We count down the top XV of those who enjoyed the best offshore careers. Photo / Photosport
While 31 All Blacks chase history over the next six weeks, it's worth remembering that not all rugby careers are defined by winning the Web Ellis Cup.
Some Kiwis find plenty of joy away from the pinnacle of the sport, away from the black jersey and even away from New Zealand.
After a Herald data investigation revealed that more than half of Kiwi Super Rugby players eventually ply their trade overseas, we formed a panel to select a top XV of those who enjoyed the best offshore careers.
A wide range of factors went into forming this list, probably the same factors the players pondered over before opting for to head for the departure lounge - game time, money, lifestyle and trophies.
Who knows, come November 2, there might even be a World Cup winner among these illustrious expats.
Sean Maitland's Glaswegian grandparents always told him to remember his Scottish roots. And after spending the first 24 years of his life in New Zealand, the wing embraced that aspect of his lineage.
Maitland moved to Glasgow Warriors in 2012 and made his Scotland debut during the following year's Six Nations. His form was enough to earn a spot in the Lions' squad for the 2013 tour of Australia and, after helping his ancestral homeland reach the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup, Maitland will again be action in Japan.
Joe Rokocoko was 27 and three away from Howlett's All Blacks try-scoring record when he played his last test in 2010. A case of a career ending prematurely? Perhaps not, considering the wing announced his retirement only this week.
In the intervening years, Rokocoko found a second rugby life in France, first at Bayonne and then, after four seasons, at Racing 92. He rediscovered his passion for the game, was able to spend more time with his family and enjoyed seeing "familiar faces that you played against in Super Rugby, the ITM Cup or even school days".
One of the great All Black wings, Doug Howlett also experienced a pretty decent closing chapter to his career at Munster. Howlett headed to the Irish province following the 2007 World Cup and was immediately a key figure in their 2008 Heineken Cup triumph.
He won a domestic title the next season and was named captain for the 2012/13 campaign, before injury brought a premature end to his playing days after 114 appearances and 35 tries in Ireland.
Regan King is synonymous with what might have been. After bursting onto the scene with Waikato, King made his first and only All Blacks appearance in 2002 before injuries stalled his progress in New Zealand.
It's unlikely he has too many regrets, though, considering he went on to put together a 12-season career at the top level in France and Wales, being voted by Planet Rugby readers in 2006 as the best centre in world rugby and even playing alongside son Jacob Cowley for Scarlets in 2015.
It seems almost incongruous, given how vivid the memories remain of Bruce Reihana tearing apart defences for Waikato, the Chiefs and New Zealand's sevens side, but his greatest impact came at Northampton.
Reihana spent nine seasons with the English club - two as captain - and racked up more than 1000 points in 236 appearances, following Jonny Wilkinson in winning RPA players' player of the year in 2004.
Of course, while variety adds spice, there's nothing wrong with finding a favoured country and sticking to it.
That's what Chris Masoe did after a 20-cap All Blacks career, jetting off to France and making a century of appearances with Castres. The versatile loose forward joined Toulon in 2012, and the following year started at No 8 in the Heineken Cup final, helping his side grind out a 16-15 win over Clermont.
Masoe then finished off his French connection by joining Laualua at Racing 92 and enjoyed another couple of productive seasons.
Variety is the key to any good overseas excursion, something Casey Laulala knows well.
After winning three caps and scoring the key try in Super Rugby's fog final, the centre headed offshore in 2009 and made his first stop at Cardiff Blues in Wales.
A half-century of appearances and a Challenge Cup victory later, Laulala headed over to Munster in Ireland, where he played another 50 games and earned inclusion in the 2013-14 Pro12 team of the season.
And finally, to complete a thoroughly rewarding nine seasons in Europe, Laulala headed to France and once again raised his bat at Racing 92.
Bundee Aki is one player on this list whose stock is set to soar in the coming years. Still 29, the centre has already won 20 caps for Ireland and will add to that tally this month in Japan.
Aki moved to Connacht in 2014 and, after competing the three-year residency requirement, made his debut for the national side a month a month on from becoming eligible.
And that immediate elevation was certainly justified, given Aki had played an essential part in Connacht winning the Pro12 in 2015-16, being the competition's named player of the season.
Ireland quickly benefited from his presence - winning the Grand Slam and Six Nations in 2018 - and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
What would European rugby have done for first fives without Dan Carter? His stranglehold on that spot with the All Blacks forced many a talented challenger to look elsewhere - and furnished many an offshore club with an international-quality player in the position.
