The 2024 Six Nations Championship is a rugby competition contested between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The team rosters contain a variety of nationalities. Some rosters are predominantly homegrown while others contain a wide range of Foreign-Born / Produced Players.
Players are available for selection based on World Rugby eligibility laws. Eligibility is obtained by meeting Regulation 8. This requires a player to meet at least one of the following criteria: (a) be born in the country; (b) have one parent or grandparent from the country; (c) complete 5 years consecutive residency immediately before representative duty; (d) complete 10 years of cumulative Residency before the time of playing.
An additional category began in 2022. It allows players who have already been capped to change allegiance if they (a) have served a stand-down period from international rugby for three years; and (b) were born in the country to which they wish to transfer or have a parent or grandparent born in that country.
World Rugby announced the change as a means to serve as “a real boost to the competitiveness of emerging nations.” However, this is not accurate and is misleading. The Six Nations are elite unions. They are not emerging nations but are benefactors. Wales and Scotland both capped players via the change for Rugby World Cup 2023. The same two cheated eligibility laws at Rugby World Cup 1999. Shane Howarth and Brett Sinkinson played for Wales and Dave Hilton played for Scotland despite not being eligible. They were mistakenly allowed to play via a grandparent.
This article documents Foreign-Born players in the 2024 Six Nations. It identifies who the players are, where they are from, how they are eligible, if the player has represented another country and which country produced and trained the player to make him the international player that he is today.
Homegrown players are identified by the color blue in the produced category. Players shown in blue are products of the country they are representing. That is to say, the team they represent is primarily responsible for the player’s development. Red indicates that the player is primarily or entirely the product of the rugby systems of a different country.
The countries are organized in descending order from the highest to the lowest number of foreign-born players per roster.
This is an original work researched and written by Paul Tait of Americas Rugby News.
SCOTLAND
Twenty-one of Scotland’s players were not born in Scotland. This is a majority. One of the Foreign-Born players is a product of the Scottish rugby system. Kyle Rowe was born in England but spent sufficient years of his youth in Scotland to qualify via Cumulative Residency.
None of the other twenty Foreign-Born Scotland players are homegrown. Included are Alec Hepburn and Ben White who played for England and Jack Dempsey who played for Australia. In December, 2023 England Head Coach Steve Borthwick was warned that England was set to lose multiple homegrown players to Scotland.
There are cases of adult professional players who were signed from abroad, to play for Scotland professional teams, with the purpose of playing for Scotland. Ben Healy and Sione Tuipulotu are examples of adults who were signed to play in Scotland with the intention of playing for Scotland. They moved to Scotland aged 23 and 24 respectively.
Others arrived in Scotland as adult professional players, without family connections to Scotland, and subsequently became Scottish eligible. WP Nel moved aged 26, Pierre Schoeman aged 24 and Duhan van der Merwe aged 22. Kyle Steyn, who is parent qualified, moved to Scotland aged 25.
Ewan Ashman was born in Canada and moved to England at the age of four. His father is Scottish. Huw Jones was born in Scotland but is not homegrown; he was raised in England.
SCOTLAND
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 21/40 (52.5%)
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 19/40 (47.5%)
| PLAYER | BORN | PRODUCED | POS | ELIGIBILITY | OTHER REP. |
| Alec Hepburn | Australia | England | LH | Parent | England u20, A, England |
| Pierre Schoeman | South Africa | South Africa | LH | Residency (2021) | South Africa u18, u20 |
| Ewan Ashman | Canada | England | HK | Parent | – |
| Johnny Matthews | England | England | HK | Parent | – |
| Will Hurd | England | England | TH | Grandparent | – |
| Elliot Millar-Mills | England | England | TH | Parent | – |
| WP Nel | South Africa | South Africa | TH | Residency (2015) | – |
| Sam Skinner | England | England | LO | Parent | England u20 |
| Joshua Bayliss | England | England | FL | Grandparent | England u20 |
| Andy Christie | England | England | FL | Grandparent | England u18, u20 |
| Jack Dempsey | Australia | Australia | N8 | Grandparent | Australia Schools, u20, Australia |
| Ali Price | England | England | SH | Parent | – |
| Ben White | England | England | SH | Grandparent | England u20, England |
| Ben Healy | Ireland | Ireland | FH | Parent | Ireland u20 |
| Rory Hutchinson | England | England | CE | Grandparent | – |
| Cameron Redpath | France | England | CE | Parent | England u18, u20 |
| Sione Tuipulotu | Australia | Australia | CE | Grandparent | Australia Schools, u20 |
| Arron Reed | England | England | WI | Parent | England u18, u20 |
| Kyle Rowe | England | Scotland | WI | Cumulative Residency | – |
| Kyle Steyn | South Africa | South Africa | WI | Parent | – |
| Duhan van der Merwe | South Africa | South Africa | WI | Residency (2020) | South Africa Schools, u20 |
HISTORICAL NUMBERS
2023 SIX NATIONS – 22
2022 SIX NATIONS – 27
2021 SIX NATIONS – 23
2019 SIX NATIONS– 19
2018 SIX NATIONS – 23
2017 SIX NATIONS – 18
2016 SIX NATIONS – 14
IRELAND
Seven players on Ireland’s roster were not born in either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. The players can be divided into two categories (a) homegrown and (b) players who arrived in Ireland as adults.
