced one of the leading French players of that decade. However like much of French Africa they have declined markedly since then and struggled to produce many homegrown players instead relying heavily on French heritage players.
Most successful elite pro: Abdel Benazzi (Agen, Saracens)
The most emblematic player in Moroccan rugby history was by a long way former French international loose forward Abdel Benazzi. He started rugby in Oujda before moving to France in 1988 age 19 or 20 and became one of the nation's best players of the 1990s. He did in fact play once for Morocco as well in 1990 which in modern era would have stopped him representing France.
Currently active elite pros: 0
The only other recent homegrown player from Morocco was Abdelatif Boutaty, who played 10 seasons at Top 14 level with five different clubs. He was still playing Pro D2 age 35 last season helping Bayonne to promotion but did not stay on for another season. There is no sign that any more homegrown players from North Africa are likely to come through to elite level for some time to come.
Namibia
Six time RWC qualifiers and only getting more dominant within Tier 2 African rugby, Namibia benefits from their proximity with South Africa, meaning some players can get onto the pathway there towards pro rugby. This experience has given them a big advantage over other African rivals.
Most successful elite pro: Jacques Burger (Bulls, Saracens)
In South Africa Jacques Burger's career was predominantly in the Currie Cup, he only played 2 Super Rugby games for the Bulls in 2009, but it was at Saracens who he initially joined as injury cover in 2010 where he had most success in his role as a hard as nails tackling machine and won two Premiership finals.
Currently active elite pros: 4 (2 in Top 14, 1 in Pro14, 1 in Super Rugby)
Montpellier lock Paul Willemse, a former Namibia U18 representative from Tsumeb who also made his debut for France in February, was the only homegrown Namibian in a major league in Europe last season. This season there is also PJ van Lill promoted with Bayonne and Lesley Klim finally on the field with the Ospreys. In Super Rugby there is Divan Rossouw at the Bulls who does not play for the national team.
Zimbabwe
The earliest African nation at a RWC in 1987 and 1991 with a long history in rugby but much like cricket Zimbabwean rugby has been wrecked by their political situation. There still nevertheless has been some good talent to come from the country though even if the best of it represents other nations.
Most successful elite pro: Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks)
Zimbabwe's greatest player of the professional era is Beast Mtawarira, now fully confirmed a legend of South African rugby as their most capped ever prop and having most recently totally demolished England's scrum helping the Springboks win the RWC final.
Currently active elite pros: 4 (3 in Premiership, 1 in Pro14)
Some Zimbabweans have moved abroad to make pro careers, but none of their elite pros actually play for the Sables. It doesn't help that three of them are EQP players in the Premiership (Mike Williams from Bulawayo even making an England squad at one point) which makes that even less likely. There are also more Zimbabwean born players who left as children such as Don Armand in pro rugby as well.
Americas
Canada
Canada has had some presence at a high level in European domestic rugby throughout the professional era with quite a few successful players in a variety of different positions. Although the overall number of Canadians at the top end of pro rugby has fallen from around 11 to 12 the early 2000s down to 3 today.
Most successful elite pro: Jamie Cudmore (Llanelli, Grenoble, Clermont)
After short stays at Llanelli and Grenoble, Cudmore grew into a top class lock forward with an "enforcer" reputation over 11 seasons and 216 matches at Clermont. His stay at the club ended unhappily with concussion issues, but nevertheless still had an excellent career in the Massif Central playing multiple finals and becoming the second Canadian after Mike James to win a Top 14 final in 2010.
Currently active elite pros: 3 (2 in Top 14, 1 in Super Rugby)
The leading figure among the Canadians playing at the top level abroad has been Tyler Ardron who is their most successful player ever in Super Rugby. It will be somewhat a measure of Canada's success in rebuilding from a horrible four years internationally whether this gets higher or lower in five years time.
Chile
So far there have been three Chileans to play Top 14 although all were there for one season only at clubs who got relegated. Although despite Chile having had a very poor time at international level lately, and little history at the top level abroad, they now have a handful of players at Espoirs at Top 14 clubs.
Most successful elite pro: Sergio Valdés (Auch)
Valdés first travelled to France in 2000 embarking on a long 15 year professional career with 5 different clubs. He spent almost that entire time in Pro D2 apart from one season in 2007/08 with Auch where he became the first Chilean to play at the elite level. The final match of his pro career was age 36 helping Agen win promotion in 2015.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Over the past year a partnership between Toulouse and Chilean rugby has suddenly seen a small jump in young players receiving trial opportunities with five now having done well enough to get Espoirs places at Top 14 clubs. It remains to be seen whether any will be good enough to play first team though.
Colombia
A very new nation to rugby, Colombia have only been playing for a short time, but amazingly have already seen one player find his way to make a professional career at the highest level of French rugby.
Most successful elite pro: Andrés Zafra (Lyon, Agen)
Zafra was spotted by former French international Cédric Desbrosse who was on a coaching trip and brought him back to play for his Fédérale 3 club Givors. From there he joined Lyon Espoirs, quickly making his first team debut in his first season in 2016/17 and made history as the first Colombian to play professional rugby, and now since joining Agen become a regular starter in the Top 14.
Currently active elite pros: 1
Whilst Zafra may be a one off and it could take a while for another Colombian to reach such a high level, they are an impressively growing rugby nation and another could do so in the longer term future.
Uruguay
Uruguayan rugby's presence at the elite level has largely been associated with one player over the past decade or so since Pablo Lemoine retired. Few other Uruguayans have had long careers in one of the sport's major leagues, although it will be interesting to see if their recent success can change this.
Most successful elite pro: Rodrigo Capó Ortega (Castres)
Now into his 18th season of Top 14 rugby and nearly 400 games at Castres, Capó Ortega is the longest serving player still active in top level professional rugby. It is an incredible achievement of longevity, and even despite his appearances at international level over the past decade being very rare, he is still nevertheless regarded and respected as a big figure in the history of Uruguay rugby.
Currently active elite pros: 1
Manuel Leindekar at promotion contenders Oyonnax in Pro D2 is a player who could potentially succeed Capo in future as the Uruguayan presence in the Top 14. There are other players such as Santiago Arata or Germán Kessler who have looked good enough to play a higher level, but so far there has been little foreign interest in Uruguayans, aside from at Oyonnax who signed both their size freaks the beanpole lock Leindekar and their U20 tighthead prop who is built like a fridge Reinaldo Piussi.
USA
The USA have usually had at least one or two players at a high level in Europe, with loose forwards being the most common position, but are a slight rarity compared to many on this list in that more of these have been in the English Premiership rather than the French Top 14.
Most successful elite pro: Samu Manoa (Northampton, Toulon, Cardiff Blues)
Manoa had to miss the 2011 RWC to get his professional contract at age 26 with Northampton after impressing in a USA vs Saracens midweek November tour game in 2010. Injury and personal problems hurt his later career, but for a period at Northampton he was one of the most destructive hard hitting loose forwards in the sport and a key player in helping them win a Premiership title.
Currently active elite pros: 4 (3 in Premiership, 1 in Top 14)
Front row is not the area the Eagles are renowned for historically, but since the emergence of young David Ainuu at Toulouse, they can now field a homegrown 1-2-3 which all plays at the highest level even though it only lasted 2 minutes at the RWC. It is possible in future MLR will keep more American players based at home besides the really elite ones who get offers at top tier clubs.
Asia
Japan
On the rare occasions Japanese born players have gone to play at the top level abroad it has usually resulted in short lived and relatively unsuccessful stints. A few of Japan's best at recent RWCs were signing for Australian Super Rugby sides a few years ago and barely got a game. Whilst you can name on one hand the number of Japanese to have played at a high level in European a domestic rugby.
Most successful elite pro: Fumiaki Tanaka (Highlanders)
The little scrum half got signed by Otago and then the Highlanders through his connection with Tony Brown who he used to play with at Panasonic Wild Knights. Whilst he could not displace Aaron Smith in their first choice team, he did stick around the longest of any of the Japanese born players at an Australian or New Zealand Super Rugby team staying for four seasons as a popular squad member.
