Tyler Bleyendaal playing for Munster. Photo / Getty Images
Tyler Bleyendaal playing for Munster. Photo / Getty Images
There are myriad New Zealanders, or those who have played professional and franchise rugby here, now plying their trade in Europe.
Close to 80 were involved in the 20 European competition games last weekend, ranging in the pay scale from Dan Carter at Racing-Metro to Tom Halse at Russian club Enisei.
Narrowing it all down to the top 10 for the 2016-17 is some exercise when one considers the French Top 14 is not televised here. Carter is still massively influential for the defending Top 14 champions, but injury has hampered his season. The likes of Victor Vito (La Rochelle), Ma'a Nonu (Toulon), Colin Slade (Pau) are performing well in France, while at the other end of the scale, the likes of Jarrad Hoeata (Cardiff Blues) and Francis Saili (Munster) have yet to provide, partially via injury, full value for money. Jared Payne is a defensive rock for Ulster (and Ireland) but is out for three months with a kidney issue.
Not coincidentally, four of the top 10 are goalkickers. A top marksman from the tee is gold in Europe, especially in the bitter winter months of December-January.
This may be a surprise to many, but the 2010 New Zealand Under 20s skipper and former Crusaders pivot has been a revelation for his Irish province this season.
Having shrugged off injuries which bedevilled his first two seasons at Munster, Bleyendaal has been at the heart of the province's revival since the untimely death of coach Anthony Foley. He has chalked up over 100 points and it is no coincidence that his strong form is exemplified by Munster's standing at the top of the Guinness PRO12 table and close to the top of their pool in the European Champions Cup.
At 26, he may still harbour international ambitions and it so happens he qualifies for Ireland in November 2017.
Eight tries in 11 starts, mainly on the wing, would indicate some young buck making waves.
Not that young unless you regard 34-years-old as spring chicken-like. But Nacewa has proved himself the ultimate pro for high-flying Leinster. Hell, just last weekend he racked up 21 points in the Champions Cup shellacking of Northampton Saints. Nacewa can operate equally effectively in several backline positions, goalkicks well, and he has captained Leinster with aplomb this season too. It looks like the timeout as the Blues' mental skills coach did him the world of good.
3. Thomas Waldrom (No 8, Exeter)
Thomas the Tank Engine Waldrom was something of a cult figure for the Hurricanes, and he remains as popular in Exeter.
While not quite of international class, despite having worn the red rose of England, Waldrom is the fulcrum around which the Exeter Chiefs run their plays. He helped them into the 2015-16 Aviva Premiership final, leading the carry stats and scoring plenty of tries. Waldrom, now 33, has continued in that vein in 2016-17 and offers full value to his club.
Wasps five-eighth Jimmy Gopperth. Photo / Getty Images
4. Jimmy Gopperth (five-eighths, Wasps)
Gopperth never really established himself as a top No 10 in New Zealand despite periods of quality at the Hurricanes and Blues.
But the 33-year-old has found his niche at London Wasps. Formerly cast as a specialist No 10, he moved out one to accommodate Danny Cipriani and occasionally assumed the custodian's role at the back. All the while he kept racking up points at an eye-catching rate.
Gopperth's competition-leading 128 points, including five tries, have Wasps safely ensconced near the top of the Premiership table.
Luke Braid is just your quintessential rugged New Zealand loose forward.
It doesn't matter where he plays or for whom he plays, he will bring total commitment.
Ambitious French Top 14 club Bordeaux-Begles are the latest beneficiaries. Braid has found himself carded a few times this season, occasionally harshly, but he leads the Kiwis-laden loose trio by example, as he did for the Blues. Remember their annus horribilis of 2012? He was the most consistent forward then and he is doing it again in the gnarly French rugby landscape.
6. Charlie Piutau (outside back, Ulster)
Still young, still talented, still good enough to slot back into New Zealand rugby (when he's ready).
Piutau is commanding the big bucks for Ulster and, like fellow Kiwis in Belfast, No 8 Sean Reidy and centre Jared Payne, he is offering good value after carving up for Wasps last season. Operating at wing or fullback, Piutau took a while to get fully in tune with what Ulster were doing, not to mention his dancing feet, but watch for him to dominate at the business end of the season.
7. Tom Taylor (utility back, Pau)
Tom Taylor had already proven his versatility in the backline and accuracy off the tee during his Crusaders and All Blacks days in New Zealand.
Last season he was marginalised at Toulon, but a switch to Pau has seen him thriving alongside a good half dozen other Kiwis. His boot and ability to play 10, 12, 13 or 15 has helped Pau stay clear of the Top 14 relegation zone. The 27-year-old Taylor has usurped Colin Slade for the goalkicking duties and looks to have cemented his role with the south-western French club.
Imposing back rower Nathan Hughes attended Kelston Boys' High School. Photo / Getty Images
8. Nathan Hughes (loose forward, Wasps)
The 25-year-old arrived in England in 2013 with open eligibility for three nations, including his native Fiji and New Zealand (on residency).
Hughes had a handful of Auckland games under his belt but was hindered by off-field issues. He is now flourishing at Wasps, where his athleticism, power and skill caught the eye of Eddie Jones. Now he has three caps for England and should win many more.
9. Hadleigh Parkes (midfielder, Scarlets)
Parkes has never been a flashy player, but his form in 2016-17 is fit to rank him as the top Kiwi playing in Wales.
The 29-year-old was last season's Scarlets player of the year and occasional skipper. He just does the business week-in, week-out for Kiwi coach Wayne Pivac. He plays either midfield position or on the wing, rarely misses a game or takes the wrong option, and in fact almost always does the right thing at the right time. Parkes, in short, is the sort of player who gives New Zealanders a good name in the UK.
10. Bundee Aki (midfielder, Connacht)
The former Chiefs and Steelers midfielder has continued on from his 2015-16 form, which helped guide Connacht to the PRO12 title.
He is eligible for Ireland at the end of 2017, and will surely wear the emerald green if his allround game, based on his abrasive style, remains on the upward curve. Aki is a popular man in Galway and is one of a clutch of Kiwis, along with coach Pat Lam, who have made a silk purse out of a sow's ear with Connacht in recent seasons.
