Rugby World investigates the good and bad experiences of athletes who have emigrated to play – from exploitation to prosperity.
Blogs
The Great Migration: World Rugby’s stance
THE WORLD RUGBY VIEW Asked about academies set up in the Pacific and the need to monitor agents better, World Rugby gave us this statement for our Great Migration investigation:…
The Great Migration: The perils of signing foreign stars for the amateur ranks
IN THE tangle of semi-professional and amateur clubs underneath the elite leagues in Europe, player retention and recruitment is a ceaseless necessity. However, with players hoping to broaden their horizons…
Need for speed: The value of pace in rugby
BARELY FOUR minutes into England’s 2014 Twickenham Test against the All Blacks, Brad Barritt threw a looping ball to Jonny May. It was May’s second game against New Zealand but…
The Great Migration: The Scotsman in Romania
Michael Doneghan came through the Scottish Academy system, spending time with Glasgow and the sevens before playing in the English Championship with London Scottish. And after a brief stint with…
The Great Migration: The Zimbabwean in Germany
When you make your living as a rugby player, sometimes there are hardships to go alongside the wage you get for playing a sport you love. This can be particularly…
The Great Migration: The Moroccans drawn to France
“In my team I have two friends who came from Morocco – Casablanca and another city – in a boat,” says Nabil Jelti, a 36-year-old Moroccan international who first came…
Rieko Ioane: “I’m like a kid in a candy store”
The most terrifying attacker from the recent Rugby Championship still lives with his mum and dad. On 35 occasions during the competition, All Black stripling Rieko Ioane ghosted past would-be…
The Great Migration: The director of ‘Mercenary’
Talking about his movie Mercenary over Skype, French director Sacha Wolff considers the issue of rumours and urban myths clouding discussions about exploitation of players from the Pacific Islands. After…
Meet RUGGEDSTOCK, the new name in sports bags
Change occurs outside of your comfort zone. Talent goes a long way but we all know that there’s no substitute for hard work and determination – both on and off…