Currently active elite pros: 0 (excluding the Sunwolves)
Recently hooker Takeshi Hino was at Toulouse a RWC cover, a short term stay that was typical of a Japanese stint in Europe. There are none any more in Australia or New Zealand Super Rugby sides. There have been rumours circulating that Kotaro Matsushima wants to play Top 14, but for the most part Japanese players seem likely to continue staying home based as they launch a new pro league.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has only produced one player to the Top 14. They were the second ranked Asian team but another example of a Union that has since totally crashed and fallen to nowhere in rugby terms.
Most successful elite pro: Murat Ouembaev (Béziers, Agen, Grenoble)
Ouembaev was a tough back rower who played for several years in the Top 14 in the late 1990s and early to mid 2000s and was known with particular affection at Béziers. In retirement his life took a turn for the worse as President of Kazakhstan Rugby Union and is now serving a 6 year suspended prison sentence for alleged embezzlement which means he can no longer travel to see his children still based in France.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Even the small pool of players even in Russian pro rugby, which notably included the galloping number 8 Anton Rudoy (who could have shone at a higher level had he the chance), seems to have totally dried up now. It does not appear likely they will have another at pro level to follow Ouembaev any time soon.
UAE
As a rugby nation the UAE are lowly ranked and entirely expat based. We are highly unlikely to ever see a native Emirati reach elite level pro rugby, but a couple of players who are sons of expats have done.
Most successful elite pro: Jordan & Devante Onojaife (Northampton)
The Onojaife brothers both learnt rugby in Dubai before getting spotted by Northampton on trips back to England and got offers to join their Academy. They both went on to represent England and Scotland at U20 level, and although could be considered to have through the UAE system, neither are actually eligible for them any more falling short of the residency requirements to do so now having left.
Currently active elite pros: 1
Only Devante Onojaife is still in the Northampton squad after Jordan Onojaife moved down to the Championship a couple seasons ago. Although he himself still plays mostly in the Championship as still a very inexperienced dual-registered player. They are likely exceptions as players from UAE to reach pro level although there is a sizeable base of expats there who are from rugby nations.
Europe
Belgium
There have been numerous Belgians gain Espoirs contracts in France over the past several years, but a very low percentage of them have gone on to have lengthy careers in the Top 14.
Most successful elite pro: Vincent Debaty (La Rochelle, Perpignan, Clermont, Oyonnax)
Debaty first arrived at La Rochelle after they held trials for top Belgian talent which started an 18 year pro career, 16 of which were in the Top 14, and included 37 caps for France. The dynamic ball carrying prop had somewhat of a niche as an impact prop from the bench (in over 350 top level appearances less than 100 were starts).
Currently active elite pros: 2
Currently the only Belgian in the Top 14 is prop Jean-Baptiste de Clercq, who after being released by Stade Français, has rebounded back from Fédérale 1 to win a contract a newly promoted Bayonne. Also French born but Belgian raised Thibaud Flament has found his way to Wasps in the Premiership. There are three others in Pro D2 who all dropped down a division after very short careers in the top flight.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic had four of five players in the top level French rugby in the 2000s, but now they have all retired and Czech presence in pro rugby has almost disappeared completely.
Most successful elite pro: Jan Macháček (Sale, Montferrand)
The best known of Czech players in the Top 14 was back row Jan Macháček who actually started his pro career in the UK with Newport, Sale, and Pontypridd before joining Montferrand where he played for 3 seasons featuring in a Top 14 final in 2001 from the bench.
Currently active elite pros: 0
The last Czech player in the Top 14 was Lukáš Rapant with Oyonnax in 2016, and the last in Pro D2 was Martin Wognitsch in 2017. Since then there have been zero. However there is a prop Vojtěch Vomáčka now at Grenoble Espoirs although he is probably a long way off from first team rugby.
Georgia
Georgia have become famous in rugby for their productivity of producing props in French rugby. Now over 40 Georgian props have played in the Top 14 since Levan Tsabadze was the first to do so in the 1990s. As most other Eastern European and former Soviet countries have declined over this decade and now struggling to produce top players, Georgia with their excellent youth setup and connections in France continue to grow and are now one of the leading exporters of players of any Tier 2 nation.
Most successful elite pro: Mamuka Gorgodze (Montpellier, Toulon)
The most legendary Georgian at the elite level of professional rugby is of course their iconic talismanic colossus Mamuka Gorgodze who is now into his 15th season in the Top 14. He will surely be remembered amongst the leading players in the league's modern history.
Currently active elite pros: 29 (27 in Top 14, 1 in Premiership, 1 in Super Rugby)
The number of Georgians in top level pro rugby has more than tripled from around 7 in 2008/09 to now well over 20. This increase is coming from their youth, over half their 27 players currently in Top 14 have come from their top 10 ranked U20 Championship squads of the past four years. In terms of young players aged 23 or under Georgia has more players already playing at an elite level than any other Tier 2 nation, even more than Fiji. Still though most are props (18 out of 29), and still almost entirely in France, and the challenge continues for Georgia to get more backs reaching a higher level.
Germany
Germany has not produced many top homegrown players in the professional era. A small number have played in the French Pro D2, but only two or three such players have appeared in top flight leagues.
Most successful elite pro: Phil Christophers (Brive, Bristol, Leeds, Castres)
Born and raised in Heidelberg, Christophers left Germany age 16 to be on the fringes of England's golden era team of 2002/03 winning 3 caps whilst playing for Bristol and Leeds. He later also spent five seasons at Castres in the Top 14 although became increasingly injury plagued over the latter part of his career.
Currently active elite pros: 0
There have been rumours that prop Julius Nostadt, currently at Aurillac, is attracting interest from Castres for next season. Otherwise only German playing Espoirs is Michel Himmer who got a 3 year contract at Robert Mohr's club La Rochelle. In NZ there is also Anton Segner who has been turning heads in junior rugby there. So there is possibility of another German in an elite league in the near future.
Lithuania
Lithuania have only had one player play for just 19 minutes in one of the major leagues, but that very brief stint is still enough to list them as one of countries to have been represented at the elite pro level.
Most successful elite pro: Karolis Navickas (Bordeaux-Bègles)
Navickas played just 19 minutes of Top 14 rugby with Bordeaux-Bègles in 2012 which saw him become the only Lithuanian to play in one of the sport's major leagues. Afterwards the 2.02m giant later played two Fédérale 1 promotion seasons and two Pro D2 relegation seasons for two different clubs before retiring age just 29 last summer.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Jonas Mikalčius has returned to rugby at Championship level with London Scottish after a two year absence following a horror knee injury which ended his chance with Harlequins before it had even begun. There appears to be no other new players from the Baltic region on the way though with their senior team at the low end of the RET and their age grade sides seemingly inactive.
Moldova
Moldova were for a brief period rising up in the RET and developing a niche for props similar but on a smaller scale to Georgia. However a Union related crash has seemingly ended the chance of a line of players coming to elite pro rugby consistently although they should have at least one for a while yet.
Most successful elite pro: Vadim Cobîlaş (Sale, Bordeaux-Bègles)
Cobîlaş got his start in top level pro rugby in 2011 with Sale from the Steve Diamond connection to Russia where he was playing. Now is regarded as one of the most dependable props in the Top 14 having only missed 11 regular season games over his first 3 seasons at Bordeaux and last summer age 36 was awarded a 2 year contract extension that will see him continue in Top 14 to at least to 2021.
Currently active elite pros: 3 (2 in Pro14, 1 in Top 14)
Cobîlaş and Dmitri Arhip have held solid pro careers for quite a while now. Also incoming for next season is talented 22 year old Cristian Ojovan who has been signed by Clermont from Aurillac in Pro D2 to replace Davit Zirakashvili next season. The state of rugby in the country remains a total mess though as they nosedive down the rankings, and besides Ojovan it is not clear to see where the next tighthead prop from Moldova will come from. No new players are even signing for clubs in Russia now.
