Outside backs Duhan van der Merwe and Kyle Steyn, along with loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman, starred for their adoptive country Scotland in the 2024 Six Nations while have been similarly impressive for the likes of Scottish sides Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors.
“With the new eligibility laws in world rugby, you’re seeing the influence of foreign-born players qualifying for other countries and certainly strengthening those countries,” the former Springbok and DHL Stormers skipper said.“If you look at the Six Nations, most of those teams have an influence of foreign-born players who are really adding value to their adopted team. That has strengthened the game across the board.
“As a player you’re getting the exposure by playing in the United Rugby Championship, and it’s so much easier to track a player now if he doesn’t stake a claim for the Springbok setup.