Ireland’s three homegrown foreign-born players were born in Reno, Nevada, New York City and Sydney, Australia. Jeremy Loughman and Joe McCarthy moved to Ireland as children. Loughman moved to England before arriving in Ireland aged 12. His father is Irish and his mother is German. Ciarán Frawley moved to Ireland aged 3. The homegrown trio all also have Irish parents.
Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Jamison Ratu Gibson-Park were signed from New Zealand’s elite professional rugby system. All were professional adults playing for New Zealand Super Rugby franchises when targeted by Ireland to move to Ireland and becoming eligible via residency. Aki and Gibson-Park moved to Ireland aged 24 while Lowe moved aged 25.
Lowe played for the Māori All Blacks against the British & Irish Lions in 2017 after he had signed to play in Ireland for Leinster. Gibson-Park is also a former Māori All Black.
Tight head prop Tom O’Toole was born in Ireland but moved to Australia aged 6 and represented the Queensland Schoolboys. The IRFU had followed his progression closely in Australia and wanted him back in their system.
IRELAND
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 7/34 (20.5%)
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 29/34 (85.2%)
| PLAYER | BORN | PRODUCED | POS | ELIGIBILITY | OTHER REP. |
| Jeremy Loughman | USA | Ireland | LH | Parent | – |
| Finlay Bealham | Australia | Australia | TH | Grandparent | Australia Schools |
| Joe McCarthy | USA | Ireland | LO | Parent | – |
| Jamison Ratu Gibson-Park | New Zealand | New Zealand | SH | Residency (2020) | New Zealand Māori |
| Bundee Aki | New Zealand | New Zealand | CE | Residency (2017) | – |
| Ciarán Frawley | Australia | Ireland | CE | Parent | – |
| James Lowe | New Zealand | New Zealand | WI | Residency (2020) | New Zealand Māori, Schools, u15 Basketball |
HISTORICAL NUMBERS
2023 SIX NATIONS – 10
2022 SIX NATIONS – 9
2021 SIX NATIONS – 8
2019 SIX NATIONS – 7
2018 SIX NATIONS – 9
2017 SIX NATIONS – 6
2016 SIX NATIONS – 9
ITALY
Italy’s roster contains eight players born abroad. Seven of the eight are not homegrown players. Marco Manfredi is unique in moving to Italy as a child. The 36-man roster contains players eligible for Italy in one of two ways: (a) qualify via family ancestry or (b) moved to Italy as adults.
Ange Capuozzo, Sebastian Negri, Stephen Varney and newcomer Ross Vintcent all represented Italy u20. They did so without being based in Italy. They all qualify via heritage as do Juan Ignacio Brex, and Martin Page-Relo. Brex used the Olympic loophole to change his allegiance from Argentina to Italy. Monty Ioane moved to Italy aged 23.
Sebastian Negri’s brother assisted in the process of Ross Vintcent representing Italy. The South African-born Vintcent grew up in Dubai and qualifies for Italy via his Sicilian grandfather.
Tommaso Allan was born in Italy. Scotland were unhappy with his decision to play for Italy; however, he is not a product of Scotland’s rugby system. He was schooled in England and moved there aged 7.
ITALY
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 8/36 (22.2%)
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 29/36 (80.5%)
| PLAYER | BORN | PRODUCED | POS | ELIGIBILITY | OTHER REP. |
| Marco Manfredi | Germany | Italy | HK | Parent | – |
| Sebastian Negri | Zimbabwe | South Africa | FL | Parent | – |
| Ross Vintcent | South Africa | UAE | FL | Grandparent | – |
| Martin Page-Relo | France | France | SH | Grandparent | – |
| Stephen Lorenzo Varney | Wales | Wales | SH | Parent | – |
| Juan Ignacio Brex | Argentina | Argentina | CE | Grandparent | Argentina u19, u20, 7s, XV |
| Montana Ioane | Australia | Australia | WI | Residency (2020) | – |
| Ange Capuozzo | France | France | FB | Parent | – |
HISTORICAL NUMBERS
2023 SIX NATIONS – 7
2022 SIX NATIONS – 14
2021 SIX NATIONS – 10
2019 SIX NATIONS – 9
2018 SIX NATIONS – 8
2017 SIX NATIONS – 8
2016 SIX NATIONS – 10
ENGLAND
Five members of England’s roster were born outside of England. Three of them are products of the English rugby system. Five is also the number of Foreign-Born players that were on England’s roster in the 2023 Six Nations.