Luke McAlister, who won 31 caps for the All Blacks, certainly fitted that bill. After a two-season stint at Sale was followed by a quick trip back to New Zealand, McAlister found a new home at Toulouse in 2011.
In his first season in France, McAlister was pivotal in the club's Top 14 triumph, scoring all his side's points in both the semi-final and final.
After six years, 143 caps and 806 points, McAlister left Toulouse and had stints at Toulon and Clermont.
It's clearly been a successful adaptation to a foreign club when a player ends up with a cherished nickname and customised celebration. That was the fate experienced by Thomas Waldrom who, after stints with the Hurricanes and Crusaders, moved to England and became beloved at Leicester and Exeter.
The No 8 joined the Tigers in 2010 and was instantly a fan favourite at Welford Road, with his unstoppable running seeing him christened Thomas the Tank Engine, a moniker that was soon followed by a 'toot, toot' gesture from the player after his tries.
And there were plenty of those - 17 at Leicester and 40 at Exeter, exploits that helped deliver Premiership titles to both clubs and saw Waldrom earn four caps for England.
Although he was far from the first to make the move, Carl Hayman was something of a trailblazer. When he left New Zealand rugby after the failed 2007 World Cup campaign - aged 28, with 45 caps and a reputation as the premier tighthead prop in rugby - he showed the All Blacks would not always retain their best.
And when Hayman signed a three-year contract with Newcastle worth $1 million a year - making him the world's highest-paid rugby player - he showed his former team-mates back home just what was available away from New Zealand.
Hayman's move was triumphant on the field, too. After three seasons with the Falcons, he joined French club Toulouse and made 145 appearances, including a start in the 2013 Heineken Cup victory against Clermont.
It's difficult to imagine a bigger set of boots to fill than those of Jonny Wilkinson. But it's equally improbable to imagine someone doing a better job than Jimmy Gopperth.
After joining Newcastle in 2009 to replace England's World Cup-winning hero, Gopperth made 22 appearances and racked up 219 points to finish top of the Premiership scoring charts.
The first five was also the leading scorer in that season's Challenge Cup, and a year later he repeated the feat in the Premiership.
But Gopperth's best season was still to come. In 2016/17, now at Wasps, he took home a trio of individual trophies - Wasps' player of the year, Premiership player of the year and RPA players' player of the year.
Isaac Boss was another who found an alternative route to the top and flourished after finding his progress blocked back home, first by Byron Kelleher at the Chiefs and then Piri Weepu at the Hurricanes.
The halfback experienced no such issues after shifting to Ulster in 2005, playing 16 matches in his debut season to help the Irish province win the Pro12. The following four years were equally productive, with Boss making 108 appearances in total before transferring to domestic rivals Leinster, where he would rack up another century of caps.
And those seasons were even more triumphant, as Boss became part of the side who won consecutive Heineken Cups in 2013 and 2014. His successes - and his Irish grandmother - saw him win 22 caps for the national side.
The versatile Riki Flutey spent four seasons at the Hurricanes before, having made only three starts in 2005, deciding to head for pastures new. His first year at London Irish proved that a fruitful call, as Flutey started in the Challenge Cup final defeat to Gloucester.
He then moved to Wasps and, once again, the switch quickly paid off. Not only did Flutey lift the 2008 Premiership title - filling in at fly-half in place of the injured Danny Cipriani in the final victory against Leicester - but he also claimed the players' player of the year prize at the RPA awards.
Flutey became eligible for England that year, made his debut against the Pacific Islanders at Twickenham and eventually won 14 caps for his adopted country.
His switch was such a success that Flutey earned a place on the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa, starting at second five in the third-test victory over the Springboks.
Nick Evans is the poster-child for New Zealanders packing their bags and heading on a thoroughly rewarding OE.
The first five excelled in domestic rugby, won 16 caps for the All Blacks and featured at the 2007 World Cup. But he also saw the No 10 jersey securely stowed away in Dan Carter's locker and in 2008 made what proved to be the inspired choice of signing for English club Harlequins, embarking on one of the great offshore careers.
Evans spent nine years at the Stoop, made 208 senior appearances and amassed a Quins-record 2249 points. Included in that haul was the last-gasp sideline conversion he landed in Harlequins' 19-18 Challenge Cup final victory over Stade Francais in 2011, and the 20 points he kicked in the 30-23 Premiership final victory against Leicester in 2012 - helping his adopted club claim their first English title.
The Rugby Players Association players' player of the year in 2012, Evans was eulogised by Harlequins director of rugby John Kingston when he retired in 2017: "The word 'legendary' is really over-used within the modern sporting world," Kingston said, "but in the case of Nick Evans and his playing career at Harlequins, it is the perfect description."
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