Netherlands
So far only two Dutch players in the professional era have had successful careers at the elite level, but in recent years they have been one of the most improved nations, both at senior and age grade level, and with an ambitious generation of young talent coming through could have more in the near future.
Most successful elite pro: Tim Visser (Newcastle, Edinburgh, Harlequins)
One of only three Dutch players to play high level pro rugby, Visser's career took off as a try machine at Edinburgh and he ended up becoming a Scottish international on residency. He retired earlier this year after 13 seasons of top level rugby in the Premiership and Pro14.
Currently active elite pros: 1
Zeno Kieft is now in his sixth season of Top 14 rugby at La Rochelle. There are also a further half a dozen in Espoirs squads as the Dutch have made significant improvements at age grade level and it is showing already in the number getting contracts. So there is a chance this number could soon increase.
Poland
Polish rugby at the elite pro level is really only known for one player, but since he retired in 2002, they have have had no presence in top level rugby and internationally are fading down the rankings.
Most successful elite pro: Grzegorz Kacała (Brive, Cardiff)
A barnstorming back row Kacała is the most notable player in Polish history remembered in particular for his inspirational presence in Brive's Heineken Cup win in 1997. He got his start in France initially with Grenoble after being spotted by the late Jacques Fouroux in a Poland vs France 'A' fixture back in 1990.
Currently active elite pros: 0
There have been no Poles in elite pro rugby since Kacała. Last season their captain and number 8 Piotr Zeszutek did spend some time playing for Harlequins A which is the closest any have come since to that level. Poor results at all levels means chances of any further opportunities are quite low although there have been discussions in past years about collaborations with clubs to try and improve.
Portugal
Portugal has had remarkably few homegrown players reach the top level. And although they have been producing a number of good young talents lately to potentially change this, unlike Spain or Georgia, none of them are moving to France on Espoirs contracts in order to do so.
Most successful elite pro: Gonçalo Uva (Montpellier)
Of the few Portuguese born and raised players who have played in the Top 14 the player with most appearances is their 100 cap lock Gonçalo Uva. He spent four seasons at Montpellier although never quite became first choice starter there. He was also joined at the club for a short period by his older brother Vasco Uva.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Last season Pedro Bettencourt formerly of Clermont Espoirs was at Newcastle but his stay there did not last long although he could return to Top 14 with promotion candidates Oyonnax. Considering Portugal have been one of the top Tier 2 nations at U20 level for the past 3 years not far off qualifying for the U20 Championship you might expect more players to have signed Espoirs contracts in France, but zero have done, mainly as there is less ambition there to play professionally compared to other countries.
Romania
Romania have a good history of players succeeding in the French leagues mostly in the forwards but also have had some backs like Petre Mitu play at the top level as well. However as is well known they have had enormous problems in recent times in producing new players to that level.
Most successful elite pro: Marius Tincu (Pau, Perpignan)
Tincu got his opportunity rising up through the lower leagues in France before getting a contract with Pau shortly after his international debut in 2002. The best part of his career though was at Perpignan where he won the Top 14 in 2009 and was part of the starting XV in the final.
Currently active elite pros: 3 (2 in Top 14, 1 in Pro14)
Whilst Romania in 2007 could field an entire pack of players in the Top 14, now the number in both Top 14 and Pro D2 is dwindling and the age profile of the players remaining is mostly in their 30s. Such lack of success at age grade level is making it harder for young players to join Espoirs against rival players from other European nations. There are not many who could get the luck rising up from lower leagues as André Gorin has done this season either. Unfortunately it looks like it is a matter of time now before for the first time in professional era the Top 14 has no Romanians involved.
Russia
With an existing pro league at home Russians have shown less desire than others to move to Western Europe. Even though there was a burst of three or four players including Vasily Artemyev and Viktor Gresev joining English clubs after RWC 2011 most of those players did not stay particularly long.
Most successful elite pro: Andrei Ostrikov (Sale)
Steve Diamond spent some time working with Russia and that ended up bringing Ostrikov (as well as Vadim Cobilas who was playing in the Russian league) to the Premiership. He ended up playing 8 seasons with the club and making over 100 appearances.
Currently active elite pros: 1
Ostrikov left Sale for Grenoble this summer, but there is still a Russian at the club in prop Valery Morozov who was recommended to them by Ostrikov and Cobilas. Outside of the Diamond connection at Sale there has been no other indication of much recent interest in Russian players.
Spain
Most of Spain's base of professional players has always been French born players of Spanish heritage with very few homegrown players. Although this is now changing as we are already starting to see with young talents like Ezeala, Gimeno, Munilla plus more to come playing professionally in France.
Most successful elite pro: Oriol Ripol (Northampton, Sale)
So far the only homegrown Spanish player to have had a significant career at the highest level of pro rugby. A small nippy winger from Barcelona he moved to the UK after RWC 1999 and went on to play 8 seasons in the Premiership with Northampton and Sale (where he was a starting player in their title winning team in 2006).
Currently active elite pros: 3 (1 in Top 14, 1 in Premiership, 1 in Super Rugby)
Neither of Spain's best homegrown players currently in elite leagues play for the national team. Lucas Paulos is now cap tied with Argentina, and Samu Ezeala wants to play for France. Although those are still two examples, along with Gimeno and Munilla at Béziers, of the steadily improving levels young talent coming out of Spain. There are now over 20 homegrown players with pro ambitions to have signed to various French clubs. Most may not make it to first team but it gives them a chance.
Oceania
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands have a population of just 17,379 which makes them one of the very smallest countries to have ever produced a player to the elite level in domestic rugby.
Most successful elite pro: Stan Wright (Leinster, Stade Français, Oyonnax)
Stan Wright got signed out of the blue by Leinster initially as injury cover but ended up packing down for them at tighthead for five seasons including their first Heineken Cup win in 2009. He later followed Michael Cheika to Stade Français for a couple of seasons, and was still playing Top 14 at age 37 for Oyonnax before retiring.
Currently active elite pros: 0
The Cook Islands have such a tiny population that their team and players are always likely to be majority New Zealand or Australian born of Cook Island descent of which there are a few around. Stan Wright was a bit of a one off as a born and raised Cook Islander in pro rugby though.
Fiji
Fiji with their uniquely talented and skilful player base exports by far the most players to elite level professional rugby than any other Tier 2 nation with 67 playing abroad in major leagues. In particular their outside backs especially wingers have thrived at the highest level of the sport right from the beginning of the professional era and the early days of Super Rugby with the likes of Joeli Vidiri.
Most successful elite pro: Rupeni Caucaunibuca (Blues, Agen, Toulouse)
One of the most gifted players the sport has ever seen. Caucau in his prime was simply amazing. After scoring 15 tries in 13 games as part of a now legendary Blues backline, he moved to Agen and was the league's top scorer in both his first two seasons even without playing for one of the biggest teams. Even once he became very clearly overweight he was still a force to be reckoned with at Toulouse.
Currently active elite pros: 67 (33 in Top 14, 13 in Super Rugby, 11 in Pro14, 10 in Premiership)
The success of the likes of Caucau, Sireli Bobo, and Nalaga opened the eyes of French clubs to Fijian wingers. Now 12 of the Top 14 clubs have at least one Fijian winger/centre in their squads. Also now with the success of forwards like Nakarawa, Yato, and Mata more players across just about all positions besides fly half are getting signed up by teams in every major league. Unfortunately though they are also the prime target for "project players" especially in New Zealand and Australia Super Rugby sides.
Samoa
Although countless world class players have been of Samoan heritage, for reasons not fully clear the islands of Samoa themselves have for whatever reason never produced top level homegrown players in close to the same quantity of either Fiji or Tonga. However there obviously is an abundance of talent there and some of that has managed to reach the top level throughout the professional era.
