New Zealand coach Steve Hansen successfully led his side to the World Cup semi-finals where they play South Africa after they overcame France by a large margin in the quarter-finals.
This World Cup also marks the first time that no Northern hemisphere side has reached the semi-final stage, something that Hansen believes can be attributed to the growing number of foreign players playing in the Northern hemisphere and specifically in the English Aviva Premiership.
According to The Guardian, Hansen has said that: “You only have to look at the soccer model that rugby up here follows.
“England haven’t won anything for years, yet they have the best Premier League in the world.
“Most of the best players are playing in that league, but it doesn’t reflect on the international team.
“You need to have the same goals and the same vision. There are a lot of foreign players in the Top 14 and that means there are a lot of French players who are not getting the chance to grow and develop.
“It’s not my country and I shouldn’t say too much but, if you want to be successful at international level, you have to be united from the top down.”
