The 7 New Zealand-born stars playing in the 2026 Six Nations
Rugby NewsMonday, 02 February 2026 at 00:14
New Zealand continues to exert a noticeable influence on northern hemisphere rugby, with a number of Kiwi-born players now featuring prominently across Six Nations squads.
While the tournament remains rooted in European tradition, modern eligibility laws — particularly residency pathways — have allowed several players developed in New Zealand to represent other nations at Test level.
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Scotland’s Kiwi Contingent
Scotland have two New Zealand-born players in their squad. Both are halfbacks, highlighting the nation’s ongoing recruitment of talent from Super Rugby and the New Zealand system:
- Fergus Burke
- Tom Jordan
Wales Add a New Arrival
Wales include one New Zealand-born player, recruited directly from the professional game in New Zealand before qualifying for international rugby:
- Blair Murray
Ireland’s Established Trio
Ireland remain the strongest example of New Zealand’s impact in the Six Nations. Their squad contains three well-established Kiwi-born internationals, all of whom arrived as professional players and qualified through residency:
- Jamison Gibson-Park
- Bundee Aki
- James Lowe
France’s Kiwi Forward
France now have one New Zealand-born player in their squad following the forced retirement of veteran prop Uini Atonio. Atonio, who earned 68 caps for Les Bleus and enjoyed a distinguished club career with La Rochelle, was forced to retire in early 2026 after suffering a serious heart attack.
Despite stabilising, doctors confirmed he cannot safely return to professional rugby. His retirement underscores the risks elite athletes face, particularly in the physically demanding front row.
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Who has the most foreign-born players? 2026 Six Nations
So, which nation has the most foreign-born players in 2026?
Scotland — 14 foreign-born players (35%)
- Homegrown: 26/40 (65%)
- Foreign-born: 14/40 (35%)
Scotland once again lead the Six Nations for overseas-born representation.
Full list (Scotland)
Nathan McBeth — South Africa (Grandparent)
Pierre Schoeman — South Africa (Residency, 2021)
Ewan Ashman — Canada (Parent)
Elliot Millar Mills — England (Parent)
Josh Bayliss — England (Grandparent)
Jack Dempsey — Australia (Grandparent)
Ben White — England (Grandparent)
Fergus Burke — New Zealand (Grandparent)
Tom Jordan — New Zealand (Residency, 2024)
Rory Hutchinson — England (Grandparent)
Sione Tuipulotu — Australia (Grandparent)
Kyle Rowe — England (Cumulative Residency)
Kyle Steyn — South Africa (Parent)
Duhan van der Merwe — South Africa (Residency, 2020)
Wales — 9 foreign-born players (23.6%)
- Homegrown: 29/38 (76.3%)
- Foreign-born: 9/38 (23.6%)
Wales sit mid-table, with most foreign-born players coming through English development pathways or overseas heritage.
Full list (Wales)
Tomas Francis — England (Grandparent)
Archie Griffin — Australia (Parent)
Ben Carter — England (Residency, 2004)
Freddie Thomas — England (Grandparent)
Olly Cracknell — England (Grandparent)
Josh MacLeod — Monaco (Residency, 2004)
Gabriel Hamer-Webb — England (Parent)
Ellis Mee — England (Parent)
Blair Murray — New Zealand (Parent)
Italy — 8 foreign-born players (24.2%)
- Homegrown: 24/33 (72.7%)
- Foreign-born: 8/33 (24.2%)
Italy continue to benefit from a diverse talent pool, drawing on Argentine heritage and residency-qualified backs.
Full list (Italy)
Pablo Dimcheff — Argentina (Grandparent)
Muhamad Hasa — Albania (Residency, 2014)
Martin Page-Relo — France (Grandparent)
Stephen Varney — Wales (Parent)
Juan Ignacio Brex — Argentina (Grandparent)
Paolo Odogwu — England (Parent)
Montana Ioane — Australia (Residency, 2020)
Matt Gallagher — England (Grandparent)
Ireland — 8 foreign-born players (20%)
- Homegrown: 34/40 (85%)
- Foreign-born: 8/40 (20%)
Ireland remain one of the most homegrown squads in the championship, but several key players — especially in the backline — were born abroad.
Full list (Ireland)
Jeremy Loughman — USA (Parent)
Finlay Bealham — Australia (Grandparent)
Cormac Izuchukwu — England (Parent)
Joe McCarthy — USA (Parent)
Jamison Gibson-Park — New Zealand (Residency, 2019)
Ciarán Frawley — Australia (Parent)
Bundee Aki — New Zealand (Residency, 2017)
James Lowe — New Zealand (Residency, 2020)
France — 7 foreign-born players (15.5%)
- Homegrown: 39/45 (86.6%)
- Foreign-born: 7/45 (15.5%)
France have one of the strongest domestic player bases, but still include a handful of residency-qualified forwards.
Full list (France)
Dany Priso — Cameroon (Residency, 2008)
Uini Atonio — New Zealand (Residency, 2014)
Tevita Tatafu — Tonga (Residency, 2024)
Joshua Brennan — Ireland (Residency, 2005)
Thibaud Flament — Belgium (Born in France)
Emmanuel Meafou — New Zealand (Residency, 2023)
Tom Staniforth — Australia (Residency, 2025)
England — 6 foreign-born players (16.6%)
- Homegrown: 34/36 (94.4%)
- Foreign-born: 6/36 (16.6%)
England have the most domestically produced squad in the tournament, with only a small group born outside the country.
Full list (England)
Bevan Rodd — Scotland (Parent)
Emmanuel Iyogun — Spain (Residency)
Sam Underhill — USA (Parent)
Marcus Smith — Philippines (Parent)
Henry Arundell — Dhekelia (Parent)
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso — Wales (Grandparent)
Ranking: Most foreign-born players (2026)
- Scotland — 14
- Wales — 9
- Italy — 8
- Ireland — 8
- France — 7
- England — 6
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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