Most successful elite pro: Alama Ieremia (Hurricanes)
After first playing for home country Ieremia later went on to become the most capped All Black who was born and raised in Samoa. He was a good all round physical but also skilful player active in the early years of Super Rugby as part of an awesome Hurricanes backline before moving to Japan in 2000 to finish his career.
Currently active elite pros: 6 (3 in the Top 14, 2 in the Premiership, 1 in Super Rugby)
The number of homegrown players from Samoa getting to elite pro level in recent times has been falling with a lack of new young talent and retirements of older players. Three of the five currently in Europe are also over 31 which suggests it could get even lower still in the near future. They may still have more players in elite leagues than most other nations on this list, but that it is getting lower is a concerning trend for Samoan rugby and also a slightly puzzling one with all the talent that must be there.
Tahiti
The French speaking Pacific Island with a World Ranking of 82nd is one of the newest entries onto this list with their first player having reached the elite level in the Top 14 in September 2018.
Most successful elite pro: Teiva Jacquelain (Grenoble)
Teiva Jacquelain moved to France to join Toulon Espoirs but after failing to make their first team left for Grenoble where last season he became the first born and raised Tahitian to play in the Top 14. They were relegated though, and he only played 5 games, and has since joined Mont-de-Marsan in Pro D2 for more game time.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Jacquelain's cousin Makalea Foliaki is also at Toulon Espoirs, but ruptured his ACL early in pre-season and out long term, so has no prospect of getting onto the pitch and likely to be released at the end of the season. However after the success of some players from New Caledonia, recently clubs have become more interested in scouting the French Pacific Islands who all count as JIFF, so it is not impossible in future that there could be a chance for one or two more from a place like Tahiti to reach the top level.
Tonga
Only a population of 100,651 but Tonga are pound for pound one of the most successful nations at producing elite level homegrown rugby players which they export more of per capita than anywhere else. Often this pathway starts with scholarships and entry into the New Zealand (or alternatively Japan) system as teenagers which has maintained a consistent stream of young players into pro rugby for years with their most common position being very large powerful props and number 8s.
Most successful elite pro: Amanaki Mafi (Bath, Melbourne Rebels, Sunwolves)
Off the field his stints abroad were ended by crazy incidents, but on the field Amanaki Mafi is one of the best Tongan players to have come through the schooling and age grade sides on the islands. He was one of the best number 8s in Super Rugby in 2017 and 2018 and easily the most influential of any of the Japanese internationals to play abroad. There have been various other homegrown Tongans to have thrived at elite level and they have produced several All Blacks and Wallabies.
Currently active elite pros: 24 (10 in Super Rugby, 9 in Top 14, 5 in Premiership)
A downside to relying on scholarships to New Zealand or Japan has meant that at national team level Tonga most often tend to lose all their best homegrown players as wealthier nations get first pick. The likes of Shannon Frizell, Amanaki Mafi, Sitaleki Timani, or Taniela Tupou have all ended up representing other nations whilst others (like Folau Fakatava) sit uncapped to remain possibly eligible to do so.
Overall summary:
In total (unless we are missing somebody) 41 nations have had at least one homegrown player play in one of the sport's four major leagues, with 29 of those (including Japan with the Sunwolves for one last season) with at least one of those players currently active in one of them.
The Top 14 has been by a long way the top level league that has provided most opportunity for players from various different nations. 39 of those 41 nations have had a homegrown player feature in the Top 14 (only exceptions on this list are Kenya and UAE), compared to 29 in the Premiership, 25 in the Pro14, and only 20 in Super Rugby (who outside the Sunwolves Georgian and Jaguares Spanish player have never featured a homegrown player from continental Europe besides France).
This has long been true and shown in this current season as well. As of writing the Top 14 has 86 players born and raised in 15 different countries outside Tier 1 (and that is not including players like Takeshi Hino or Evrard Oulai who have played in the league this year but departed mid-season). By comparison the Premiership has 28 players across 10 countries, Pro14 had 16 players across 5 countries.
Who next?
The leading candidate to be the next nation to field their first homegrown player in a major professional leagues is Hong Kong. They came very close to doing so last season with Matt Worley (who moved to Hong Kong age 5 and went through all their age grade teams) at Northampton but he only played Challenge Cup or Premiership Rugby Cup games before moving down a division to Bedford.
Elsewhere Brazil would be the next candidate who could do so in the future. They have had recent financial problems and issues at grassroots levels, but are a nation who at international level have risen up the rankings over the past few years, and in playing fixtures against the likes Racing 92, Maori All Blacks, or Barbarians have a better albeit still slim chance to find connections with some foreign clubs.
Switzerland on the border to France could also be a nation to possibly have the connections to find a pathway to the Top 14 one day if they have a special talent identified for an Espoirs contract.
Beyond those though any other new entries to this list would for now seem very far fetched and be reliant just on random fluke chance. However you never know, who would have possibly thought before 2016 there would now be a player from Colombia starting regularly in the Top 14 today?
Also even if it may not be "new" nations to this list, there are plenty of other notable things to watch out for such as Georgia recently fielding first ever player play 10 for a Top 14 side. Some of these lower ranked nations feature so rarely in these leagues it is a notable occurrence whenever they do.
Other professional leagues?
Another thing to consider is could any other domestic professional leagues grow sufficiently in quality to be legitimately considered a major league in their own right?
This is a very tough thing for any league to achieve and won't happen overnight. To build the on field level and credibility of a domestic league, which requires a minimum of at least 250 players of good quality if not more, takes a lot longer and is more expensive than simply building a national team which requires only around 25-30 core players (closer to 30-45 if you don't want to be vulnerable to injuries).
Of the alternatives the most likely to possibly grow into adding another elite league to the sport would be the new professional league in Japan. They appear to have the money to bring in a quantity of players of good quality, and by (Tier 2 standards) one of the better line of junior players to feed into it. Although the former could get ruined by them listening to the usual stupid hand wringing idiocy over foreign players, and the latter still needs improving considerably and could get ruined by the stupid University system. Also this is all still at least a 10 year project to increase its level.
Elsewhere realistically there are no serious contenders to do so. Both because they do not have the domestic talent base to feed it, or the sufficient money to recruit to make up for that. That's not to say those leagues won't be valuable to rugby, it is incredibly important to the sport they can keep growing and offer more players pro opportunities, but it is simply unlikely in terms of the playing level they will be comparable to the elite. Similar to MLS next to the "big five" European leagues in football.
Obviously the players from the Tier 1 countries involved in these leagues have a huge number of obvious advantages in being able to reach elite level rugby. However how many other nations across the world have had homegrown players (raised in their home country at least up to 16 before signing to pro clubs abroad) find opportunity to play at the very highest level domestically?
Africa
CameroonIn spite of an international team that only played its first test as recently as 2001 and been inactive since 2011. Cameroon were previously one of the more successful French speaking African nations at producing homegrown players to Top 14 level. In particular specialising in props and tough rugged forwards. That is in addition to a handful of well known Cameroon born players who emigrated to France as children, most famously Serge Betsen, and more recently Dany Priso or Gabriel Ngandebe.
Most notable elite pro: Robins Tchale-Watchou (Auch, Stade Français, Perpignan, Montpellier)
Tchale-Watchou got his start in pro rugby at Aurillac in 2005 who signed him from Université de Dschang. A couple years later he moved up to Top 14 where he went on to play over 220 games over 10 seasons at four different clubs including as a key part of the Perpignan side that topped the regular season table in 2009/10.Current elite pros: 1
Rugby in Cameroon has crashed over the past decade, so although there were four Top 14 players in 2011, no new players have been coming through since. The exception and only current player in elite pro rugby is Spanish international Thierry Feuteu, who was signed by Stade Français in the summer, a dream come true for him after setting off from his hometown Douala age 18 on a mad journey.
Ivory CoastA former RWC nation who have long faded into obscurity on the international stage, the Ivory Coast have a smattering of players in pro rugby of heritage or who moved as children, most notably former France captain Thierry Dusautoir. Only 3 or 4 raised there have reached Top 14 in the professional era.