Flanker Sam Underhill is a native of Ohio. Marcus Smith first played rugby in Singapore and moved to England aged 13. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is not homegrown. He is from Cardiff, Wales.
Ethan Roots was born and raised in New Zealand. Tom Roebuck was born in Northern Scotland but raised in England. He learned his rugby in England. Rookie Chandler Cunningham-South was born in England but raised in New Zealand. He moved to New Zealand aged 4 and learned his rugby in the country.
ENGLAND
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 5/39 (12.8%)
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 36/39 (92.3%)
| PLAYER | BORN | PRODUCED | POS | ELIGIBILITY | OTHER REP. |
| Ethan Roots | New Zealand | New Zealand | FL | Parent | Maori All Blacks |
| Sam Underhill | USA | England | FL | Parent | – |
| Marcus Smith | Philippines | England | FH | Parent | – |
| Immanuel Feyi-Waboso | Wales | Wales | WI | Parent | – |
| Tom Roebuck | Scotland | England | WI | Parent | – |
HISTORICAL NUMBERS
2023 SIX NATIONS – 5
2022 SIX NATIONS – 6
2021 SIX NATIONS – 2
2019 SIX NATIONS – 8
2018 SIX NATIONS – 11
2017 SIX NATIONS – 7
2016 SIX NATIONS – 8
FRANCE
Fabien Galthié’ Les Blues contains four Foreign-Born players. This is the same number as in 2023. Three of the four names are repeated. The newcomer is Emmanuel Latu-Meafou who was born in New Zealand but raised in Australia and is a product of Australian sport.
In order to play for France all players are required to carry a French passport. This is unique in the Six Nations. None of the other five require players representing their team to be an official national member holding documentation.
France’s 2024 roster also contains players from Overseas France, meaning territories outside of Europe that remain a part of the French state. Yoram Moefana is from Wallis and Futuna while Peato Mauvaka is from New Caledonia.
FRANCE
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 4/36 (11.1%)
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 33/36 (91.6%)
| PLAYER | BORN | PRODUCED | POS | ELIGIBILITY | OTHER REP. |
| Uini Atonio | New Zealand | New Zealand | TH | Residency (2014) | Samoa u20 |
| Emmanuel Latu-Meafou | New Zealand | Australia | LO | Residency (2023) | – |
| Paul Willemse | South Africa | Namibia | LO | Residency (2018) | Namibia u18, South Africa u20 |
| Émilien Gailleton | England | France | CE | Parent | – |
HISTORICAL NUMBERS
2023 SIX NATIONS – 4
2022 SIX NATIONS – 4
2021 SIX NATIONS – 4
2019 SIX NATIONS – 3
2018 SIX NATIONS – 3
2017 SIX NATIONS – 4
2016 SIX NATIONS – 4
WALES
Wales’ roster is notably changed to that from the World Cup. Warren Gatland selected 10 Foreign-Born players for France 2023 while he has 4 on his roster for the 2024 Six Nations. In part this is a reflection of injuries to players including Taulupe Faletau, Christ Tshiunza, Alex Cuthbert, Gareth Anscombe, and Johnny Williams.
Archie Griffin is the newcomer. The uncapped prop was born in Australia and also lived in Singapore before moving to the UK. He moved to England rather than Wales where he was schooled. He joined the Bath academy at the age of 13.
Nick Tompkins played for his native England at junior level and for the next of XV, the England Saxons, at senior level. This did not see him attached though rugby eligibility laws are such that other players have been captured by virtue of playing for a next-of-XV.
WALES
FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS: 4/34 (11.7%)
HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: 31/34 (91.1%)
| PLAYER | BORN | PRODUCED | POS | ELIGIBILITY | OTHER REP. |
| Archie Griffin | Australia | England | TH | Parent | – |
| Will Rowlands | England | England | LO | Parent | – |
| George North | England | Wales | CE | Parent | – |
| Nick Tompkins | England | England | CE | Grandparent | England u18, u20, Saxons |
HISTORICAL NUMBERS
2023 SIX NATIONS – 7
2022 SIX NATIONS – 13
2021 SIX NATIONS – 12
2019 SIX NATIONS – 9
2018 SIX NATIONS – 9
2017 SIX NATIONS – 10
2016 SIX NATIONS – 13
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