Foreign legion set for commanding role in Six Nations

This season’s edition of Europe’s Six Nations Championship will see fifty percent of the coaches come from New Zealand, the home of the world champions.

And when the tournament begins in Cardiff on Friday, it’s possible, if unlikely due to form and fitness, that both the Wales fly-half (Gareth Anscombe) and the England hooker (Dylan Hartley) could be native Kiwis.

Meanwhile South Africa-born centre Brad Barritt, although injured right now, is in the England squad while the Rainbow Nation has also yielded a trio of France recruits in Rory Kockott, Scott Spedding and Bernard Le Roux.

For some this represents a “cheapening” of international rugby union.

For others it’s the inevitable consequence of increasing numbers of multi-national families allied to the fact that, in the professional era, players have more incentive, especially in financial terms, to venture abroad should staying at home reduce their Test chances.

Under World Rugby rules, players can compete for a country other than the one they were born in through a family connection stretching back to a grandparent hailing from their adopted land or via a three-year residency period.