Most successful elite pro: Ismaila Lassissi (Castres)
Powerful number 8 Ismaila Lassissi from Lakota was signed after RWC 1995 initially for Rodez by Christian Gajan, who then brought him to the Top 14 with Castres, where Lasssissi had a good six year career before a serious knee injury retired him. He was once called up by France for 6 Nations in 2000 when rules around two nations had only just come in and they didn't realise he was not eligible.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Ivory Coast did still have one homegrown player in the Top 14 up until a couple weeks ago when Evrard Oulai transferred mid-season from Bayonne to Montauban in Pro D2. However like most West African nations rugby in not in a good state there and there is no line of more players coming through.
KenyaThe Kenyans have still never had a single player reach one of the elite leagues in Europe. A couple of players in the past decade, Willy Ambaka at Lyon in 2013/14 and Joshua Chisanga at Newcastle in 2016/17, came quite close. They did very briefly have one player in Super Rugby though.
Most successful elite pro: Daniel Adongo (Southern Kings)
So far the only Kenyan to reach elite professional level is Daniel Adongo. He had a short 5 game Super Rugby career with the Southern Kings in 2013 before retiring from rugby age 23 as he headed off to the USA for an NFL career and never came back. He was regarded as a talented athlete, but also one who never really fulfilled his potential in the pro game, and also never played at international level.Currently active elite pros: 0
Kenya are perhaps one of the better nations to still not had anyone reach an elite level in Europe. There is some very exciting attacking flair there, albeit held back by severe weakness in the tight and in collisions, but if they keep qualifying for U20 Trophy there is a small chance a player could get spotted.
MoroccoMorocco used to compete with European nations in the FIRA competitions and were very close for qualifying for two RWCs in 1995 and 1999. They also produced one of the leading French players of that decade. However like much of French Africa they have declined markedly since then and struggled to produce many homegrown players instead relying heavily on French heritage players.
Most successful elite pro: Abdel Benazzi (Agen, Saracens)
The most emblematic player in Moroccan rugby history was by a long way former French international loose forward Abdel Benazzi. He started rugby in Oujda before moving to France in 1988 age 19 or 20 and became one of the nation's best players of the 1990s. He did in fact play once for Morocco as well in 1990 which in modern era would have stopped him representing France.
Currently active elite pros: 0
The only other recent homegrown player from Morocco was Abdelatif Boutaty, who played 10 seasons at Top 14 level with five different clubs. He was still playing Pro D2 age 35 last season helping Bayonne to promotion but did not stay on for another season. There is no sign that any more homegrown players from North Africa are likely to come through to elite level for some time to come.
NamibiaSix time RWC qualifiers and only getting more dominant within Tier 2 African rugby, Namibia benefits from their proximity with South Africa, meaning some players can get onto the pathway there towards pro rugby. This experience has given them a big advantage over other African rivals.
Most successful elite pro: Jacques Burger (Bulls, Saracens)In South Africa Jacques Burger's career was predominantly in the Currie Cup, he only played 2 Super Rugby games for the Bulls in 2009, but it was at Saracens who he initially joined as injury cover in 2010 where he had most success in his role as a hard as nails tackling machine and won two Premiership finals.
Currently active elite pros: 4 (2 in Top 14, 1 in Pro14, 1 in Super Rugby)
Montpellier lock Paul Willemse, a former Namibia U18 representative from Tsumeb who also made his debut for France in February, was the only homegrown Namibian in a major league in Europe last season. This season there is also PJ van Lill promoted with Bayonne and Lesley Klim finally on the field with the Ospreys. In Super Rugby there is Divan Rossouw at the Bulls who does not play for the national team.
ZimbabweThe earliest African nation at a RWC in 1987 and 1991 with a long history in rugby but much like cricket Zimbabwean rugby has been wrecked by their political situation. There still nevertheless has been some good talent to come from the country though even if the best of it represents other nations.
Most successful elite pro: Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks)
Zimbabwe's greatest player of the professional era is Beast Mtawarira, now fully confirmed a legend of South African rugby as their most capped ever prop and having most recently totally demolished England's scrum helping the Springboks win the RWC final.
Currently active elite pros: 4 (3 in Premiership, 1 in Pro14)
Some Zimbabweans have moved abroad to make pro careers, but none of their elite pros actually play for the Sables. It doesn't help that three of them are EQP players in the Premiership (Mike Williams from Bulawayo even making an England squad at one point) which makes that even less likely. There are also more Zimbabwean born players who left as children such as Don Armand in pro rugby as well.
Americas
CanadaCanada has had some presence at a high level in European domestic rugby throughout the professional era with quite a few successful players in a variety of different positions. Although the overall number of Canadians at the top end of pro rugby has fallen from around 11 to 12 the early 2000s down to 3 today.
Most successful elite pro: Jamie Cudmore (Llanelli, Grenoble, Clermont)
After short stays at Llanelli and Grenoble, Cudmore grew into a top class lock forward with an "enforcer" reputation over 11 seasons and 216 matches at Clermont. His stay at the club ended unhappily with concussion issues, but nevertheless still had an excellent career in the Massif Central playing multiple finals and becoming the second Canadian after Mike James to win a Top 14 final in 2010.
Currently active elite pros: 3 (2 in Top 14, 1 in Super Rugby)
The leading figure among the Canadians playing at the top level abroad has been Tyler Ardron who is their most successful player ever in Super Rugby. It will be somewhat a measure of Canada's success in rebuilding from a horrible four years internationally whether this gets higher or lower in five years time.
ChileSo far there have been three Chileans to play Top 14 although all were there for one season only at clubs who got relegated. Although despite Chile having had a very poor time at international level lately, and little history at the top level abroad, they now have a handful of players at Espoirs at Top 14 clubs.
Most successful elite pro: Sergio Valdés (Auch)
Valdés first travelled to France in 2000 embarking on a long 15 year professional career with 5 different clubs. He spent almost that entire time in Pro D2 apart from one season in 2007/08 with Auch where he became the first Chilean to play at the elite level. The final match of his pro career was age 36 helping Agen win promotion in 2015.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Over the past year a partnership between Toulouse and Chilean rugby has suddenly seen a small jump in young players receiving trial opportunities with five now having done well enough to get Espoirs places at Top 14 clubs. It remains to be seen whether any will be good enough to play first team though.
ColombiaA very new nation to rugby, Colombia have only been playing for a short time, but amazingly have already seen one player find his way to make a professional career at the highest level of French rugby.
Most successful elite pro: Andrés Zafra (Lyon, Agen)
Zafra was spotted by former French international Cédric Desbrosse who was on a coaching trip and brought him back to play for his Fédérale 3 club Givors. From there he joined Lyon Espoirs, quickly making his first team debut in his first season in 2016/17 and made history as the first Colombian to play professional rugby, and now since joining Agen become a regular starter in the Top 14.Currently active elite pros: 1
Whilst Zafra may be a one off and it could take a while for another Colombian to reach such a high level, they are an impressively growing rugby nation and another could do so in the longer term future.
UruguayUruguayan rugby's presence at the elite level has largely been associated with one player over the past decade or so since Pablo Lemoine retired. Few other Uruguayans have had long careers in one of the sport's major leagues, although it will be interesting to see if their recent success can change this.
Most successful elite pro: Rodrigo Capó Ortega (Castres)
Currently active elite pros: 1
Manuel Leindekar at promotion contenders Oyonnax in Pro D2 is a player who could potentially succeed Capo in future as the Uruguayan presence in the Top 14. There are other players such as Santiago Arata or Germán Kessler who have looked good enough to play a higher level, but so far there has been little foreign interest in Uruguayans, aside from at Oyonnax who signed both their size freaks the beanpole lock Leindekar and their U20 tighthead prop who is built like a fridge Reinaldo Piussi.
USAThe USA have usually had at least one or two players at a high level in Europe, with loose forwards being the most common position, but are a slight rarity compared to many on this list in that more of these have been in the English Premiership rather than the French Top 14.
Most successful elite pro: Samu Manoa (Northampton, Toulon, Cardiff Blues)
Manoa had to miss the 2011 RWC to get his professional contract at age 26 with Northampton after impressing in a USA vs Saracens midweek November tour game in 2010. Injury and personal problems hurt his later career, but for a period at Northampton he was one of the most destructive hard hitting loose forwards in the sport and a key player in helping them win a Premiership title.Currently active elite pros: 4 (3 in Premiership, 1 in Top 14)
Front row is not the area the Eagles are renowned for historically, but since the emergence of young David Ainuu at Toulouse, they can now field a homegrown 1-2-3 which all plays at the highest level even though it only lasted 2 minutes at the RWC. It is possible in future MLR will keep more American players based at home besides the really elite ones who get offers at top tier clubs.
Asia
JapanOn the rare occasions Japanese born players have gone to play at the top level abroad it has usually resulted in short lived and relatively unsuccessful stints. A few of Japan's best at recent RWCs were signing for Australian Super Rugby sides a few years ago and barely got a game. Whilst you can name on one hand the number of Japanese to have played at a high level in European a domestic rugby.
Most successful elite pro: Fumiaki Tanaka (Highlanders)
The little scrum half got signed by Otago and then the Highlanders through his connection with Tony Brown who he used to play with at Panasonic Wild Knights. Whilst he could not displace Aaron Smith in their first choice team, he did stick around the longest of any of the Japanese born players at an Australian or New Zealand Super Rugby team staying for four seasons as a popular squad member.
Currently active elite pros: 0 (excluding the Sunwolves)
Recently hooker Takeshi Hino was at Toulouse a RWC cover, a short term stay that was typical of a Japanese stint in Europe. There are none any more in Australia or New Zealand Super Rugby sides. There have been rumours circulating that Kotaro Matsushima wants to play Top 14, but for the most part Japanese players seem likely to continue staying home based as they launch a new pro league.
KazakhstanKazakhstan has only produced one player to the Top 14. They were the second ranked Asian team but another example of a Union that has since totally crashed and fallen to nowhere in rugby terms.
Most successful elite pro: Murat Ouembaev (Béziers, Agen, Grenoble)
Ouembaev was a tough back rower who played for several years in the Top 14 in the late 1990s and early to mid 2000s and was known with particular affection at Béziers. In retirement his life took a turn for the worse as President of Kazakhstan Rugby Union and is now serving a 6 year suspended prison sentence for alleged embezzlement which means he can no longer travel to see his children still based in France.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Even the small pool of players even in Russian pro rugby, which notably included the galloping number 8 Anton Rudoy (who could have shone at a higher level had he the chance), seems to have totally dried up now. It does not appear likely they will have another at pro level to follow Ouembaev any time soon.
UAEAs a rugby nation the UAE are lowly ranked and entirely expat based. We are highly unlikely to ever see a native Emirati reach elite level pro rugby, but a couple of players who are sons of expats have done.
Most successful elite pro: Jordan & Devante Onojaife (Northampton)
The Onojaife brothers both learnt rugby in Dubai before getting spotted by Northampton on trips back to England and got offers to join their Academy. They both went on to represent England and Scotland at U20 level, and although could be considered to have through the UAE system, neither are actually eligible for them any more falling short of the residency requirements to do so now having left.
Currently active elite pros: 1
Only Devante Onojaife is still in the Northampton squad after Jordan Onojaife moved down to the Championship a couple seasons ago. Although he himself still plays mostly in the Championship as still a very inexperienced dual-registered player. They are likely exceptions as players from UAE to reach pro level although there is a sizeable base of expats there who are from rugby nations.
Europe
BelgiumThere have been numerous Belgians gain Espoirs contracts in France over the past several years, but a very low percentage of them have gone on to have lengthy careers in the Top 14.
Most successful elite pro: Vincent Debaty (La Rochelle, Perpignan, Clermont, Oyonnax)
Debaty first arrived at La Rochelle after they held trials for top Belgian talent which started an 18 year pro career, 16 of which were in the Top 14, and included 37 caps for France. The dynamic ball carrying prop had somewhat of a niche as an impact prop from the bench (in over 350 top level appearances less than 100 were starts).
Currently active elite pros: 2
Currently the only Belgian in the Top 14 is prop Jean-Baptiste de Clercq, who after being released by Stade Français, has rebounded back from Fédérale 1 to win a contract a newly promoted Bayonne. Also French born but Belgian raised Thibaud Flament has found his way to Wasps in the Premiership. There are three others in Pro D2 who all dropped down a division after very short careers in the top flight.
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic had four of five players in the top level French rugby in the 2000s, but now they have all retired and Czech presence in pro rugby has almost disappeared completely.
Most successful elite pro: Jan Macháček (Sale, Montferrand)
The best known of Czech players in the Top 14 was back row Jan Macháček who actually started his pro career in the UK with Newport, Sale, and Pontypridd before joining Montferrand where he played for 3 seasons featuring in a Top 14 final in 2001 from the bench.
Currently active elite pros: 0
The last Czech player in the Top 14 was Lukáš Rapant with Oyonnax in 2016, and the last in Pro D2 was Martin Wognitsch in 2017. Since then there have been zero. However there is a prop Vojtěch Vomáčka now at Grenoble Espoirs although he is probably a long way off from first team rugby.
GeorgiaGeorgia have become famous in rugby for their productivity of producing props in French rugby. Now over 40 Georgian props have played in the Top 14 since Levan Tsabadze was the first to do so in the 1990s. As most other Eastern European and former Soviet countries have declined over this decade and now struggling to produce top players, Georgia with their excellent youth setup and connections in France continue to grow and are now one of the leading exporters of players of any Tier 2 nation.
Most successful elite pro: Mamuka Gorgodze (Montpellier, Toulon)
The most legendary Georgian at the elite level of professional rugby is of course their iconic talismanic colossus Mamuka Gorgodze who is now into his 15th season in the Top 14. He will surely be remembered amongst the leading players in the league's modern history.
Currently active elite pros: 29 (27 in Top 14, 1 in Premiership, 1 in Super Rugby)
The number of Georgians in top level pro rugby has more than tripled from around 7 in 2008/09 to now well over 20. This increase is coming from their youth, over half their 27 players currently in Top 14 have come from their top 10 ranked U20 Championship squads of the past four years. In terms of young players aged 23 or under Georgia has more players already playing at an elite level than any other Tier 2 nation, even more than Fiji. Still though most are props (18 out of 29), and still almost entirely in France, and the challenge continues for Georgia to get more backs reaching a higher level.
GermanyGermany has not produced many top homegrown players in the professional era. A small number have played in the French Pro D2, but only two or three such players have appeared in top flight leagues.
Most successful elite pro: Phil Christophers (Brive, Bristol, Leeds, Castres)
Born and raised in Heidelberg, Christophers left Germany age 16 to be on the fringes of England's golden era team of 2002/03 winning 3 caps whilst playing for Bristol and Leeds. He later also spent five seasons at Castres in the Top 14 although became increasingly injury plagued over the latter part of his career.
Currently active elite pros: 0
There have been rumours that prop Julius Nostadt, currently at Aurillac, is attracting interest from Castres for next season. Otherwise only German playing Espoirs is Michel Himmer who got a 3 year contract at Robert Mohr's club La Rochelle. In NZ there is also Anton Segner who has been turning heads in junior rugby there. So there is possibility of another German in an elite league in the near future.
LithuaniaLithuania have only had one player play for just 19 minutes in one of the major leagues, but that very brief stint is still enough to list them as one of countries to have been represented at the elite pro level.
Most successful elite pro: Karolis Navickas (Bordeaux-Bègles)
Navickas played just 19 minutes of Top 14 rugby with Bordeaux-Bègles in 2012 which saw him become the only Lithuanian to play in one of the sport's major leagues. Afterwards the 2.02m giant later played two Fédérale 1 promotion seasons and two Pro D2 relegation seasons for two different clubs before retiring age just 29 last summer.Currently active elite pros: 0
Jonas Mikalčius has returned to rugby at Championship level with London Scottish after a two year absence following a horror knee injury which ended his chance with Harlequins before it had even begun. There appears to be no other new players from the Baltic region on the way though with their senior team at the low end of the RET and their age grade sides seemingly inactive.
MoldovaMoldova were for a brief period rising up in the RET and developing a niche for props similar but on a smaller scale to Georgia. However a Union related crash has seemingly ended the chance of a line of players coming to elite pro rugby consistently although they should have at least one for a while yet.
Most successful elite pro: Vadim Cobîlaş (Sale, Bordeaux-Bègles)
Cobîlaş got his start in top level pro rugby in 2011 with Sale from the Steve Diamond connection to Russia where he was playing. Now is regarded as one of the most dependable props in the Top 14 having only missed 11 regular season games over his first 3 seasons at Bordeaux and last summer age 36 was awarded a 2 year contract extension that will see him continue in Top 14 to at least to 2021.Currently active elite pros: 3 (2 in Pro14, 1 in Top 14)
Cobîlaş and Dmitri Arhip have held solid pro careers for quite a while now. Also incoming for next season is talented 22 year old Cristian Ojovan who has been signed by Clermont from Aurillac in Pro D2 to replace Davit Zirakashvili next season. The state of rugby in the country remains a total mess though as they nosedive down the rankings, and besides Ojovan it is not clear to see where the next tighthead prop from Moldova will come from. No new players are even signing for clubs in Russia now.
NetherlandsSo far only two Dutch players in the professional era have had successful careers at the elite level, but in recent years they have been one of the most improved nations, both at senior and age grade level, and with an ambitious generation of young talent coming through could have more in the near future.
Most successful elite pro: Tim Visser (Newcastle, Edinburgh, Harlequins)
One of only three Dutch players to play high level pro rugby, Visser's career took off as a try machine at Edinburgh and he ended up becoming a Scottish international on residency. He retired earlier this year after 13 seasons of top level rugby in the Premiership and Pro14.
Currently active elite pros: 1
Zeno Kieft is now in his sixth season of Top 14 rugby at La Rochelle. There are also a further half a dozen in Espoirs squads as the Dutch have made significant improvements at age grade level and it is showing already in the number getting contracts. So there is a chance this number could soon increase.
PolandPolish rugby at the elite pro level is really only known for one player, but since he retired in 2002, they have have had no presence in top level rugby and internationally are fading down the rankings.
Most successful elite pro: Grzegorz Kacała (Brive, Cardiff)
A barnstorming back row Kacała is the most notable player in Polish history remembered in particular for his inspirational presence in Brive's Heineken Cup win in 1997. He got his start in France initially with Grenoble after being spotted by the late Jacques Fouroux in a Poland vs France 'A' fixture back in 1990.
Currently active elite pros: 0
There have been no Poles in elite pro rugby since Kacała. Last season their captain and number 8 Piotr Zeszutek did spend some time playing for Harlequins A which is the closest any have come since to that level. Poor results at all levels means chances of any further opportunities are quite low although there have been discussions in past years about collaborations with clubs to try and improve.
PortugalPortugal has had remarkably few homegrown players reach the top level. And although they have been producing a number of good young talents lately to potentially change this, unlike Spain or Georgia, none of them are moving to France on Espoirs contracts in order to do so.
Most successful elite pro: Gonçalo Uva (Montpellier)
Of the few Portuguese born and raised players who have played in the Top 14 the player with most appearances is their 100 cap lock Gonçalo Uva. He spent four seasons at Montpellier although never quite became first choice starter there. He was also joined at the club for a short period by his older brother Vasco Uva.Currently active elite pros: 0
Last season Pedro Bettencourt formerly of Clermont Espoirs was at Newcastle but his stay there did not last long although he could return to Top 14 with promotion candidates Oyonnax. Considering Portugal have been one of the top Tier 2 nations at U20 level for the past 3 years not far off qualifying for the U20 Championship you might expect more players to have signed Espoirs contracts in France, but zero have done, mainly as there is less ambition there to play professionally compared to other countries.
RomaniaRomania have a good history of players succeeding in the French leagues mostly in the forwards but also have had some backs like Petre Mitu play at the top level as well. However as is well known they have had enormous problems in recent times in producing new players to that level.
Most successful elite pro: Marius Tincu (Pau, Perpignan)
Tincu got his opportunity rising up through the lower leagues in France before getting a contract with Pau shortly after his international debut in 2002. The best part of his career though was at Perpignan where he won the Top 14 in 2009 and was part of the starting XV in the final.
Currently active elite pros: 3 (2 in Top 14, 1 in Pro14)
Whilst Romania in 2007 could field an entire pack of players in the Top 14, now the number in both Top 14 and Pro D2 is dwindling and the age profile of the players remaining is mostly in their 30s. Such lack of success at age grade level is making it harder for young players to join Espoirs against rival players from other European nations. There are not many who could get the luck rising up from lower leagues as André Gorin has done this season either. Unfortunately it looks like it is a matter of time now before for the first time in professional era the Top 14 has no Romanians involved.
RussiaWith an existing pro league at home Russians have shown less desire than others to move to Western Europe. Even though there was a burst of three or four players including Vasily Artemyev and Viktor Gresev joining English clubs after RWC 2011 most of those players did not stay particularly long.
Most successful elite pro: Andrei Ostrikov (Sale)
Steve Diamond spent some time working with Russia and that ended up bringing Ostrikov (as well as Vadim Cobilas who was playing in the Russian league) to the Premiership. He ended up playing 8 seasons with the club and making over 100 appearances.
Currently active elite pros: 1
Ostrikov left Sale for Grenoble this summer, but there is still a Russian at the club in prop Valery Morozov who was recommended to them by Ostrikov and Cobilas. Outside of the Diamond connection at Sale there has been no other indication of much recent interest in Russian players.
SpainMost of Spain's base of professional players has always been French born players of Spanish heritage with very few homegrown players. Although this is now changing as we are already starting to see with young talents like Ezeala, Gimeno, Munilla plus more to come playing professionally in France.
Most successful elite pro: Oriol Ripol (Northampton, Sale)
So far the only homegrown Spanish player to have had a significant career at the highest level of pro rugby. A small nippy winger from Barcelona he moved to the UK after RWC 1999 and went on to play 8 seasons in the Premiership with Northampton and Sale (where he was a starting player in their title winning team in 2006).
Currently active elite pros: 3 (1 in Top 14, 1 in Premiership, 1 in Super Rugby)
Neither of Spain's best homegrown players currently in elite leagues play for the national team. Lucas Paulos is now cap tied with Argentina, and Samu Ezeala wants to play for France. Although those are still two examples, along with Gimeno and Munilla at Béziers, of the steadily improving levels young talent coming out of Spain. There are now over 20 homegrown players with pro ambitions to have signed to various French clubs. Most may not make it to first team but it gives them a chance.
Oceania
Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands have a population of just 17,379 which makes them one of the very smallest countries to have ever produced a player to the elite level in domestic rugby.
Most successful elite pro: Stan Wright (Leinster, Stade Français, Oyonnax)
Stan Wright got signed out of the blue by Leinster initially as injury cover but ended up packing down for them at tighthead for five seasons including their first Heineken Cup win in 2009. He later followed Michael Cheika to Stade Français for a couple of seasons, and was still playing Top 14 at age 37 for Oyonnax before retiring.
Currently active elite pros: 0
The Cook Islands have such a tiny population that their team and players are always likely to be majority New Zealand or Australian born of Cook Island descent of which there are a few around. Stan Wright was a bit of a one off as a born and raised Cook Islander in pro rugby though.
FijiFiji with their uniquely talented and skilful player base exports by far the most players to elite level professional rugby than any other Tier 2 nation with 67 playing abroad in major leagues. In particular their outside backs especially wingers have thrived at the highest level of the sport right from the beginning of the professional era and the early days of Super Rugby with the likes of Joeli Vidiri.
Most successful elite pro: Rupeni Caucaunibuca (Blues, Agen, Toulouse)
One of the most gifted players the sport has ever seen. Caucau in his prime was simply amazing. After scoring 15 tries in 13 games as part of a now legendary Blues backline, he moved to Agen and was the league's top scorer in both his first two seasons even without playing for one of the biggest teams. Even once he became very clearly overweight he was still a force to be reckoned with at Toulouse.
Currently active elite pros: 67 (33 in Top 14, 13 in Super Rugby, 11 in Pro14, 10 in Premiership)
The success of the likes of Caucau, Sireli Bobo, and Nalaga opened the eyes of French clubs to Fijian wingers. Now 12 of the Top 14 clubs have at least one Fijian winger/centre in their squads. Also now with the success of forwards like Nakarawa, Yato, and Mata more players across just about all positions besides fly half are getting signed up by teams in every major league. Unfortunately though they are also the prime target for "project players" especially in New Zealand and Australia Super Rugby sides.
SamoaAlthough countless world class players have been of Samoan heritage, for reasons not fully clear the islands of Samoa themselves have for whatever reason never produced top level homegrown players in close to the same quantity of either Fiji or Tonga. However there obviously is an abundance of talent there and some of that has managed to reach the top level throughout the professional era.
Most successful elite pro: Alama Ieremia (Hurricanes)
After first playing for home country Ieremia later went on to become the most capped All Black who was born and raised in Samoa. He was a good all round physical but also skilful player active in the early years of Super Rugby as part of an awesome Hurricanes backline before moving to Japan in 2000 to finish his career.
Currently active elite pros: 6 (3 in the Top 14, 2 in the Premiership, 1 in Super Rugby)
The number of homegrown players from Samoa getting to elite pro level in recent times has been falling with a lack of new young talent and retirements of older players. Three of the five currently in Europe are also over 31 which suggests it could get even lower still in the near future. They may still have more players in elite leagues than most other nations on this list, but that it is getting lower is a concerning trend for Samoan rugby and also a slightly puzzling one with all the talent that must be there.
TahitiThe French speaking Pacific Island with a World Ranking of 82nd is one of the newest entries onto this list with their first player having reached the elite level in the Top 14 in September 2018.
Most successful elite pro: Teiva Jacquelain (Grenoble)
Teiva Jacquelain moved to France to join Toulon Espoirs but after failing to make their first team left for Grenoble where last season he became the first born and raised Tahitian to play in the Top 14. They were relegated though, and he only played 5 games, and has since joined Mont-de-Marsan in Pro D2 for more game time.
Currently active elite pros: 0
Jacquelain's cousin Makalea Foliaki is also at Toulon Espoirs, but ruptured his ACL early in pre-season and out long term, so has no prospect of getting onto the pitch and likely to be released at the end of the season. However after the success of some players from New Caledonia, recently clubs have become more interested in scouting the French Pacific Islands who all count as JIFF, so it is not impossible in future that there could be a chance for one or two more from a place like Tahiti to reach the top level.
TongaOnly a population of 100,651 but Tonga are pound for pound one of the most successful nations at producing elite level homegrown rugby players which they export more of per capita than anywhere else. Often this pathway starts with scholarships and entry into the New Zealand (or alternatively Japan) system as teenagers which has maintained a consistent stream of young players into pro rugby for years with their most common position being very large powerful props and number 8s.
Most successful elite pro: Amanaki Mafi (Bath, Melbourne Rebels, Sunwolves)
Off the field his stints abroad were ended by crazy incidents, but on the field Amanaki Mafi is one of the best Tongan players to have come through the schooling and age grade sides on the islands. He was one of the best number 8s in Super Rugby in 2017 and 2018 and easily the most influential of any of the Japanese internationals to play abroad. There have been various other homegrown Tongans to have thrived at elite level and they have produced several All Blacks and Wallabies.
Currently active elite pros: 24 (10 in Super Rugby, 9 in Top 14, 5 in Premiership)
A downside to relying on scholarships to New Zealand or Japan has meant that at national team level Tonga most often tend to lose all their best homegrown players as wealthier nations get first pick. The likes of Shannon Frizell, Amanaki Mafi, Sitaleki Timani, or Taniela Tupou have all ended up representing other nations whilst others (like Folau Fakatava) sit uncapped to remain possibly eligible to do so.
Overall summary:
In total (unless we are missing somebody) 41 nations have had at least one homegrown player play in one of the sport's four major leagues, with 29 of those (including Japan with the Sunwolves for one last season) with at least one of those players currently active in one of them.
The Top 14 has been by a long way the top level league that has provided most opportunity for players from various different nations. 39 of those 41 nations have had a homegrown player feature in the Top 14 (only exceptions on this list are Kenya and UAE), compared to 29 in the Premiership, 25 in the Pro14, and only 20 in Super Rugby (who outside the Sunwolves Georgian and Jaguares Spanish player have never featured a homegrown player from continental Europe besides France).
This has long been true and shown in this current season as well. As of writing the Top 14 has 86 players born and raised in 15 different countries outside Tier 1 (and that is not including players like Takeshi Hino or Evrard Oulai who have played in the league this year but departed mid-season). By comparison the Premiership has 28 players across 10 countries, Pro14 had 16 players across 5 countries.
Who next?
The leading candidate to be the next nation to field their first homegrown player in a major professional leagues is Hong Kong. They came very close to doing so last season with Matt Worley (who moved to Hong Kong age 5 and went through all their age grade teams) at Northampton but he only played Challenge Cup or Premiership Rugby Cup games before moving down a division to Bedford.
Elsewhere Brazil would be the next candidate who could do so in the future. They have had recent financial problems and issues at grassroots levels, but are a nation who at international level have risen up the rankings over the past few years, and in playing fixtures against the likes Racing 92, Maori All Blacks, or Barbarians have a better albeit still slim chance to find connections with some foreign clubs.
Switzerland on the border to France could also be a nation to possibly have the connections to find a pathway to the Top 14 one day if they have a special talent identified for an Espoirs contract.
Beyond those though any other new entries to this list would for now seem very far fetched and be reliant just on random fluke chance. However you never know, who would have possibly thought before 2016 there would now be a player from Colombia starting regularly in the Top 14 today?
Also even if it may not be "new" nations to this list, there are plenty of other notable things to watch out for such as Georgia recently fielding first ever player play 10 for a Top 14 side. Some of these lower ranked nations feature so rarely in these leagues it is a notable occurrence whenever they do.
Other professional leagues?
Another thing to consider is could any other domestic professional leagues grow sufficiently in quality to be legitimately considered a major league in their own right?
This is a very tough thing for any league to achieve and won't happen overnight. To build the on field level and credibility of a domestic league, which requires a minimum of at least 250 players of good quality if not more, takes a lot longer and is more expensive than simply building a national team which requires only around 25-30 core players (closer to 30-45 if you don't want to be vulnerable to injuries).
Of the alternatives the most likely to possibly grow into adding another elite league to the sport would be the new professional league in Japan. They appear to have the money to bring in a quantity of players of good quality, and by (Tier 2 standards) one of the better line of junior players to feed into it. Although the former could get ruined by them listening to the usual stupid hand wringing idiocy over foreign players, and the latter still needs improving considerably and could get ruined by the stupid University system. Also this is all still at least a 10 year project to increase its level.
Elsewhere realistically there are no serious contenders to do so. Both because they do not have the domestic talent base to feed it, or the sufficient money to recruit to make up for that. That's not to say those leagues won't be valuable to rugby, it is incredibly important to the sport they can keep growing and offer more players pro opportunities, but it is simply unlikely in terms of the playing level they will be comparable to the elite. Similar to MLS next to the "big five" European leagues in football.
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